2023 King of the Hammers UTV Race Results: Kyle Chaney Wins Third Straight

Kyle Chaney won the 2023 King of the Hammers UTV race in Johnson Valley, California, completing the approximately 140-mile course in 3 hours, 31 minutes and 45 seconds. The victory was Chaney’s third consecutive UTV Hammers Championship and came in a Can-Am Maverick X3 competing in the Pro Stock Turbo class.

Phil Blurton finished second overall and won the Pro Mod class, while solo driver Cole Clark charged from 22nd off the starting line to complete the overall podium.

The February 9 race brought 107 competitors to Johnson Valley for a combination of fast desert terrain and technical rock trails. It was separate from the 196-mile King of the Hammers Desert Challenge held earlier in race week.

For more coverage from the event’s early years through today, visit the history of the King of the Hammers UTV race.

Kyle Chaney Wins His Third Consecutive UTV Hammers Championship

Chaney started third behind Pro Mod racers Paul Wolff and pole-sitter Jay Shaw. He quickly challenged for the physical lead during the opening desert lap and was leading when the race returned through the main pit in Hammertown.

Bryce Menzies moved from seventh to second on the road during the first lap, while Blurton completed the desert lap third on the road. Dustin Jones, Cody Miller, Jay Shaw and Ronnie Anderson were also running near the front as the leaders prepared to enter the more technical rock portion of the course.

The rocks changed the race. Broken and disabled UTVs began accumulating along the course, creating traffic and forcing competitors to find alternate lines. Chaney avoided the worst of the delays and completed the two-lap race in 3:31:45.

After the finish, Chaney explained that the race was as much a mental challenge as a physical one. Pre-running helped, but the rock trails continued to change as more competitors passed through them.

“You pre-run as much as you can, but everything changes every time you get to it.”

Kyle Chaney

When asked about securing a third consecutive victory, Chaney joked, “It’s awesome. Now I can afford the fuel to get home.”

2023 UTV Hammers Championship Video

Phil Blurton and Cole Clark Complete the Podium

Blurton followed Chaney across the finish in 3:44:16. His second-place overall result also earned him the Pro Mod class victory in his Can-Am Maverick X3.

Blurton described the race as rough and violent inside the car but said the combination of difficult terrain, spectators and the atmosphere in Hammertown made King of the Hammers different from every other race on his schedule.

“It’s one of the hardest races we do all year and the one we haven’t won yet. Looks like we’re going to have to come back again next year and try again.”

Phil Blurton

Cole Clark delivered one of the strongest drives of the race. Starting 22nd, the solo Polaris RZR driver worked through dust and traffic to finish third overall and second in Pro Mod with a time of 3:45:04.

Clark spent two weeks pre-running the course and used two GPS units to manage navigation without a co-driver. He said the dust in the desert was his greatest challenge, while the technical rocks were the part of the course he enjoyed most.

Dustin Jones Finishes Fourth After a Fight Through the Rocks

Dustin Jones ran near the front throughout the race but was passed by Clark in the rocks. Jones finished fourth overall and third in Pro Mod with an elapsed time of 3:51:29.

His description of the race captured how hard the course was on both the vehicles and their occupants.

“I feel like we just got done with a five-hour fistfight. The hard whoops blow your backbone out. Rough rocks snatch the wheel out of your hand.”

Dustin Jones

Hunter Miller Pushes His Can-Am Across the Finish

Hunter Miller was running fifth overall when the belt failed in his Can-Am Maverick X3 near the short-course section leading to the finish. Rather than stop to install another belt, Miller and his co-driver pushed the UTV approximately 100 yards across the line.

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Miller completed the race fifth overall and second in Pro Stock Turbo with an elapsed time of 4:02:01.

Corry Weller’s Firsthand View from the 2023 UTV Hammers Race

Corry Weller returned as co-driver for Jason Weller in the same Can-Am Maverick X3 they raced at King of the Hammers in 2022. Using the same car meant Corry was already familiar with the seating position, storage locations, tool bags and co-driver equipment.

Their race preparation began before race week with multiple trips to Johnson Valley. Once the course map was released, the team studied the rock trails and qualifying loop at Chocolate Thunder. The Wellers were also competing in the Great American Shortcourse event, creating an unusually busy schedule of short-course racing, UTV Hammers qualifying and pre-running.

Jason and Corry qualified 37th out of approximately 110 racers. Their conservative qualifying run included a second attempt at the main Chocolate Thunder obstacle, followed by the descent through Idle Issues.

On race day, the Wellers worked through the opening dust and moved into fourth or fifth in Pro Stock Turbo before reaching the main pit. There, the team discovered that a front axle had pulled out of the differential and a rear axle boot had torn. The repairs cost them positions before the rock lap began.

Traffic and Winching in Thor’s Hammer

The Wellers began regaining positions in the rocks until they reached a major traffic jam in Thor’s Hammer. One UTV was broken in the main line, another had become stuck while attempting to pass, and a third vehicle was blocking another route through the boulders.

Corry climbed ahead to study the obstacle and prepare a line. A Bluetooth connection through the team’s PCI communications system allowed her to continue speaking with Jason while outside the car. She moved loose rocks, filled undercut areas and prepared the winch before their Can-Am reached the main obstacle.

Multiple Axle Repairs on the Rock Lap

The heavily traveled course was considerably more torn up than it had been during pre-running. The Wellers lost a front axle in Boulderdash and completed a trail repair using tool bags organized for specific jobs.

They chose Sledge Hammer instead of the longer alternate route through Jackhammer. Corry ran ahead, connected the winch at the waterfall and helped the team clear the canyon quickly.

A second problem developed when the Can-Am became bound up in another rock trail and broke a rear axle. Jason drove out in three-wheel drive until they reached a flat area, where the team installed its final remaining spare axle. A remote pit replenished their supply before the last group of rock trails.

Despite the repairs, traffic and time lost in the main pit, Jason and Corry reached the finish without rolling the car. They placed ninth in Pro Stock Turbo and 26th overall.

“KOH is all about not giving up that mental game, staying in it if at all possible, and having the satisfaction of crossing that finish line.”

Corry Weller

Kyle Anderson Wins Pro Stock NA in a Yamaha Wolverine RMAX2

Weller Racing’s Kyle Anderson and co-driver Chris Atchley won the Pro Stock NA class in a Yamaha Wolverine RMAX2. Anderson finished ahead of AJ Hoover and Anthony Yount.

The result was particularly notable because the RMAX2 remained much closer to its recreational production configuration than the highly modified UTVs competing in the faster classes.

2023 King of the Hammers UTV Overall Results

The following finishing order is based on the published 2023 UTV Hammers Championship results. The first five elapsed times were also published in the event results.

Overall	Driver	Vehicle	Class	Time
1	Kyle Chaney	Can-Am Maverick X3	Pro Stock Turbo	3:31:45
2	Phil Blurton	Can-Am Maverick X3	Pro Mod	3:44:16
3	Cole Clark	Polaris RZR	Pro Mod	3:45:04
4	Dustin Jones	Can-Am Maverick X3	Pro Mod	3:51:29
5	Hunter Miller	Can-Am Maverick X3	Pro Stock Turbo	4:02:01
6	Travis Zollinger	Can-Am Maverick X3	Pro Mod	—
7	Cody Miller	Can-Am Maverick X3	Pro Stock Turbo	—
8	Jay Shaw	Can-Am Maverick X3	Pro Mod	—
9	Robert Parker	Can-Am Maverick X3	Pro Mod	—
10	Casey Currie	Polaris RZR Pro R	Open	—

2023 UTV Hammers Class Podiums

Open UTV

1. Casey Currie
2. Shannon Campbell
3. Michael Lee

Pro Mod

1. Phil Blurton
2. Cole Clark
3. Dustin Jones

Pro Stock Turbo

1. Kyle Chaney
2. Hunter Miller
3. Cody Miller

Pro Stock NA

1. Kyle Anderson
2. AJ Hoover
3. Anthony Yount

Sportsman Stock

1. Brian Tilton
2. Hubert Rowland
3. Dylan Heiser

Where the 2023 Race Fits in UTV Hammers History

Chaney’s 2023 victory made him the first driver since Mitch Guthrie Sr. to win three consecutive King of the Hammers UTV races. It also continued Can-Am’s run at the front of the modern UTV Hammers Championship.

Chaney returned in 2024 and won for a fourth consecutive year, establishing the longest uninterrupted winning streak in the history of the UTV race.

The 2023 event also demonstrated the range of vehicles competing at King of the Hammers. A production-based Can-Am won overall, a solo Polaris driver reached the podium after starting 22nd, and a Yamaha Wolverine RMAX2 won the naturally aspirated stock class.

Explore the complete list of winners and firsthand coverage from every era in the King of the Hammers UTV race history.