For two weeks every February, Johnson Valley transforms into Hammertown, a temporary desert city built around speed, jagged rocks, the occasional black eye, and some very poor decision-making. King of the Hammers isn’t just a race; it’s a progression. Classes cycle through the same treacherous terrain that eventually hosts the Ultra4 Race of Kings, each group removing a little more equipment—and confidence in one’s ability to finish—before the main event begins.
By the final Saturday the course is already tired of everyone. Open lakebed sprint sections give way to canyons where progress is measured in inches and co-drivers spend as much time outside the car as in it. The 2026 Ultra4 Race of Kings stretched into one of the longest in events history, turning the day into an endurance test of sage judgment rather than raw horsepower. Randy Slawson and co-driver Dustin Emick survived it cleanly, earning Slawson his fourth King of the Hammers title by avoiding the mistakes that ended everyone else’s race.
When the official racing stops, the desert keeps going. Spectators and drivers gather nightly at Chocolate Thunder, a precipitous canyon where those very same rocks that ended semi-pro dreams become a proving ground for anyone willing to try. Together the races and the after-hours chaos show the full character of Hammers: competition in daylight, ritual after dark, and the same terrain deciding both. Check out photos from the most unruly off-road event of 2026 in the galleries above and below.
