Polaris’s $50K Baja 400 Challenge Has an Unexpected Favorite

$50,000 Is on the Line at Baja—Who Can Actually Beat Polaris?

Polaris has put a $50,000 target on its own factory UTV team for the 2026 SCORE Baja 400. The racer with the strongest documented chance to collect it is Branden Sims—and he is driving a Polaris.

That twist turns the Polaris SCORE Challenge into more than the expected RZR-versus-Maverick fight. Sims won UTV Overall at June’s Baja 500, starts first in Pro UTV Open this Saturday, and told UTVGuide.net that he has been informed he is eligible for the purse despite racing a RZR.

The challenge still runs through a strong four-car works team, and Baja rarely follows the cleanest pre-race script. But based on the latest entry list, official start order, and recent corrected times, Sims enters race week as the clearest threat to make Polaris write the check.

What It Takes to Win the $50,000

The public challenge language sets two requirements. An eligible UTV racer must beat all four designated RZR Factory Racing entries and win UTV Overall at the Baja 400. A class win alone will not do it.

The four target entries are:

• Brock Heger, No. 1896
• Cayden MacCachren, No. 1821
• Ethan Groom, No. 1874
• Joe Terrana and co-driver Rodrigo Ampudia Jr., No. 1898

That is four cars, not five. Ampudia shares the No. 1898 with Terrana rather than representing a separate factory entry.

If no eligible racer clears both requirements at the Baja 400, SCORE says the $50,000 carries over to the Baja 1000.

The broad outline is clear, but the fine print is not. Polaris and SCORE have not published a complete rules document explaining the full eligible field, payout timing, the effect of post-race protests or penalties, or how the purse would be handled among co-drivers. That missing detail is important because several fast Polaris racers are entered outside the four-car factory lineup.

Branden Sims Is the Racer to Watch

Sims does not need a hypothetical leap in pace. He already beat the four designated factory entries the last time SCORE raced in Baja.

At the 2026 Baja 500, Sims won UTV Overall in an official time of 10:33:59.639. Wayne Matlock finished second, 10 minutes and 26.668 seconds behind. Ethan Groom was the best of the four designated factory racers in third, 10 minutes and 44.434 seconds behind Sims.

Now Sims has the first starting position in the 18-car Pro UTV Open field. SCORE’s official draw places Matlock second, Groom third, Dallas Gonzalez fourth, Terrana fifth, MacCachren ninth, and Heger 10th.

Starting first does not give Sims a timing advantage; SCORE ranks racers by elapsed time and applies penalties. It does give him clean air within his class. In Baja dust, fewer early passes can mean better visibility, less time off the preferred line, and less exposure to other racers’ mistakes.

The key eligibility point comes from secondary reporting, not public rules. UTVGuide.net reports that Sims directly confirmed he was told he is eligible unless Polaris or SCORE publishes a fuller rule set before the race; that is the strongest available support for treating him as a bounty contender.

Matlock and Gonzalez Have the Speed—But Can They Collect?

Wayne Matlock and Dallas Gonzalez also belong in the performance conversation. Matlock was second UTV Overall at the Baja 500, while Gonzalez finished fifth, 14 minutes and 42.098 seconds behind Sims. They started second and fourth in Pro UTV Open at the Baja 400.

Both are outside the four challenge cars. Both have recent pace that could put them in the overall fight. Neither has publicly confirmed eligibility in the sources available before race week.

That distinction is important. SCORE’s entry list describes Matlock’s No. 1871 as a RZR Pro R Factory, but driving factory-built equipment does not automatically make someone part of the four designated works entries—or prove that the driver can claim the purse. Until the organizer or manufacturer clarifies the rule, Matlock and Gonzalez are performance threats with an eligibility asterisk.

Kaden Wells Leads the Can-Am Challenge

Kaden Wells is the strongest proven Can-Am contender. The defending 2025 SCORE Overall UTV champion has won Pro UTV Forced Induction at both SCORE races this season, and he drew the first starting position in the 13-car FI field.

His consistency makes him dangerous in a 423.16-mile desert race, but recent timing says he is an outsider for UTV Overall. Wells won FI at the 2026 Baja 500 in 11:25:20.678, which was 51 minutes and 21.039 seconds slower than Sims. At the 2025 Baja 400, Wells won FI in 10:04:51 while Heger won Pro UTV Open and UTV Overall in 9:05:18.602—a gap of about 59 and a half minutes.

Those comparisons do not make a Can-Am upset impossible. A different course, traffic, penalties, punctures, and mechanical trouble can erase a large paper advantage. Wells also has championship-level finishing form. The evidence does not support calling him the favorite on outright pace.

Oscar Arambula and Marc Burnett are the only two Can-Am drivers among the 18 Pro UTV Open entries. Their class puts them on the most direct recent path to UTV Overall, but neither brings a result from the current research window strong enough to rank ahead of Sims, Matlock, Gonzalez, or Wells.

Polaris’s Winning Streak Needs One Important Correction

Polaris enters the Baja 400 with three consecutive UTV Overall victories at this event, but Brock Heger did not win all three.

Heger won in 2023 and 2025. Cayden MacCachren won the 2024 race, when Heger finished second in the Pro UTV Open. The accurate pre-race framing is that Polaris seeks a fourth straight Baja 400 UTV Overall, while Heger seeks his third win in four years.

Heger remains the factory benchmark. He won the 2026 San Felipe 250 before a late delay dropped him to 15th in Pro UTV Open at the Baja 500. Groom’s third at the Baja 500 is the best recent finish among the four target cars, while Terrana opened the season with a second at San Felipe.

That depth is exactly what makes the challenge hard. An eligible racer must beat the best corrected time from all four—not simply outrun the most famous name.

This Is Not a Showroom Shootout

The September 6 entry list contains 43 professional UTVs on the full course: 18 Open, 13 Forced Induction, three Naturally Aspirated, and nine Stock. A count of SCORE’s listed machines produces a nearly even brand split—23 Polaris and 20 Can-Am—but the balance changes sharply in the fastest class. Pro UTV Open contains 16 Polaris entries and only two Can-Ams; every FI entry is a Can-Am.

That makes the overall field look closer by brand than it is at the sharp end. It also makes the race a poor excuse for simplistic showroom claims.

The leading RZR Pro R Factory is a purpose-built desert race vehicle, not a stock recreational RZR with a cage and lights. The Maverick Rs in SCORE also carry extensive race preparation, safety equipment, fuel capacity, navigation, spares, and team-specific setup. A Baja result can demonstrate race-platform capability and support depth. Still, it cannot tell a trail rider which stock machine will be more comfortable, cheaper to maintain, or more reliable in normal ownership.

For owners, the useful lesson is broader: race pace comes from the complete system. Hardware, prep, pit execution, navigation, dust management, and the ability to prevent penalties all matter. Advertised horsepower alone does not settle a 400-mile race.

The Check May Not Be Won at the Finish Ramp

SCORE’s September 6 update lists 146 total entries for the Baja 400, with on-site registration still ahead. Cars, trucks, and UTVs are scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. Pacific Time on Saturday, September 12. The professional course is 423.16 miles, and each vehicle has 16 hours from its individual start to become an official finisher.

Because this is an elapsed-time race with controlled-speed zones and potential post-finish penalties, the first UTV across the ramp may not be the official overall winner. Any $50,000 claim should wait for official classification and clarification that the winning driver is eligible.

On the evidence available now, Sims is the most credible pick. Matlock and Gonzalez have the speed if the rules include them. Wells is the leading Can-Am threat, but he needs to erase a substantial recent time gap or take advantage of trouble in the Open field.

Follow the official timing on race day, then join the SXS Nation discussion: does Polaris’s challenge prove faith in its works team, or does the company win the publicity even if another RZR takes its $50,000?

Sources