Mark-Daniel-Luke EARN TOP 20 Overall SCORE Points Leaders
Mark McMillin Finishes 4th Overall in Trophy Truck; Daniel McMillin Earns 3rd Among Class 1's and 8th Overall; Luke McMillin Claims 5th in 1600's
San Diego, California (January 25, 2009) Mark McMillin drove his #23 McMillin Racing SCORE Trophy Truck to an impressive top five finish at the challenging SCORE season opener off road race. A huge field of 28 trophy trucks took to the 6.25-mile race course, which has long been considered one of the most difficult race tracks off road racers see all season long. The two-day format forces racers to employ diligent strategy in the hopes of finishing both days of racing, a total of 100-miles over some of the most brutal terrain SCORE racers face each season.
Mark McMillin led his two sons, Daniel and Luke, by driving the #23 SCORE Trophy Truck to an impressive top five overall after finishing the weekend in fourth place overall. Mark's combined total time for the race was 2:12:20 earning him a respectable top five in the world's foremost desert racing series.
Driving his brand new Alumi Craft 1-2/1600 racecar, Luke finished in the fifth position. The youngest McMillin racer competed against 21 other 1600 racers in a epic battle that saw some of the nation's top teams succumb to the harsh elements of the Laughlin desert. The resilient 16-year old San Diego high school student churned out fast laps on the way to a successful top five finish. Luke said, "I'm the youngest of the family racers and I've been driving in the desert since I was 12 years old. I've been racing for the past 18 months and I just run my hardest and see where I end up. This was a great race and it was a blast. Finishing in the top five against some of the best racers in the desert was awesome. I'm looking forward to the San Felipe 250."
Racing in the #118 McMillin Racing Chevrolet-powered Class 1 JIMCO racecar was Daniel McMillin. The 22-year old off road racing standout has raced the JIMCO Class 1 since 2009, however this was the first time he's raced the Class 1 in a SCORE Desert Series race.
As Daniel climbed from the driver's seat of the JIMCO racecar at the finish line, he smiled and commented, "We had no problems today. Our JIMCO Chevy was perfect and we've got the best tires in the desert, BFGoodrich. We drove about 85% both days and picked them off one by one. Our race strategy was just to finish each day and head to the San Felipe 250 in a good position. This is a good start and if we keep it up we'll be in the race for the season championship after the Baja 500. We've got to perform and finish each and every race. That's my goal all year long."
Only 22 points separate the top 20 overall point leaders after the opening round of the 2010 SCORE Desert Series at Laughlin, Nevada. Four of the five McMillin Racing entries earned a top 20 overall in the run for the season points championship. Mark McMillin (8th Overall), Daniel McMillin (10th Overall), Luke McMillin (20th Overall) and Andy/Scott McMillin (1st Overall).
Reflecting on the performance of all three of his family race cars, Mark said, "I am very proud of the driving performance of both Daniel and Luke. This is going to be a very long season and they have both demonstrated excellent car control in difficult conditions. We are all headed to the San Felipe 250 and I'm sure we'll have some great racing there. The #23 Trophy Truck was near flawless at Laughlin and I'm looking forward to the San Felipe 250. That's always been a great racing event and we've always run good in San Felipe."
Returning to the SCORE Desert Series on a fulltime basis for the first time in three years, the San Diego-based team had three entries from Mark McMillin's family and two entries from brother, Scott McMillin's family. McMillin Racing fielded five drivers in four different classes in the SCORE Laughlin Desert Challenge.
Mark McMillin will return to his quest for the SCORE Trophy Truck Championship racing his #23 Geiser-built Trophy Truck in the SCORE San Felipe 250 in Baja California on March 13, 2010. Daniel will campaign the JIMCO Chevy-powered Class 1, while Luke will tackle the sands of San Felipe, Mexico in his Major Performance-VW powered Alumi Craft 1600 car.
Top 20 Overall Cars and Trucks
(Position, Drivers, Vehicle-Engine, Class, Points)
1. Andy McMillin, National City, Calif., Ford F-150 (SCORE Trophy-Truck), 63
2. Kory Halopoff, Orange, Calif., Tatum-Chevy (Class 1), 58
3. Kory Scheeler, Las Vegas, Chevy Sivlerado (SCORE Trophy-Truck), 57
4. Rob MacCachren, Las Vegas, AlumiCraft-VW (Class 1-2/1600), 56
5. Francisco Villagomez, Col. Santa Rosa, Mexico, Pabloff-VW (1) (SCORE Lite), 55
6. Nick Vanderwey, Phoenix, Chevy Silverado (SCORE Trophy-Truck), 53
7. Robert Ross, Loreto, Mexico, Racer-Chevy (Class 1), 52
8. Mark McMillin, El Cajon, Calif. (SCORE Trophy-Truck), Ford F-150, 50
9. Justin Davis, China Hills, Calif. La Habra, Calif., Seagrove-VW (SCORE Lite), 49
10. Bill McBeath, Las Vegas, Chevy Silverado (SCORE Trophy-Truck), 48
10. Daniel McMillin, El Cajon, Calif., Jimco-Chevy (Class 1), 48
12. Gary Weyhrich Troutdale, Ore., Ford F-150 (SCORE Trophy-Truck), 47
13. Rob MacCachren, Las Vegas, Ford F-150 (SCORE Trophy-Truck), 46
13. Justin Smith, Capistrano Beach, Calif., Fraley-VW (Class 1-2/1600), 46
15. Brent Parkhouse, Long Beach, Calif. Moulton-VW (SCORE Lite), 45
15. Jesse Jones, Litchfield Park, Ariz., Chevy Silverado (SCORE Trophy-Truck), 45
15. Sam Berri, Murphy's, Calif., Jimco-Chevy (Class 1), 45
18. Kyle Conlon, Campo, Calif., Jimco-VW (Class 1-2/1600), 43
19. Justin Smith, Capistrano Beach, Calif., SmithCo-VW (SCORE Lite), 42
20. Luke McMillin, El Cajon, Calif., AlumiCraft-VW (Class 1-2/1600), 41
About McMillin Racing
With over three decades of racing experience, the McMillin family represents three generations of accomplished championship racers. Founded by the late off-road racing legend Corky McMillin, McMillin Racing continues to be respected as a one of the most successful desert racing teams of all time. They are supported by a long list of dedicated family, friends and employees of McMillin Companies, all who make up an incredibly talented group of steadfast supporters. Since 1976, they have raced at the highest level of competition in the deserts of North America. Together as a family, they have multiple series championships, along with significant race victories in both the United States and Baja California.
McMillin Racing symbolizes the ultimate passion in off road racing.
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