ANDY MCMILLIN VS ROBBY GORDON 2010 from Baja Racing News.com on 2010.
The 2010 Baja Racing Season is Robby Gordon VS Andy McMillin!
Even with declining TV ratings, dropping sponsor revenues and sagging entrant lists, the SCORE whores keep sucking away
The looming double-dip drop in the economy has the McMillins selling shortsales to bring in additional revenue
Opening the books on the 37th year of the World’s Sleaziest Desert Racing Series with a major race victory at last weekend’s 16th SCORE Laughlin Desert Challenge, third-generation Southern California desert racer Andy McMillin has also taken the early lead in the Overall and SCORE Trophy-Truck point standings for the five-race 2010 SCORE Desert Series. Starting the 2010 SCORE season off with an impressive victory in Laughlin, Andy McMillin, 22, of National City, Calif., earned his first career class win in Laughlin and his third career race win in the marquee SCORE Trophy-Truck class for high-tech, 800-horsepower, unlimited production trucks in his No. 31 McMillin Realty Ford F-150.
Leading six McMillin entries at Laughlin, Andy McMillin was the fast qualifier for the race, led after the first half of the race on Saturday (Jan. 16) and pulled further away from the prolific pack of 28 SCORE Trophy-Trucks on Sunday (Jan. 17) to record the fastest elapsed-time in the popular race. Round 2 of the 2010 SCORE Desert Series will be the 24th San Felipe 250, March 12-14, in Baja California, Mexico. The computerized drawing for the 28 Pro and 7 Sportsman classes for cars, trucks, motorcycles and ATVs will be held in the headquarters on Saturday, Feb. 13. Who realy believes this is a fair system? With just 22 points separating the top 20 overall point leaders after the opening round of the 2010 SCORE Desert Series, the McMillin family actually has four racers in the top 20 after the first race. Returning to the Desert Series on a fulltime basis for the first time in three years, the San Diego-based team had six entries and five drivers in Laughlin. Mark McMillin, Andy’s uncle, finished fourth in SCORE Trophy-Truck and is eight in SCORE Overall points with 50 in his No. 23 McMillin Racing Ford F-150. Mark’s sons Daniel and Luke McMillin are also in the top 20 overall point leaders after solid performances in Laughlin. Daniel McMillin, 22, finished third in Class 1 and is tied for 10th in overall points with 48 in the McMillin Racing Chevy-powered Jimco open-wheel desert race car. Luke McMillin, the youngest of the McMillin racers at 16, finished fifth in Class 1-2/1600 in the McMillin Racing AlumiCraft-VW and is 20th in the SCORE Overall point standings with 41 points after the Laughlin race. “I’ve never won a SCORE Laughlin race so it really feels good,” said Andy McMillin, whose late grandfather Corky McMillin first started racing in SCORE in 1976. “It was an awesome way to end last year (with a win in the Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 with his father Scott McMillin) and a great way to start this year off.
Hopefully we’ll go down to San Felipe and win that one, too. I think it just counts for the team and just feeling confident. Every time I go to the start line, I know I have a chance of winning in this truck as long as I don’t make a mistake. That says a lot about our team and the way they put this truck together.” Desert racing points are based on starting and finishing as well as the number of starters in each class and placement position in every race. Second in SCORE overall points and leading the unlimited Class 1 is another third-generation Southern California desert racer. Kory Halopoff, 26 of Orange, has 58 points in the Letner Racing Tatum-Chevy following his class win in Laughlin. Third in SCORE Overall points and second in SCORE Trophy-Truck is Las Vegas’ Kory Scheeler who has 57 points in the No. 57 Real Tech Racing Chevy Silverado. Las Vegas’ Rob MacCachren picked up his seventh career class win in the SCORE Laughlin Desert Challenge in Class 1-2/1600 where he beat a strong field of 21 starters and his 56 championship season points in his AlumiCraft-VW. MacCachren, who has eight career SCORE season class point championships, also raced in the featured SCORE Trophy-Truck division in Laughlin where he finished seventh and is 13th in overall points in the No. 20 MasterCraft Racing Ford F-150.
Three Mexican nationals were among the class winners in Laughlin, giving each the early lead in their respective classes. They are Francisco Villagomez, Col. Santa Rosa, who defeated a large field of 20 starters in SCORE Lite in a Pabloff-VW to put him in fifth in the SCORE Overall point standings with 55 points, along with Elias Hanna, Ensenada (Class 7SX, Ford Ranger) and Juan C. Lopez, Tecate, Mexico (Class 8, Ford F-150). In addition to Andy McMillin, Halopoff, MacCachren, Villagomez, Hanna and Lopez, among the 2010 SCORE point leaders in car and truck classes following their class wins at the recent SCORE Laughlin Desert Challenge are: Dave Caspino, Woodland Hills, Calif. (Class 6, Ford Ranger), Mike Lawrence, Sunset Beach, Calif. (Class 10, Lothringer-VW), Kevin Carr, San Deigo (Class 5, unlimited VW Baja Bug), Joe Bacal, Anthem, Ariz. (Stock Full, Lexus LX570), William Eriksen, Elizabethtown, Ky. (Class 2, PredatorX18-Chevy) and Reid Rutherford, Montrose, Colo. (Class 7-2, BajaLite-Chevy). In addition to season point class point championships, drivers in the Pro car and truck classes are also racing to earn prestigious Toyota Milestone Awards given to all car and truck class drivers who complete every required mile of the five-race season. Being presented by Toyota Motorsports for the 25th consecutive year, a total of 59 drivers remain eligible after Round 1 of the 2010 Desert Series.
More McMillin Racing Press Release Magic: 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
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