Finals on Saturday night at LVMS

Defending champ Coyne holds off NASCAR’s R. Gordon

In semi-main Friday at SCORE Las Vegas Terrible’s Cup

LAS VEGAS – Marty Coyne held off NASCAR Nextel Cup star Robby Gordon in a race-long battle to win the SCORE Trophy Truck feature as the SCORE Las Vegas Terrible’s Cup II got under way on the Dirt Track at Las Vegas Motor Speedway Friday night.

The 1.66-second win in the semi-main event continued Coyne’s mastery of the 800-horsepower SCORE Trophy-Truck class at this event, which simulates the natural terrain of Southern Nevada and Baja California on a man-made, 1.5-mile course.

Coyne, 49, won also won his 6-lap heat race in impressive fashion and will be favored to defend last year’s title when the race weekend concludes at 7 p.m. Saturday.

Opening night activity drew a wind-blown crowd of 6,201, and most of them were on the feet frequently during the Coyne-Gordon duel in the 6-lap semifinal. Coyne, driving a Ford F-150 built in Gordon’s off-road racing shop, got the lead shortly after the start. He relinquished it only momentarily thereafter, despite constant pressure from Gordon.

The NASCAR star, taking advantage of an off weekend in the Nextel Cup schedule to return to his racing roots, did get the nose of his Chevrolet in front briefly midway through the last lap, but couldn’t hold on.

“I knew Robby was on my tail and I just ran as hard as I could,” said Coyne, who regained the lead when Gordon, who said he ran the race with no brakes, slid wide trying to negotiate a left-hand turn.

Television personality Cameron Steele, who’s competing in four classes here, swept both 5-lap heats in the SCORE Lites class and won a heat in Class 1-2-1600. Steele is commuting between here and San Jose, Calif., where he’s scheduled to be a pit reporter on NBC’s telecast of Sunday’s Champ Car World Series race.

Larry Roeseler, of Hesperia, Calif., a multi-time desert motorcycle champion before becoming a desert racing champion on four wheels, won both 5-lap heats for the mini-truck class and Darren Hardesty, one of Steele’s teammates, won both Class 10 heats.

SCORE LAS VEGAS TERRIBLE’S CUP II

at the Dirt Track at Las Vegas Motor Speedway

JULY 28-29, 2006

FRIDAY’S RESULTS

SCORE TROPHY-TRUCK

(two 6-lap heat races plus 6-lap semi-main event)

Semi-Main – 1. Marty Coyne, El Centro, Calif., Ford F-150; 2. Robby Gordon, Charlotte, N.C., Chevrolet CK1500; 3. B.J. Baldwin, Las Vegas, Chevrolet Silverado; 4. Alan Pflueger, Honolulu, Hawaii, Chevrolet Silverado; 5. Ed Herbst, Las Vegas, Ford F-150; 6. Jesse Jones, Litchfield Park, Ariz., Ford F-150; 7. Pete Sohren, Glendale, Ariz., Ford F-150; 8. Cameron Steele, San Clemente, Calif., Ford F-150; 9. Chet Huffman, Northridge, Calif., Chevrolet Silverado; 10. Bobby Baldwin, Las Vegas, Chevrolet Silverado; 11. Todd Wyllie, New River, Ariz., Chevrolet Silverado; 12. Scott Steinberger, Signal Hill, Calif., Ford F-150.

Heat 2 – 1. B.J. Baldwin; 2. Sohren; 3. Wyllie; 4. Clyde Stout, Irvine, Calif., Ford F-150; 5. Steinberger; 6. Huffman; 7. Pflueger.

Heat 1 – 1. Coyne; 2. Herbst; 3. Gordon; 4. Steele; 5. Jones; 6. Bobby Baldwin; 7. Albert McMullen, Phoenix, Ariz., Chevrolet Silverado.

SCORE CLASS 1

(two 6-lap heat races)

Heat 2 – 1. Danny Anderson, Las Vegas, Jimco-Chevrolet; 2. Jeff Quinn, Anaheim, Calif., Jimco-Chevrolet; 3. Rich Ronco, Phoenix, Ariz., Tatum-Chevrolet; 4. Pat Dean, Las Vegas, Bunderson-Chevrolet; 5. Tim Herbst, Las Vegas, Smithbuilt-Ford; 6. Dennis Boyle, Ventura, Calif., Lothringer-Chevrolet.

Heat 1 – 1. Quinn; 2. Boyle; 3. Ronco; 4. Anderson; 5. Tim Herbst; 6. Dean.

SCORE Class 1/2-1600

(two 5-lap heat races)

Heat 2 – 1. Bryan Freeman, Henderson, Nev., Fraley; 2. Dave Caspino, Woodland Hills, Calif., Lothringer; 3. Cody Freeman, Henderson, Winkler; 4. Brian Jeffrey, Acton, Calif., Dunrite; 5. Brian Burgess, Riverside, Calif., Bunderson; 6. Rick Boyer, Bakersfield, Calif., Lothringer; 7. Cory Boyer, Bakersfield, Lothringer; 8. Brent Parkhouse, Long Beach, Calif., Mirage; 9. Frank Puglia, Kingman, Ariz., Bear Race Cars; 10. Lisa Grint, Parker, Ariz., Bunderson; 11. Kevin Graves, El Cajon, Calif., Jimco; 12. Curt Geer, San Dimas, Calif., Lothringer; 13 Adam Dafner, Las Vegas, Chenowth; 14. Cameron Steele, San Clemente, Calif., Desert Assassin.

Heat 1 – 1. Steele; 2. Burgess; 3. Caspino; 4. Graves; 5. Rick Boyer; 6. Cody Freeman; 7. Geer; 8. Bryan Freeman;9. Jeffrey; 10. Cody Boyer; 11. Parkhouse; 12. Puglia; 13. Ken Tapert, Henderson, Nev., Porter.

SCORE CLASS 7

(two 5-lap heat races)

Heat 2 – 1. Larry Roeseler, Hesperia, Calif., Ford Ranger; 2. Broc Ross, Deer Island, Ore., Ford Ranger; 3. Bary Karakas, Oak Hills, Calif., Toyota Tacoma; 4. Dan Chamlee, Summerland, Calif., Ford Ranger; 5. Perry McNeil, Lemon Grove, Calif., Ford Ranger; 6. Billy Manfroy, San Jose, Calif., Ford Ranger; 7. Robert Anderson, San Clemente, Calif., Ford Ranger; 8. Brandon Walsh, Encinitas, Calif., Toyota Tacoma; 9. David Binns, Las Cruces, N.M., Ford Ranger; 10. Shawn Wanzek, Lake Havasu, Ariz., Ford Ranger.

Heat 1 – 1. Roeseler; 2. Ross; 3. Binns; 4. Karakas; 5. Chamlee; 6. McNeil; 7. Manfroy; 8. Anderson.

SCORE CLASS 7S

(two 5-lap heat races)

Heat 2 – 1. Aaron Gomez, Fallbrook, Calif., Ford Ranger.

Heat 1 – 1. Gomez.

SCORE CLASS 7SX

(two 5-lap heat races)

Heat 2 – 1. Perry McNeil Jr., La Mesa, Calif., Ford Ranger.

Heat 1 – 1. McNeil Jr.

SCORE CLASS 10

(two 5-lap heat races)

Heat 2 – 1. Darren Hardesty, Ramona, Calif., AlumiCraft-VW; 2. Ron Dalke, Tucson, Ariz., Tatum-Honda; 3. Robert McBeath, Las Vegas, Jimco-Honda.

Heat 1 – 1. Hardesty; 2. Dalke; 3. McBeath.

SCORE LITES

(two 5-lap heat races)

Heat 2 – 1. Cameron Steele, San Clemente, Calif., Desert Assassin; 2. Rob Martensen, Phoenix, Ariz., Chenowth; 3. Chad Cummings, Ontario, Calif., Cummings; 4. Greg Gustin, Castaic, Calif., Penhall; 5. Ty Godde, Palmdale, Calif., Henry.

Heat 1 – 1. Steele; 2. Martensen; 3. Gustin; 4. Cummings; 5. Godde.