SCORE Desert Racing Rumbles Into Laughlin

Laughlin, Nevada - (January 11, 2006)

Each year in late April, the city of Laughlin, Nevada hosts the annual Laughlin River Run. Tens of thousands of hardcore bikers and street motorcycle enthusiasts descend upon the small river side resort nestled along the Colorado River revving up their Harley’s in search of mischief.

Although, locals will tell you that the Laughlin River Run doesn’t hold a candle in comparison to the rumble of the off road cars and trucks that converge on the river side city in mid-January for the now famous – SCORE Laughlin Desert Challenge.

DirtNewz.com, in association with Race-DeZert.com, will present a live online commentary webcast as the Class 1 and Trophy Truck racers blast off from the start line on both Saturday and Sunday at approximately 2:20PM (pst) and 3:37PM (pst) respectively. We will feature a webcast duo from inside the infield of the Laughlin Events Park.

Online fans will hear directly from drivers, co-drivers, crew members, celebrities and SCORE CEO - Sal Fish, live from the start line of the race. A team of two colorful desert racing veterans will call the race while perusing the infield of the off road racing season opener providing you the most up-to-date information ever experienced in the world of off road desert racing. The live event web broadcast will begin on Thursday evening at the Laughlin Leap and then move to the Monster Energy Extravaganza where we will report the latest happenings from inside the Choo-Choo Bar – direct to DirtNewz.com and Race-Dezert.com

For those of you that cannot make the live web broadcast, we will provide links to the audio files for your listening pleasure.

DirtNewz.com - No Boundaries!

Let’s get ready to rumble as an international contingent of top off road racers come together for the first off road race of the season. SCORE officials report 228 official entries have been received from teams in 12 different states and the nations of Canada, Japan and Mexico. Since the conclusion of the Baja 1000 in mid-November teams have been working hard in preparation for this first event of the season.

The 12th Annual SCORE Laughlin Desert Challenge is Round 1 of the six-race 2006 SCORE Desert Series that includes venues in Laughlin, Las Vegas and Primm, Nevada as well as three races in Baja California, Mexico. This race posts prize money, including contingencies of over $400,000 making this event one that races don’t want to miss.

“The SCORE Laughlin Desert Challenge is a wonderful event on the SCORE calendar and it is especially a great way to start the year,” said Sal Fish, SCORE President/CEO. “In our sport, it is about as fan-friendly as you can get and nothing surpasses the hospitality the Laughlin resorts show our racers and fans. And the racing is awesome.”

The SCORE Laughlin race features two full days of racing around an 8-mile race course. Racers will leave the starting line every 20 seconds in twos beginning with the ever so competitive, Class 5/1600 cars, Class 9, Class 11 and the Sportsman class.

The entire day of racing will feature 7 groups of championship off road racing at the Laughlin Events Park located at the corner of Thomas Edison Drive and Bruce Woodbury Way.

However, the festivities begin way before the racing starts as Thursday’s activities begin with the challenging Laughlin Leap, which boasts a cash purse of $16,000.

Friday morning at 9:00 a.m. the race teams begin rolling their race vehicles through contingency and technical inspection. Fans can attend the contingency festivities at the Laughlin Events Park at no cost and mingle with some of the world’s top race teams.

Here fans can have the opportunity to touch, smell and rub shoulders with the best in the business. And beginning at 4:30 p.m. the SCORE Pit Crew Challenge will feature top crews from different classes competing for the $10,000 dollar purse. Here fans can see how long it takes to change a 125 pound wheel and tire on a championship trophy truck.

The first race of the SCORE Desert Series will see an increased field in the bad to the bone, Unlimited Production Trucks, SCORE Trophy Truck class. Racing in his first SCORE race in a Trophy Truck will be the nation’s foremost top young gun, Andy McMillin. Teaming with NASCAR, Dakar Rally and SCORE veteran Robby Gordon for the 2006 season, the Gordon protégé will take his bosses #83 Red Bull/Toyo Tires Trophy Truck to Laughlin with one thing on his mind. Winning!

McMillin has a storied career as a professional off road racer who is just embarking in the next step in his successful young life. He previously split time with SCORE Champion, Scott McMillin, in the McMillin Class 1 race program, however moving to 2006 he will fill the driver’s seat normally filled by the one and only, Robby Gordon.

Only last week did DirtNewz.com have the chance to watch the young McMillin romp through the desert in Gordon’s #83 Trophy Truck. Co-driving with Andy was Robby Gordon Motorsports veteran co-driver, Greg Till, who precisely provided the young gun with his years of experience in the right seat of the Red Bull Trophy Truck. You can expect big things from this talented team as they are on a mission to win and win big at all costs.

Another new entry to the expanding Trophy Truck field is Todd Wylie of New River, Arizona. Although Wylie is no stranger to off road racing, the past two years he’s raced in Class 8 dominating the field in his orange AZ Land truck. Wylie will start side-by-side with Fabtech/Toyo Tires Kingpin – Scott Steinberger who will press his Old #7 Trophy Truck into service for the 2006 season.

32 Trophy Trucks are pre-registered for this year’s first race. Defending SCORE Champion – Bob Shepard drew the last and final position in the computerized drawing for starting positions at this season’s opener. Shepard announced to the world at the finish line of last year’s Baja 1000 that he was going to buy a boat and take a year off from racing, however that didn’t seem to hold out too long as Shepard is back with his Gieser-built Chevy Trophy Truck for another season of pounding. Incredibly, Shepard was one of a handful of racers who completed each and every single mile of the entire 2005 SCORE Desert Series including driving from the start to the finish of this past Baja 1000.

Also entering the fray of the Unlimited Production Trophy Trucks is FOX Racing Shox Kingpin – John Marking. After selling the Jimco-built Class 1, which helped him earn the 2004 Class 1 SCORE Championship, he was invited to drive the CST Suspensions Trophy Truck engineered and built by Chris Robinson. As you may recall, Robinson was an integral part of the Nelson & Nelson Racing dynasty from years gone by and from inspecting this #26 truck up close and personal, he’s created another gorgeous piece of art in the #26 Trophy Truck. Co-driving with Marking in the 2006 SCORE Desert Series will be off road racing veteran, Turbo Tom Geviss and FOX Racing Shox Manager – Todd Tenbrok, who will both split time in the rocket ship of a Trophy Truck.

Jimco Racing Owner – Mike Julson has just completed testing in the new state-of-the-art Jimco Race Trophy Truck and he’ll be raging from the line in 7th position lining up with the super fast Kory Scheeler in his Chevy Trophy Truck. Check out Julson’s newest truck featured exclusively at DirtNewz.com Here

A brief review of the pre-registered list and a host of top contenders all emerge from the field including the ever so popular, Alan Pflueger in the Monster Energy Drink # 28 Trophy Truck. B.J. Baldwin and Bobby Baldwin will square off with the rest of the field as will SCORE Champion, Tim Herbst.

The Desert Assassins are bringing two Trophy Trucks to the field at Laughlin including bad boy ESPN Commentator – Cameron Steele and his partner, Clyde Stout who will explode off the line in 30th position. This season opener’s drawing position maybe the worst draw in Steele’s off road racing career as his Desert Assassin’s compadre – Pete Sohren is 14th off the line.

Although, it may all be a moot point, as this year’s race course has been significantly reduced to eight mile laps. All classes will start two abreast from the start line and drag race from the start with each duo separated by 20 seconds. With 32 pre-registered race Trophy Trucks it’ll take just over five minutes to start all the trucks and it will only be minutes before they come into the infield to begin the second lap. It’s guaranteed to be wide open racing as they enter the infield at 100 miles per hour from the open desert.

We’ll bring you the full Class 1 field story as well as other classes Tuesday, January 10th!

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