Andy McMillin Dominates Star-Studded Field to Grab Overall Victory and SCORE Trophy-Truck Win at 16th SCORE Laughlin Desert Challenge.

LAUGHLIN, Nevada — San Diego’s third-generation desert racer Andy McMillin completed a perfect run Sunday, easily dominated a field of star-studded racers to capture the Overall and SCORE Trophy-Truck victory at the season-opening 16th SCORE Laughlin Desert Challenge. With the race split into two days of 8 laps each of an intensely rugged 6.25-mile course, Andy McMillin ran a combined total time of 2 hours, 2 minutes and 03 seconds, averaging 49.16 miles per hour in his No. 31 McMillin Racing Ford F-150.

The fastest qualifier for his class, Andy McMillin had a one minute, 20-second lead after the opening 8 laps on Saturday extending his lead permanently on the first lap Sunday as all of his challengers fell by the wayside. As the checkered flag fell and the dust settled, his final victory margin was by 7 minutes, 36 seconds over Las Vegas’ Kory Scheeler, who finished the two-day event in 2:09:39 in his No. 51 Real Tech Motorsports Chevy Silverado SCORE Trophy-Truck.

The event featured 126 starters from 11 States, Mexico, Denmark and Germany, who competed in 17 Pro and two Sportsman classes for cars and trucks for over $300,000 in prize money and contingency postings. The classes were split into five groups in Laughlin, the Southern Nevada resort destination along the banks of the Colorado River, each running as part of one of five races each day of five to eight laps over the rugged and challenging 6.25-mile race course. The event was Round 1 of the 2010 SCORE Desert Series.

“It was a great day for us out there today,” said Andy McMillin, who was a prep basketball star at Poway HS near San Diego. “Once we got out in front of Pete (Sohren, No. 2) about the first corner, I just wanted to make sure that we didn’t let him or B.J. (Baldwin, No. 97) get around me. And then B.J. wasn’t there after the first lap so it was cruise control all the way. It was awesome. Compared to Saturday, (I backed off) a lot. Laughlin is a race of survival so I knew I had to get to the finish line first in order to win. The last four laps, I was just cruising. The bumps were getting so big out there but it was a real fun course.”

“Thanks to Sal (Fish) for putting on the race,” Andy McMillin added. “I just really enjoyed myself. I’ve never won here at Laughlin so it really feels good. It was an awesome way to end last year (with a win in the Tecate SCORE Baja 1000) and a great way to start this year off. 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 and I couldn’t be happier.”

Another third generation desert racer, Kory Halopoff, Orange, Calif., survived tremendous attrition caused by the difficulty of the course, defeating a talented group of 23 racers in the unlimited Class 1 to win his class and finish fifth overall in 2:13:53, averaging 44.82 mph for his eight laps. Driving solo in his Letner Racing Chevy-powered Tatum open-wheel desert race car, he earned his first class win in this race and his second-career SCORE Class 1 race win, and first as driver of record. He was the second driver for his cousin Harley Letner as together they were the overall and Class 1 winners of last year’s Tecate SCORE Baja 500.

Halopoff led by just one-second after Saturday’s 8 laps, but quickly pulled farther and farther ahead on Sunday as his top challengers fell back because of mechanical issues. Second in Class 1 to Halopoff was Mexico’s Robert Ross who was the fastest on the course for Sunday’s eight laps in his class and

Racing in comfortable weather with slight breezes, mild temperatures, under mostly sunny skies, Andy McMillin started from the pole on Saturday and Sunday and physically led all but one of the 16 laps over the weekend.

Andy McMillin, 22, whose McMillin Racing family team had six entries in the race, dominated the 28-truck field for his third career race win in the marquee SCORE Trophy-Truck division for high-tech, 800-horsepower unlimited production trucks and second straight after winning last year’s 42nd Annual Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 with his father Scott McMillin. After running the fast lap of the day to start Sunday’s half of the race at 7:10, Andy McMillin earned the first SCORE Laughlin Desert Challenge race win for his famous family, ran consistently patient victory laps of 7:33, 7:37, 7:44, 7:53, 7:56, 8:17 and 8:25.