MacCachren races atop SCORE Overall, SCORE Trophy Truck points,
C. Parkhouse tops Class 1 after 3 rounds of 2012 SCORE Desert Series
Start draw April 21 for 44th Tecate SCORE Baja 500 to be held in Ensenada, Mexico June 1-3
LOS ANGELES—Following his third victory in the last five races and second in three races this season, Las Vegas’ All-America racer Rob MacCachren has launched himself into the SCORE Overall and SCORE Trophy Truck point lead after three of five races in the 2012 SCORE Desert Series. With back to back overall wins in 2012 (Laughlin-Round 2 and San Felipe) after opening the season with a ninth-place finish in the first round in Laughlin, Nev., MacCachren, 46, has earned 177 championship points in the No. 20 Rockstar Energy/MasterCraft Racing Jimco Ford F-150. He is not only the SCORE Overall point leader, he is also at the top of the leaderboard in the marquee SCORE Trophy Truck division for high-tech, 850-horsepower unlimited production trucks. ‘Rockstar Rob’, who has eight SCORE season class point titles, earned his 48th career SCORE class win, his 11th career SCORE Trophy Truck race win in San Felipe. MacCachren is now tied with Las Vegas brothers Ed and Tim Herbst with the most race win in the 18-plus year history of SCORE’s Premier class. The recent San Felipe victory was also MacCachren’s fourth in the last six SCORE races. In San Felipe, MacCachren also earned the 75 all-time SCORE Baja overall race win for noted tired manufacturer BFGoodrich. BFG Tires have now been the tire of choice for the overall 4-wheel vehicle winners in 22 MasterCraft Safety Tecate SCORE San Felipe 250 races, 28 in the Tecate SCORE Baja 500 and 25 in the legendary Tecate SCORE Baja 1000. “Our Rockstar/MasterCraft race team and our Jimco race truck are totally in synch and it’s a beautiful thing to be part of it all,” reflected MacCachren, who is nearing his 200th career win in either desert or short-course/stadium racing. “We’ve only had one major problem so far in the SCORE series this year and that was midway through the season-opener in Laughlin where I put the wheel into a berm which broke off the stem and caused a tire to go flat. Our BFG Tires are the best in the universe and it has been my honor and my confidence-builder to know that any race vehicle I am driving has the best desert racing tires in the world guiding us around the course, whether it is in the open desert or in short-course, stadium-style racing. I know it’s not over ‘til it’s over and the upcoming SCORE Baja 500 will be another huge challenge. Defending series champion Bryce Menzies will be back with us in Ensenada and with all of the other great desert racers who will be in the field we will have another SCORE race for the ages.
The drawing of starting positions, by class, will be held Saturday, April 21 at the SCORE headquarters in Los Angeles. SCORE points are based on starting, finishing, placement and number of official starters within each class.
With consistent Laughlin finishes of fourth and third along with a seventh in San Felipe, Steve Strobel, Clarks, Neb., has moved up to third in SCORE Overall points and remains third in SCORE Trophy Truck with 156 points in the No. 94 Strobel Motorsports Jimco Ford F-150.
Continuing to move out from the shadow of his father and his uncle’s experienced tracks, Southern Californiadesert racer Cody Parkhouse is fourth in SCORE overall points and continues to lead the unlimited Jimco Class 1. With the season’s last three races all to be run in Baja, Mexico, Cody Parkhouse, 24 of Long Beach, Calif., opened the season in Laughlin in mid-January by finishing second in the first round and winning the second round followed by an 11th in his class in San Felipe in a Chevy-powered Jimco open-wheeled desert race car. A second-generation desert racer and the youngest of the three Parkhouse racers, Cody Parkhouse has 155 season points to midway through the 39th season of Sal Fish’s SCOREDesertSeries, the world’s foremost desert racing series. Cody Parkhouse’s father and uncle are in the top five in their respective class point standings with Cody’s father Brian racing in Class 1 (fifth in class) as well as his son and his uncle Brent racing in SCORE Lites (third).
In addition to season class point championships, the racers are also competing for part of the nearly $400,000 in cash purse and contingency postings each race. Drivers in the Pro car and truck classes are also attempting to earn prestigious SCORE ToyotaMilestone 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 27th consecutive year, a total of 30 drivers are still in the hunt for the awards for the 2012 SCOREDesertSeries after the first two rounds in the five-race series. Racers are also competing for the annual SCORE Off-Roadsman of the Year awards, including the MasterCraft Safety SCORE Rookie of the Year award. All categories, except Engine Builder and Original Buggy Chassis Manufacturer, will be determined by public on-line voting while Engine and Buggy awards are determined by season points.
2012 SCORE Desert Series Point Leaders
(After 26th MasterCraft Safety Tecate SCORE San Felipe 250-March 9-11—San Felipe, Mexico; Remaining races: 44th Tecate SCORE Baja 500-June 1-3, Ensenada, Mexico; 45th Tecate SCORE Baja 1000-Nov. 14-17, Ensenada to La Paz, Mexico)
Top 5 Overall Cars and Trucks
(Position, Drivers, Vehicle-Engine, Class, Points)
1. Rob MacCachren, Las Vegas, Ford F-150 (SCORE Trophy Truck), 177
2. Juan C. Lopez, Tecate, Mexico, Chevy Silverado (SCORE Trophy Truck), 168
3. Steve Strobel, Clarks, Neb, Ford F-150 (SCORE Trophy Truck), 156
4. Cody Parkhouse, Long Beach, Calif., Jimco-Chevy (Class 1), 155
5. Cody Robinson, El Centro, Calif., Romo-VW (Class 1/2-1600), 151
2011 SCORE Desert Series Point Leaders
Pro Cars and Trucks
(With Class wins in parenthesis)
SCORE TROPHY TRUCK—1. Rob MacCachren, Las Vegas, Ford F-150 (2), 177; 2. Juan C. Lopez, Tecate, Mexico, Chevy Silverado, 168; 3. Steven Strobel, Clarks, Neb., Ford F-150, 156; 4. B.J. Baldwin, Las Vegas, Chevy Silverado (1), 145; 5; Tim Herbst, Las Vegas/Larry Roeseler, Boulevard, Calif., Ford F-150, 136; 6. Scott Whipple, Norco, Calif., Chevy Silverado, Chevy Silverado, 134; 7. Ryan Arciero, Foothill Ranch, Calif./Troy Herbst, Las Vegas, Ford F-150, 127; 8. Cameron Steele, San Clemente, Calif., GMC Sierra, 118; 9. Ken Losch, Chandler, Ariz., Chevy Silverado, 116; 10. Gary Weyhrich, Troutdale, Ore., Ford F-150, 110; 11. Mark Weyhrich, Troutdale, Ore., Ford F-150, 107.
CLASS 1—1. Cody Parkhouse, Long Beach, Calif., Jimco-Chevy (1), 155; 2. Damen Jefferies, Apple Valley, Calif., Jefferies-Chevy, 142; 3. Ronny Wilson, Long Beach, Calif., Jimco-Chevy, 126; 4. Monica Greenhill, Crowley, Texas, Jimco-Chevy, 119; 5. (Tie) Brian Parkhouse, Long Beach, Calif., Jimco-Chevy and Clyde Stacy, Bristol, Va., Geiser-Chevy, 106; 7. (Tie) Conan Barker, Whitter, Calif., Porter-Ford and Tony Miglini, Dallas/Armin Kremer, Germany, Jimco-Chevy, 103; 9. Harley Letner, Orange, Calif., Alpha-Chevy, 88. ALSO: 11. Luke McMillin, El Cajon, Calif./Justin Smith, Capistrano Beach, Calif., Jimco-Chevy, 73.
SCORE LITES—1. Otoneil Huerta, San Luis, Ariz., Curry-VW (1), 135; 2. Rafael Navarro IV, Temecula, Calif./Vic Bruckmann, Lemon Grove, Calif., Jimco-VW (1), 92; 3. Brent Parkhouse, Long Beach, Calif./Brian Burgess, Riverside, Calif., Moulton-VW, 82; 4. Lobsam Yee, Tijuana, Mexico, Curry-VW, 72; 5. Arnoldo Ramirez, Ensenada, Mexico/Ricardo Malo, Mexicali, Mexico, Jimco-VW (1), 69.
Manufacturers
Original Buggy Chassis—1. Jimco, 191; 2. Romo, 51; 3. Kreger, 47; 4. Mirage, 37; 5. Curry, 35.