NASCAR's Robby Gordon also entered
Las Vegas' MacCachren, Long Beach's Ridings both racing in three
Classes in this week's 10th SCORE LAUGHLIN DESERT CHALLENGE
SCORE opener features nearly 180 entries, three-generations of McMillins, $26,000 Laughlin Leap and SCORE Pit Crew Showdown

LOS ANGELES (January 13, 2003) -- All-American racer Rob MacCachren will attempt to give his home State friends something else to salute him for this weekend at the 10th Annual SCORE Laughlin Desert Challenge. MacCachren, of Las Vegas, along with Tom Ridings, Long Beach, CA, will both attempt to win three classes in the popular event held along the banks of the Colorado River in Laughlin, NV, 90 miles southeast of Las Vegas.

The first major motorsport event of the year will be held Thursday through Sunday, launching the five-race 2004 SCORE Desert Series, the world's foremost desert racing series.

MacCachren, 38, a seven-time SCORE class point champion 2001 All-America motorsports team member, will drive Saturday for Mexico's Gus Vildosola in the featured SCORE Trophy-Truck division and will drive solo in both Class 1-2/1600 and SCORE Lite. Ridings, 49, who has several SCORE class race wins, will drive Sunday in the unlimited Class 1 for Brian Parkhouse, Bell Gardens, CA, and, like MacCachren, will drive solo in two other classes, Class 10 and SCORE Lite.

With 173 total vehicles entered to date from 12 States, Japan and Mexico, Las Vegas' Ed and Tim Herbst drew the pole position in the featured SCORE Trophy-Truck division. Younger brother Troy Herbst received the top spot in the unlimited Class 1 in the computerized drawing for start positions.

"I'm a professional racer, this is what I do, so I couldn't pass up this opportunity as the pieces came together to make it work," said MacCachren, who has won Class season titles in SCORE Trophy-Truck as well as Classes 8 (2), 10, 7S (2) and 1-2/1600.

"My top priority is SCORE Trophy-Truck, but with Bruce Fraley running the show, I have a great team put together for the other two classes. The SCORE Laughlin Desert Challenge is really a fun race, and unlike the other long-distance races we do in the series, doesn't take as much out of you. And, like I said before, I'm a professional racer and racers just can't pass up opportunities like this one."

In SCORE Trophy-Truck, MacCachren, who has two class wins in Laughlin, will drive in the No. 4 Vildosola Racing Ford F-150. He will also attempt an unprecedented double in his other two classes, using the same Fraley chassis with different air-cooled VW motors and transmissions in Class 1-2/1600 and SCORE Lite.

In SCORE Lite, he will race with more horsepower in a vehicle that will be up to 400 pounds less than his competitors. He will sacrifice size, suspension and braking in running his Class 1-2/1600 car in SCORE Lite.

Ridings, who finished second in the 2002 SCORE Lite season points, will drive a new Jimco-Chevy in Class 1. He will race his newly-purchased Jimco-Toyota in Class 10 and his reliable Mirage-VW in SCORE Lite.

Among the early entries are most of SCORE's top racers, including some who are switching classes along with a growing group of newcomers who will give SCORE one of its largest ever groups of rookies. As SCORE begins is fourth decade as the world's oldest and most prominent desert racing organization, several drivers have entered more than one class.

NASCAR Winston Cup regular Robby Gordon, whose racing roots are in the desert, is slipping away from his Daytona 500 testing for Richard Childress Racing to race in the marquee SCORE Trophy-Truck class in the No. 31 Chevy CK1500 he built in his own Team Gordon Racing shop in Southern California. Gordon drew the 21st starting spot out of 23 entries in SCORE Trophy-Truck. Also entered is ESPN sportscaster Cameron Steele, San Clemente, CA, who won Class 1-2/1600 in November's SCORE Baja 1000.

San Diego's McMillin Racing will field the first three-generation race team ever in a U.S. race. Driving three separate vehicles in Class 1 will be family patriarch Corky, 75, his son Mark, 47, and grandson Andy, 16.

Since its debut in 1995, the SCORE Laughlin Desert Challenge has helped establish Laughlin as a viable host for special events. Thousands of spectators will join over 170 racers and their crews converging on the city to watch the best of the best desert racers compete in a unique-format, two-day race that includes a temporary stadium surrounding the start/finish line area and the main pits.

A total of 16 different classes for cars and trucks are split into seven groups in Laughlin, each running as part of one of seven races of two to four laps each over the much-abbreviated 11-mile loop each day. Racing action runs from 6:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day.

Besides reigning SCORE Overall, Class 1 and Laughlin champion Dale Ebberts, Canyon Lake, CA and the Herbst brothers, at the top of the early entry list are George Seeley, Rob MacCachren and Brian Collins.

With two vehicles starting side-by-side every 30 seconds in the elapsed-time race, starting alongside of Ed Herbst in SCORE Trophy-Truck in the No. 5 Ford F-150 of Marty Coyne, El Centro, CA.

Starting on the outside of row 1 in Class 1 next to Troy Herbst will be the Porter-Ford of casino CEO Bobby Baldwin of Las Vegas.

Daily general admission tickets, good for grandstand seating, are $15 for each Thursday, Saturday and Sunday, children five and under are free. Daily VIP tickets are $35 each for three days, good for admission to the Laughlin Hospitality Chalet, including food beverage and special seating.

The stadium seating area will include the immensely popular SCOREvision large-screen LED display that debuted last year, showing live footage from various locations around the race course.

Tickets will also be available for the three other designated spectator areas around the course.

At a cost of $10 per vehicle, there are two areas off of Nevada State Highway 163 adjacent to the racecourse as well as the popular 'SCORE Hill', which overlooks the infield, start/finish area and the main pits.

Admission to these areas is on a first-come, first-served basis and no camping is permitted. These areas will have limited refreshment and public safety services.

Tickets for the Laughlin Events Park are now on sale at 800.227.5245.

One of the event's most popular features, the Laughlin Leap, revs up the fun and gets the weekend off to a roaring start at 6 p.m. Thursday.

Drivers and pit crews will share the spotlight at the Laughlin Events Park, competing for a $16,000 purse and the honor of being the 2004 champion. The Laughlin Leap, a dirt ramp built into the middle of the arena, challenges the most daring of drivers, and the top car or truck traditionally goes airborne for more than 120 feet.

Friday at 4:30 p.m. at the Laughlin Events Park, the Pit Crew Showdown focuses attention on the entire racing team to compete for a $10,000 purse.

Drivers and pit crews will compete for more than $300,000 in prize money and contingency postings during the four day SCORE Laughlin Desert Challenge.

SCORE points are determined both by finishing order and number of starters in each class. So far for the SCORE Laughlin Desert Challenge, classes with the most entries were Class 1 with 32, Class 1-2/1600 with 31, Class 10 and SCORE Trophy-Truck with 23 each.

Late entries, receiving the next available starting position in each class, will be accepted up until race morning.

The 10th annual SCORE Laughlin Desert Challenge is sponsored by the Laughlin Tourism Committee, the Laughlin Visitors Bureau, the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority in association with Las Vegas Events. The race is sanctioned and produced by SCORE International of Los Angeles.

The upcoming 2004 race will be the first of a new three-year contract extension between Laughlin, the LVCVA, LVE and SCORE International, confirming the event's significant economic and promotional impact.

SCORE International, founded in 1973 by the late Mickey Thompson and headed by Sal Fish since 1974, continues today as the premier sanctioning body in the sport of desert racing. SCORE races feature 16 Pro and two Sportsman classes for cars and trucks in the U.S. with seven additional Pro and three more Sportsman classes for motorcycles and ATVs competing in the races in Mexico.

Current SCORE official annual sponsors are BFGoodrich Tires-official tire, Southern California Ford Dealers-official vehicle, 76 Racing Fuel-official fuel and Rental Service Corporation-official equipment supplier. Associate sponsors are: Tecate Beer, Coca-Cola of Mexico, Instant Mexico Auto Insurance, Fram, Autolite, Prestone, Bilstein, Signpros, P.C.I. Race Radios, McKenzie's, and Advanced Color Graphics.

For information contact:
SCORE International at its Los Angeles headquarters
(818) 225-8402 or visit
the official Optima SCORE Desert Series website at:
www.score-international.com

DAILY RACING SCHEDULE
(Saturday and Sunday)
Printable Event Schedule

6:30 a.m. RACING STARTS (7 Races each day) Start/Finish Line-Laughlin Events Park
6:30 a.m. Group 1 Classes 5 (4 laps), 5/1600 (4), 9 (4),11 (2) --85-minute time limit (65 minutes for Class 11)
8:05 a.m. Group 2 Class 1-2/1600 (4 laps)--85-minute time limit
9:40 a.m. Group 3 Class 10 (4 laps)-80-minute time limit
11:10 a.m. Group 4 SCORE Trophy-Truck (4 laps)--70-minute time limit
12:30 p.m. Group 5 Class 1 (4 laps)-75-minute time limit
1:55 p.m. Group 6 Protruck (4 laps), Classes 8 (4 laps), 7 (4), 7S, 7SX, Stock Full, Stock Mini, 3, (ALL 3 laps) -85-minute time limit
3:30 p.m. Group 7 SCORE Lite (4 laps)-85-minute time limit

The Start/Finish Line area is located at the Laughlin Events Park
At the corner of Thomas Edison Drive and Bruce Woodbury Way