McMillin family tough in Baja
SCORE's Sal Fish celebrates 65th birthday as McMillin Racing
Prepares for 36th annual Tecate SCORE Baja 500 desert race
Over 270 entries expected June 4-6 in Ensenada, Mexico,
For Round 3 of five-race 2004 SCORE Desert Series

LOS ANGELES (May 2, 2004) -- As SCORE International CEO/President Sal Fish celebrates his 65th birthday today, San Diego's McMillin Racing is diligently preparing to celebrate more race victories South of the Border as SCORE's first family of Baja desert racing. Fish and the three-generation McMillin Racing team have begun their respective countdown sequences for next month's 36th Annual Tecate SCORE Baja 500 desert race.

As SCORE International continues to celebrate its 31st racing season, Fish, of Malibu, CA, will spend his milestone birthday week in the same way he has spent so much of his time the last 30-plus years, enjoying the desert.

McMillin Racing is doing what they have for 28 years, preparing race vehicles and planning the detailed logistics for their latest racing assault on the Baja California peninsula. Three generations will race this year in three separate unlimited Class 1 open-wheel desert race cars at the popular Mexican classic.

"I can honestly say that life's been good to me, I definitely don't feel anywhere close to retirement age," said Fish, born on May 2, 1939 in Los Angeles, who is spending this week marking the rugged 428.52-mile race course for the pre-running that starts on May 15. "My body might not agree with me totally, but the lifestyle of SCORE racing for over three decades has kept me young mentally and emotionally and I wouldn't have it any other way. As for retirement, forget about it- that's for old people."

With over 270 entries expected from 15 U.S. States, Mexico, Canada and Japan, the green flag will drop at 6 a.m. on Saturday (June 5) for the motorcycle and ATV classes, followed by the car and truck classes two hours later at approximately 8:30 a.m.

The starting line area will once again be adjacent to the Riviera del Pacifico Convention Center in downtown Ensenada. The finish line will be inside the Deportivo Antonio Palacios baseball stadium at 9th Street and Guadalupe Avenue in Ensenada. It is located approximately 1.5 miles east of the start line area. The admission will be free to this special SCORE finish line celebration. Vehicles will start in 30-second intervals in the elapsed-time race.

The world's foremost desert racing series will showcase 25 Pro and 5 Sportsman classes for cars, trucks, motorcycles and ATVs in Ensenada, which is located 65 miles south of the U.S. border at San Diego on the Pacific Ocean side of the majestic peninsula.

The oldest driver in the race-veteran Corky McMillin, 75, of Bonita, CA, leads the unique three-generation McMillin Racing team, which has entered three vehicles in Class 1. Driving for the prominent San Diego-based team will not only be family patriarch Corky McMillin, but his youngest son Scott, 43, who will split driving duties in another Class 1 car with his son, Andy McMillin, 16. Mark McMillin, 47, the oldest son of Corky McMillin, will drive the third McMillin Racing entry.

Between them, McMillin Racing has 12 class wins in this race, including six overall titles. Corky, Scott and Mark each have two overall titles, the most recent by Mark McMillin in 2001. Mark was the Class 1 winner in February's Tecate SCORE San Felipe, just one second faster than his brother Scott and nephew Andy.

Although they race mostly in SCORE Baja races, between Corky and his sons Mark and Scott are also nine SCORE season class point championships.

What started out to be a ritual of weekend trips to the sand dunes with family and friends back in the 60's has evolved into today's McMillin Racing.

Corky McMillin, who describes himself as "overall the hill and picking up speed", will be the driver of record in the No. 123 McMillin Racing Chevy-powered Chenowth with race shop manager Brian Ewalt as co-driver.

Ewalt, 45, of Chula Vista, has been part of McMilling Racing for over 20 years. Mark McMillin, of El Cajon, CA, has five class wins in this race and will drive the No. 112 McMillin Racing Jimco-Chevy. Amazingly, the Tecate SCORE San Felipe 250 win in February was the debut of his new race car.

Andy McMillin and his father Scott McMillin, will split the driving time in the No. 120 McMillin Racing Jimco-Chevy.

With vehicles numbers that reflect their class (1) and their respective starting positions, all three McMillin Racing vehicles are equipped with state-of-the-art BFGoodrich all-terrain tires and all three are sponsored by the family-owned behemoth real-estate business conglomerate: The Corky McMillin Companies.

If that isn't enough of a lineup, McMillin Racing also includes pit support manager and co-driver Gary Arnold, who has also been part of the family operation for over 20 years. Arnold most recently split driving time with Mark's son Daniel McMillin, 16, racing to a third-place finish out of a race-high 39 starters in Class 1-2/1600 at the Tecate SCORE San Felipe 250. It was Daniel McMillin's first SCORE race, run 28 years after his father Mark McMillin began his illustrious SCORE racing career.

In a sport that can imitate life, Corky McMillin asserts that lessons learned in McMillin Racing have contributed greatly to the incredible success of his business ventures. "The right plan, the right equipment, detailed preparation and most of all safety for everyone involved is at the foundation of both McMillin Racing and all of our business ventures," said Corky McMillin on the eve of his 28th Tecate SCORE Baja 500 race.

The increasing allegiance of friends, employees and associates has resulted in McMillin Racing having one of the largest followings in all of SCORE desert racing, especially in Baja California.

Veteran Larry Ragland, in the featured SCORE Trophy-Truck division, and newcomer Marc Francke, in Class 22 for open motorcycles, have drawn the first starting positions (by computer) for next month's race.

Driving the No. 12 Chevy Silverado of Las Vegas-based Collins Motorsports, Ragland will lead the car and truck classes while Francke, of Marina del Rey, CA, will race on the No. 2x Honda XR650R to lead the motorcycle and ATV field into the challenging and unforgiving desert in Baja California, Mexico.

With five class wins in the Tecate SCORE Baja 500, including three overall crowns, Ragland, 61, of Cave Creek, AZ, has teamed this year with Las Vegas' Brian Collins. Collins, who has always been driver of record in his SCORE career, offered Ragland the position this year because Collins knew he would be missing this year's Tecate SCORE Baja 500 to attend his son's high school graduation. Collins did split the driving during the first two races of the season and is scheduled to share the wheel for the last two races as well with Ragland, who is currently seventh in SCORE Trophy-Truck points.

Two-time defending overall race winners Troy Herbst of Las Vegas and Larry Roeseler, Hesperia, CA, will start 18th in Class 1 in the Terrible Herbst Motorsports Ford-Smithbuilt. Herbst has five class wins, including two overall titles, in this race, while Roeseler is tied for second all-time with 13 class wins and 11 overall titles.

Returning as two-time defending SCORE Trophy-Truck winners in the Tecate SCORE Baja 500 are Mark Miller, Carefree, AZ, and Ryan Arciero, Foothill Ranch, CA, in the No. 81 Miller Racing Chevy Silverado.

Among the other early entries in the marquee SCORE Trophy-Truck for unlimited production trucks are the teams of Las Vegas brothers Ed and Tim Herbst, Mark Post, San Juan Capistrano, CA/Jerry Whelchel, Rancho Santa Margarita, CA, Dan Smith/Dave Ashley, of Riverside, CA, and Mexico's Gus Vildosola and Las Vegas' Rob MacCachren.

Pre-race festivities for the 36th Tecate SCORE Baja 500 will center around the Riviera del Pacifico convention center in downtown Ensenada on Friday (June 4). Traditionally drawing thousands of spectators, the pre-race Manufacturer's Midway and display off all the race vehicles will be held adjacent to the San Nicolas Hotel, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday (June 4). The post-race awards celebration will be held at the Riviera del Pacifico on Sunday (June 6) at 10 a.m.

SCORE official sponsors for 2004 are: BFGoodrich Tires-official tire, Southern California Ford Dealers-official vehicle and CL Bryant-official fuel 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.

Associate sponsors for the 36th Tecate SCORE Baja 500 are the Fideicomiso Publico para la Promocion Turistica de Ensenada and Cotuco.

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