31 of SCORE’s Toughest Desert Racers still in hunt
For 2004 Toyota True Grit and Milestone Awards
Drawing for starting positions for 9th SCORE Las Vegas Primm 300 Saturday
-- Over 150 entries expected in Sept. 11 race

LOS ANGELES (August 2, 2004) -- Annually, the upcoming SCORE Las Vegas Primm 300 is a grueling test of skill and patience for SCORE Desert Racing’s best. This year will be no exception as 31 competitors remain eligible for the annual SCORE Toyota True Grit and SCORE Toyota Milestone Awards heading to Primm, Nev., for the ninth renewal of this difficult desert racing test of speed and agility.

The computerized drawing for starting positions for the 17 Pro and 2 Sportsman classes for cars and trucks will be held Saturday at SCORE’s Los Angeles headquarters. The race itself will be held in Primm, 35 miles south of Las Vegas, on Sept. 10-12.

As it has for the last 18 years, Toyota is presenting the prestigious awards to the desert racers who finish every mile of every race in the five-race 2004 SCORE Desert Racing Series, the World’s Foremost Desert Racing Series.

Among the survivors of the first three SCORE races of 2004, 19 drivers in the non-factory-backed Classes 1-2/1600, 5, 10 and SCORE Lite remain eligible for the $12,000 SCORE Toyota True Grit Award, divided equally among the class point champion(s) in these four classes who are also SCORE Toyota Milestone Award winners.

After three races,
31 racers in 12 classes remain eligible
for the hard-earned Toyota awards.

“Toyota is proud to honor the world’s best desert racing drivers,” said Les Unger, national motorsports manager at Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A. “For 18 years, we have had the privilege of presenting the SCORE Toyota True Grit and Milestone Awards to the toughest racers on the planet.”

In order to remain eligible for the SCORE Toyota Milestone and $12,000 SCORE Toyota True Grit awards, the following racers must finish the 9th SCORE Las Vegas Primm 300 (Sept. 10-12) and the 37th Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 (Nov. 17-21).

Over 150 entries are expected to challenge the 315-mile race which will be run as a five-lap race over a crunching desert course of 63 miles. As it has been for the previous two years, the race will be split into two groups with the open wheel and VW Baja Bug classes starting at 6 a.m. The truck classes, including the featured SCORE Trophy-Truck division along with the unlimited Class 1 open-wheel class, will start at 1 p.m. Slower classes will run three or four laps.

One vehicle will start every 30 seconds in the elapsed-time race, with an eight-hour time limit. The start/finish line area, the only designated spectator area and main pits will be located behind Buffalo Bill’s Resort in Primm. The slower classes will run three or four laps. Admission will be free to the spectator area, which will have grandstands as well as the SCORE Vendor’s Village.

Pre-race festivities on Friday, Sept. 10, for the SCORE Las Vegas Primm 300, including tech and contingency and the SCORE Manufacturer’s Midway, will be held from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. behind Buffalo Bill’s Resort.

2004 SCORE Toyota Milestone Awards
(Racers who complete every required mile for the season--*SCORE Toyota True Grit Classes--After 3 rounds of five-race 2004 SCORE Desert Series)

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