Collins Adds Herbst to Team Mopar for TSCO Vegas-to-Reno Race

Team Mopar driver Brian Collins has three consecutive podium finishes in his number 12 Mopar Dodge Ram Trick Truck, including March wins at the SCORE San Felipe 250 and SNORE Mint 400. After more than a two-month layoff, Collins has enlisted Herbst Racing's Troy Herbst to be his co-driver in an attempt to keep Team Mopar's hot streak alive at the Best in The Desert TSCO “Vegas to Reno”off-road race on Friday, August 22.

Collins turned to Herbst after Chuck Hovey, Collins’ regular off-road teammate, decided to compete in the race in his own Class 1500 ride. The Collins/Herbst duo will compete in the Class 1400 Trick Truck division. Herbst is a member of the famed Herbst off-road racing clan.

“The Mopar Collins Motorsports team is really excited that Troy [Herbst] is driving with us,” Collins said. “It’s awesome because my dad and Jerry [Herbst] used to race together. Troy’s a phenomenal racer. He’s asked me for about the last 10 years to drive with him. I don’t know why I didn’t. I guess I didn’t want to be his downfall. He’s a great driver and great competitor, and he’s really looking forward to it. He’s been on a bit of a sabbatical from off-road racing and has been focusing on CORR racing. It’s going to be fun to have him return to off-road with us.”

Collins added, “The Mopar Dodge truck’s running great. Troy has driven it a few times, and we’re looking really good. The race organizers have cut the first 60-some miles out of the track here, which is going to make it tough, because those first 60 miles had some great spots for passing. It’s going to be very hard to pass now. It’s going to be almost like a NASCAR race. You’re going to have to pass people on good pit stops. We’re just waiting for the green flag to drop. We’re good to go.”

TSCO “Vegas to Reno” Best in The Desert race
The TSCO “Vegas to Reno” Best in The Desert race is billed as the longest off-road race in the U.S. [457-mile course]. Time trials to determine Friday’s starting order will be held on Thursday, August 21 at 6 a.m. Race day is scheduled for Friday, August 22 — with the first Pro Truck set to leave the start line at 10:30 a.m. For more information, visit http://www.bitd.com.

70 Years of Mopar
When Chrysler bought Dodge in 1928, the need for a dedicated parts manufacturer, supplier and distribution system to support the growing enterprise led to the formation of the Chrysler Motor Parts Corporation (CMPC) in 1929.

Originally used in the 1920s, Mopar (a simple contraction of the words MOtor and PARts) was trademarked for a line of antifreeze products in 1937. It was also widely used as a moniker for the CMPC. The Mopar brand made its mark in the 1960s – the muscle car era. The Chrysler Corporation built race-ready Dodge and Plymouth “package cars” equipped with special high-performance parts. Mopar carried a line of “Special Parts” for super stock drag racers and developed its racing parts division called Mopar Performance Parts to enhance speed and handling for both road and racing use.

Today, Chrysler LLC’s Global Service & Parts division is responsible for the manufacturing and distribution of nearly 250,000 authentic Mopar replacement parts, components and accessories for Chrysler, Jeep® and Dodge vehicles sold around the world. To assure quality, reliability and durability, all Mopar parts and accessories are designed in strict adherence to Chrysler Engineering standards.



ON THE INTERNET
Visit Chrysler’s Media Services Web site at http://www.media.chrysler.com for additional Chrysler and Mopar news. For additional information about Mopar, log on to http://www.mopar.com or http://www.moparspeed.com.