Team 71 Racing Overalls BITD Terrible's 250 at Primm!

Rick D. Johnson and Brian Sallee Earn Class and Overall Win in

Team 71 Racing General Tire Trick Truck at

Best in the Desert's Terrible's 250 at Primm





Just a few weeks after earning a hard fought third place finish at the General Tire SNORE Mint 400, the Team 71 Racing Trick Truck was back in the Nevada desert for the second round of Best in the Desert's 2009 desert racing series. After running a nearly flawless race, a dramatic twist of fate earned driver, Rick D. Johnson and co-driver, Brian Sallee the Trick Truck and overall win at Best in the Desert's Terrible's 250 in Primm Valley, NV this past weekend.



Running steady and strong throughout the day, Johnson quickly moved up from the 11th place starting position to battle it out with "Pistol" Pete Sohren for a third place podium in the final lap. "It was a drag race from start to finish and we found ourselves in the middle of a battle for third and a spot on the podium. As we all know in off-road racing, it's not over until it's over and things happen. In a dramatic change of events we went from fighting for third to suddenly fighting for first place overall," commented Team 71 driver, Rick D. Johnson.



While competing for the checkered flag the two lead Trick Trucks, driven by Jerry Whelchel and Andy McMillin, were involved in a pile-up taking each one out of contention for the lead. This late-in-the-race series of events opened the window for Sohren and Johnson to battle it out for the highest position on the podium. Racing towards the finish, Sohren was forced to make an unscheduled pit stop to change a flat tire thus clinching the class and overall win for the driving team of Johnson and Sallee.



Shortly after crossing the finish line, Rick D. Johnson was quick to give credit and acknowledge a few of the key elements of his race success. "Casey Folks and the entire Best in the Desert staff put on a great race. The course was fast and we knew it was going to be a sprint race with a lot of great talent. We needed every ounce of horsepower from our Ford F-150. Leon Patton himself took a last-minute private plane to give the truck one last shakedown and make sure every base was covered prior to the race start. Because of the dedicated support of Leon Patton Engines we were able to run at the highest competitive level."



Completing all three 72-mile laps, the Team 71 Racing Trick Truck finished the 216 mile course with an average speed of just over 58mph and a finishing time of 3 hours, 43 minutes and 18 seconds. "I know Brian and I could not be as successful out on the course if it wasn't for the consistent commitment, loyalty and hard work of the entire team before, during and after the race. Our remarkable finishing time is a great indication of how smoothly our pitting strategy was and the organization of each pit crew. I probably don't tell the guys how much I appreciate their efforts from race to race, but it definitely does not go unnoticed," remarked Johnson



Team 71 Racing owner and General Manager, Myrl Akerman, is extremely happy with the successes the team has experienced in the 2009 season stating, "General Tire continues to support Team 71 and off-road racing with an excellent Grabber tire and this overall finish would not be possible without that support. The win this past weekend and last year's overall win at Vegas to Reno had a lot to due with the competition changing flats at critical moments in the race. Rick and Brian's consistent pace and smart driving, coupled with the durability of General Tire's product truly is our winning combination."



"Best in the Desert puts on many great events and the Terrible's 250 is an extraordinary and memorable race. We all know it is a privilege to run our trucks through the desert and be a part of such a great tradition where everything has to fall perfectly into place come race day. None of this would be possible without the efforts of the various desert and short course sponsors that contribute and believe in this unrivaled form of racing. Off-road racing has to stay alive and it is up to everyone involved to work together and make that happen. Team 71 Racing is proud to carry the Lucas Oil logo as well as the Lucas Oil Off-Road Racing Series logo on our General Tire Ford F-150 desert racing Trick Truck. We want to see all areas of the off-road racing sport continue and grow, whether it is desert or short course racing," commented Myrl Akerman on Team 71's commitment of running the Vegas to Reno race and supporting all forms of off-road racing.


The Team 71 Racing Trick Truck will be back to defend last year's Vegas to Reno overall win at Best in the Desert's 2009 TSCO Vegas to Reno "The Long Way" race. The three-day staged event begins with contingency day festivities on August 19th at the Sunset Station in Henderson, NV and commences with the awards presentation in Reno, NV on August 23, 2009.


Special Thanks to the Team 71 Racing Sponsors:

General Tire
Sol Tek, AEM, King Shocks, Hostyle, Motion Tire, Ford Racing, Leon Patton Engines, North American Off-Road, Compdoor, Zoom Factor, Light Racing, Slime and Proudly Supporting
Lucas Oil and The Lucas Oil Off-Road Racing Series