Mark McMillin RALLIES Big At SCORE Primm 300 Dan & Luke Earn Top Ten Finishes

Mark McMillin RALLIES Big At SCORE Primm 300 Dan & Luke Earn Top Ten Finishes
September 16, 2009

San Diego, California (September 16, 2009) Amid racing controversy, San Diego's Mark McMillin once again demonstrated his impressive off road racing talents as he drove the #23 McMillin Racing newly built Geiser Trophy Truck to an exciting finish at the ever so challenging SCORE Primm 300.

The SCORE racing champion simply washed off his new race truck after 3 days and 1000-miles of racing at the BITD Vegas to Reno race only a couple weeks earlier and entered the demanding SCORE Primm 300, held each year in the torturous Southern Nevada desert surrounding Primm, Nevada.

The nearly 300-mile race has long been considered one of the most brutally difficult tracks in the five-race SCORE Desert Series. That would not deter Mark McMillin, one of the most accomplished racers in desert racing history, an off road racer who has earned five SCORE Baja 1000 championships over his racing career.

Starting from the 13th position of the 23 truck field, the veteran off road racing champion charged his #23 FORD F-150 powered truck around the 276-mile race course in a time of 5:30:10 averaging 50.16 miles per hour earning a top finish.

Joining Mark McMillin inside the pristine cab of the #23 Trophy Truck was Cameron Parrish. Parrish handled the navigation duties while McMillin raced the first 138-miles in a conservative mode and was rewarded with a flawless run. By the end of the 2nd lap, Mark McMillin had moved his truck up six positions physically to 7th Trophy Truck on the road before handing off the race truck to Brian Ewalt. Ewalt made a charge during the final two laps that saw the #23 McMillin Homes race truck speed across Nevada's barren desert floor at over 100 miles per hour in search of the black and white checkered flag.

McMillin finished the race in the third position, unofficially behind Robby Gordon and Rob MacCachren, both who unofficially claimed the two top spots on the podium. However, it was later determined that nearly the entire field of elite Trophy Truck racers were served with penalties assessed from the IRC-regulated black boxes. In fact, 9 of the top 10 racers were penalized after the data from the black boxes was downloaded and speeding penalties were distributed. SCORE officials reviewed the data in the "black boxes" that each entry is required to use during the race and which are provided by Southern California's International Racing Consultants into the early morning hours on Sunday, and issued time penalties to numerous racers for speeding on a short, paved section of the official race course.

"The #23 McMillin Homes truck had a great race and a solid finish. We're extremely happy with the performance of the truck and especially the race team. We're looking forward to the next race," commented Mark McMillin.

Racing in the morning event for the limited classes were both of Mark's sons, Dan and Luke. Dan piloted the #1604 2/1600 car to a 5th place finish, while younger brother Luke drove his race car to an 8th place finish.

After the post race review by SCORE's independent race review board, speeding penalties dropped Dan back to 7th place, while Luke maintained his 8th place position. Dan had a throttle cable break on him halfway into the first lap, forcing him to play catch up to the leaders most of the day. Dan's co-driver, Tyler Hall, was quick to make the throttle cable change, only losing around 15 minutes. On the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th laps, Dan made up most of the 15 minutes they lost fixing the broke cable and finished 15 minutes off the leader.

Luke had a good day with a few problems. He was, however, forced to deal with the race car's skid plates falling off and fought with low oil pressure in the engine all race long. Luke managed to keep the car running strong all day despite these nagging issues. Heading into the 4th lap, Dan had passed Luke in the pits, but Luke was right on his brother's bumper until an unfortunate flat tire in the rockiest section of the track set Luke back even further from Dan.

Thanks to the BFGoodrich Tires, Dan had no flat tires, while Luke only had one, but only while Luke was charging hard through the rockiest section of the race course.

McMillin Racing thanks their sponsors for there continued support: BFGoodrich Tires, FOX Racing Shox, Sol Tek Lighting Systems, Major Performance Racing Engines, McDowell Transaxles, Geiser Brothers, JIMCO, and the entire McMillin Racing team.

About McMillin Racing
With over three decades of racing experience, the McMillin family represents three generations of accomplished championship racers. Founded by the late off-road racing legend Corky McMillin, McMillin Racing continues to be respected as a one of the most successful desert racing teams of all time. They are supported by a long list of dedicated family, friends and employees of McMillin Companies, all who make up an incredibly talented group of steadfast supporters. Since 1976, they have raced at the highest level of competition in the deserts of North America. Together as a family, they have multiple series championships, along with significant race victories in both the United States and Baja California.

McMillin Racing symbolizes the ultimate passion in off road racing.

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