McMillin Racing

McMillin Realty Racing BATTLES on the SANDS of SAN FELIPE!

Jessica/Scott EARN Win in Pro Truck | Andy FINISHES Top 3 in Trophy Truck

San Diego, CA (March 23, 2011) Returning to familiar ground that has long been heralded a tradition among the family of McMillin racers, Scott and his two racing siblings took on one of the toughest desert races in the world, the SCORE San Felipe 250.

Set over 252.09 miles of torturous Baja terrain, off road racers from around the globe gathered for a sprint through Baja. This popular spring race attracted entries from 22 states and nine different countries across the world. Among the elite Unlimited SCORE Trophy Truck division were 28 entries. The stage was San Felipe, one of Mexico's most picturesque quaint fishing villages situated along the tranquil Sea of Cortez.

Veteran racer, Scott McMillin is no stranger to the sands of San Felipe. In 1983, he was victorious sharing driving duties with the patriarch of the McMillin family, Corky McMillin. The father/son duo drove the famed McMillin Chenowth-Porsche to an impressive victory over a full field of hard charging racers. And then again in 1984, the dynamic father/son duo bested the field earning back-to-back wins.

Celebrating the 25th Annual SCORE San Felipe 250 and racing against a stacked field of racers, both McMillin Realty Racing trucks would take the green flag. Andy drove solo in the #31 McMillin Realty Racing SCORE Trophy Truck, while Scott and Jessica teamed up in the #1331 Pro Truck.

Race morning was filled with anticipation as drivers, Scott, Andy and Jessica prepared for an intense day behind the wheel of the race truck.

Starting near the back of the pack in the 21st position, Andy charged the #31 Ford F150 McMillin Realty Trophy Truck off the line and held a fairly fast pace through the thousands of fans lining the race course near Zoo Road. After two weeks of solid prerunning work, Andy strategized that he could run a solid pace and pick off the competition. That is exactly what happened as the #31 rallied towards Borrego and by the time he made the turn away from the paved highway, he was the tenth truck on the road.

"We knew what we had to do today. Starting in the back of the pack, we needed to run a good pace to our Main Pit at race mile 170 and then we could charge. That's exactly what I did. The truck was really good," explained Andy.

With thousands of miles of Baja experience over the past 30 years of racing, Scott, started the race driving the #1331 McMillin Realty Pro Truck. SCORE President, Sal Fish, waved the green flag signaling the beginning of another race for the champion off road racer, Scott McMillin. He roared off into the Baja abyss.

It wasn't long before both racers were communicating with chase crews that both trucks were running near perfection.

Andy cleared Morelia Junction at race mile 92 and pushed towards the famed Matomi Wash. Scott roared into the McMillin Racing pit at the 92-mile mark where Jessica began her day in the Pro Truck.

With both trucks running fast, the army of chase crews moved around the Baja desert like pieces on a chessboard.

Scott later commented, "We have a great crew of dedicated volunteers who follow our plans and are there when we need them. During our prerunning adventures, we determine the best locations to place our chase teams, most of the time at strategic points that allow quick access to the racecourse. Without our volunteers, we'd have a hard time winning. McMillin Racing has the best of the best."

Back on the course, the #31 pitted at race mile 170 taking on a full load of fuel and rear BFGoodrich Tires. Andy later commented, "As we pulled out of the Main Pit, I told Todd it was time to go and we charged hard. I knew it was a close race and we were really tight on time with Rob Mac and Jesse Jones and it was time to get going."

About the same time the #31 was pitting, Jessica was charging through Matomi Wash and earned a well-deserved flat tire after contact with an ancient rock in the famed area of the race course that eventually put them in a tough spot between two boulders. Jessica later recounted, "It was a pretty normal flat tire and then all of a sudden I was stuck between these two boulders and we needed some help to get out. My Uncle Mark had a Jeep crew working in the area helping their team and they came and helped us get unstuck."

After stopping at Main Pit for fuel, Jessica turned west into Huatamote Wash, a long deep sandy uphill wash that ended many racers day. Picking her way through the remnants of race cars and trucks, Jessica was on a solid pace and then the inevitable occurred. The steering ram broke leaving her stranded in a narrow location in the wash.

In the meantime, the #31 made the turn at the 242-mark and sprinted towards the finish line 10-miles away. However, they too were struck by unfortunate luck. Diagnosis at the time was perhaps a miscalculation on fuel strategy; however it was later determined to be a bad battery that sidelined Andy McMillin and his charge for the victory.

The #31 McMillin Realty SCORE Trophy Truck crossed the checkers while the team calculated times. Both Rob MacCachren and Jesse Jones joined Andy at the finish line each discussing their day of racing before SCORE announced that all three racers were within 1 minute and 8 seconds of each other.

In the end, Rob MacCachren was announced the overall winner, while Jesse Jones took second and Andy third position overall. Initially disappointed, Andy later smiled and said, "It was a great day of racing. We were in it all day long and to race against Rob and Jesse and for it to be so close in the end is what racing is all about. We really had fun and it was exciting. We had no flats thanks to BFGoodrich Tires and except for the battery issue, the truck was great."

It was an hour before co-driver, Hector Cuadras could finish the repairs on the #1331 McMillin Realty Pro Truck and they were underway again. Facing darkness and deep silt as they neared the 200-mile mark, it took perseverance to for the team to push on. Chase crews mirrored the race truck, but near the 216-mile marker the truck became buried in the deep silt.

But it wasn't long before team members at race mile 242 saw the Baja Designs HID lights of the McMillin Realty #1331 Pro Truck illuminating the San Felipe desert heading towards the finish line.

Over the race team radio frequency, brother Andy, provided moral support to the father/daughter racing duo pushing them to get to the finish line.

10-minutes later, Jessica crossed the finish line with her dad as the co-driver earning her second victory in the 2011 SCORE Desert Series season.

"Awesome is what comes to mind right now, just plain AWESOME! Racing with my brother and dad is just plain fun and today was a great day of racing," commented Jessica McMillin.

"It was a tough day in the Pro Truck today, but the entire team worked hard and we made it to the finish line in decent shape. I'm proud of Jessica and the team to continue pushing all the way to the end, it's a family tradition," said the smiling Scott McMillin.

McMillin Realty Racing ended the 2011 SCORE San Felipe race weekend with a solid victory in the #1331 Pro Truck and a top three in the #31 Trophy Truck.

Andy finished the race in 4:18:53 seconds averaging 58.43 mph to claim the third position in the SCORE Trophy Truck class, as well as third overall four-wheel vehicle.

The next scheduled race is the SCORE Tecate Baja 500 on June 4, 2011. Visit www.mcmillinracing.com for the latest updates, videos and photo galleries of the entire McMillin Racing family.

Year--Driver(s), Vehicle (Class)

1982--Dan Cornwell, Chenowth-VW (Class 1)

1983--Corky McMillin/Scott McMillin, Chenowth-Porsche (Class 2)

1984--Scott McMillin/Corky McMillin, Chenowth-Porsche (Class 2)

1990--Brian Collins/Jack Johnson, Chenowth-VW (Class 1)

1991--Larry Ragland, Chevy C1500 (Class 8)

1992--Bob Richey/Boyd Cox, Raceco-Porsche (Class 1)

1993--Scott Douglas, Ford Ranger (Class 7)

1994--Ivan Stewart, Toyota SR5 (SCORE Trophy-Truck)

1995--Larry Ragland, Chevy C1500 (SCORE Trophy-Truck)

1996--Robby Gordon, Ford F-150 (SCORE Trophy-Truck)

1997--Curt LeDuc, Jeep Grand Cherokee (SCORE Trophy-Truck)