SCORE desert racing, while one of the most exciting venues in which to drive a dirt bound vehicle, is not especially spectator friendly. For die hard fans who have attended these events it is easy to recall countless hours waiting in the hot sun just to see your favorite team’s truck fly by for a split second and disappear into the horizon as quickly as it appeared. That is not to say that the experience isn’t worth it; but wouldn’t it be nice to be able to witness the whole spectacle perched comfortably in a grandstand, munching on a hot dog?

The Terrible Herbst No. 19 F-150 Trophy-Truck is back for vengeance.

SCORE likes hot dogs as much as you do, and as an exhibition of a man’s right to a frank with his race, they created Terrible’s Cup. While we’re on the subject of exhibitions, this race was originally a non-points race intended to bring back SCORE’s short track roots and introduce a little variety into the desert racing season. The fan-friendly 1.5 mile course is built on the dirt track at one of the most renowned motorsports venues in the country, Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The manmade track, dubbed a “chunk of Baja”, consists of seven turns, some moguls, and a few flying leaps. This track configuration lends itself to the stadium style atmosphere of the event with over 90% of the racing surface visible from the grandstands. To put that in perspective, you’d need a satellite to see 90% of this year’s Baja 1000 course.

This year’s race will be held on Friday July 20th and Saturday July 21st. Unlike its predecessors, Terrible’s Cup III will be a points race that will affect season standings for the 2007 SCORE series. The appeal of a points race along with the success of the past two years’ Terrible’s Cups have convinced over 90 competitors from all over the United States as well as Mexico to enter their vehicles in one of six car and truck classes for this year’s event.

	Baldwin Motorsports' points leading Silverado.

Among the competitors are such recognizable names as Ed and Tim Herbst of Terrible Herbst Motorsports. Never heard of them? Maybe you’ve got the wrong website. They’re only the most winningest Trophy-Truck team in history. With 11 race wins and four notches on their season point title belts, they’re one of the most well known teams on the track (and rightfully so). This year the Herbst effort will once again be campaigning their no. 19 Ford F-150 as well as the no. 100 Ford-powered, Smithbuilt, Class 1 racecar  (affectionately reffered to as “The Landshark”) that has, since its debut in 1997, won an unprecedented 22 race wins and seven class season titles and four overall season championships. Finishing in fifth and a fourth place in their classes last year, both the F-150 and the Class 1 car have a lot to prove for the upcoming short course race.

The title sponsors’ efforts are not to be unchallenged. The Herbst brothers will face a formidable trio of teams that make up the Trophy-Truck points leaders as of the end of the first half of the season. With three races run thus far, the Laughlin Desert Challenge winning No. 1 Baldwin Motorsports Chevy Silverado, driven by Las Vegas native B.J. Baldwin, leads the points with 245. Baldwin’s Silverado is followed closely by Baja 250 winners Mark Post and Rob MacCachren’s No. 3 Riviera Racing Ford F-150 at 242 and the Baja 500 winning No. 12 Collins motorsports Chevy Silverado with 233. Since points will be awarded for both Friday and Saturday’s races the championship lead is up for grabs at Terrible’s Cup III.

Riviera Racing's Baja 250 winning Ford F-150.

The Herbst brothers’ competition doesn’t stop there. Their Class 1 car’s rivals are just as fierce. Class 1 points leader B.J. Richardson in his No.108 Las Vegas Dissemination Company Bunderson-Chevy will be on the scene trying to defend his lead through the final half of the season.

Last year’s trophy-Truck superstar Robby Gordon will not be returning this year on account of a schedule conflict with his NASCAR effort. Don’t worry, there will still be a big name on the driver’s list in the form of Monster Garage’s Jesse James. Jesse will be driving the West Coast Choppers Chevy C1500 for the first time in competition at Terrible’s Cup III.

If you’ve ever been to Las Vegas you’ll know that it is located smack dab in the middle of the desert. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that it is as hot as hell there in the heart of July. It does take a genius, however, to decide to hold a desert race in Vegas in the middle of the summer at night. All the excitement of a SCORE Desert race with floodlights instead of the sun and a nice place to sit.

For those of you who want to meet your favorite racers there will be a “racer’s party” on the track before racing begins where racers and their vehicles are accessible to fans for an hour of photos and autographs.

	Collins Motorsports Baja 500 winning Silverado.

At 7:00PM the real fun begins. Each class will race twice on Friday and twice on Saturday as full fields. The Trophy-Trucks, on the other hand, will be split up into two heats with a full field semi on Friday and a main on Saturday. As if the race action isn’t enough, the SCORE Las Vegas Pit Stop will be held on Thursday at the Freemont Street Experience. The Pit Stop will include a vehicle display, an early bird special “meet the racers” racer’s party, and the infamous $10,000 Terrible’s Pit Crew Challenge. Also, the first 2,500 fans each night will leave with a scale replica of the No. 19 Terrible Herbst Motorsport Ford F-150.