Jason Voss wins the Silver State 300 for the second year in a row. Starting first off the line, Voss ran in clean air all day and fended off Rob MacCachren who gave chase but could not catch him.  Unlimited class competitors at the Best in the Desert Canidae Tap it Silver State 300 would have their worst fears confirmed after Jason Voss clinched the number one qualifying spot for the race. With impeccably prepped equipment and mad skills behind the wheel, when he gets out front on fast roads, he’s tough to catch. Dale Dondel was quickest during time trials and would have earned an amazing ninth straight fastest time in qualifying but he hit a cone resulting in a 15-second penalty that dropped him to 6th.

The Silver State course is very challenging for racers and their crews. It climbs and descends mountains, winds through tree-lined trails, crosses flowing streams and silty, dry lakebeds. It also has long stretches where drivers can really open the throttle up. Voss excels at high-speed driving. He is usually found at the front of the longer, point-to-point races like the Silver State 300 and Vegas to Reno. He was part of a team that won the Baja 1000 in 2015, which was headed by second-place overall finisher at the Silver State MacCachren. Any faltering by Voss or his crew would have given the win to MacCachren who started the race fifth off the line. The third Trick Truck to cross the line was Shawn Croll followed by Gary Weyhrich, Josh Daniels and Steve Olliges. Olliges came from way back in the 19th starting position to finish 4th in class, 10th overall.

Other than MacCachren, the top qualifiers were all slowed or dropped out. Justin Lofton suffered a big crash in the early going, but thanks to his safety equipment both he and co-driver John Armas are reported to be recovering with no serious injuries. Apdaly Lopez was sidelined for a while but managed to get going again to finish the race but in the back of the pack. Jerry Whelchel was rumored to be leading on corrected time at one point but then had some issues, as did Dale Dondel who lost a torque convertor that knocked him out of the race.

The top qualifier in the Class 1500 (unlimited open wheel) was Cody Parkhouse who started 7th. Parkhouse drove a great race. He was the third vehicle to cross the finish line followed by #1549 Sam Berri. Official results are not posted yet, but apparently a hard-charging CJ Hutchins battled from the 18th starting position to earn the victory from Parkhouse and Berri on corrected time. Since drivers go off the start at intervals, the fastest elapsed time wins the race, not the first to cross the finish line. Many drivers have tasted victory only to be overtaken by a fellow competitor with a faster time.

Class 10 was a huge battle with nearly 20 cars taking the green flag. Jason Coleman and Roger Starkey battled the entire race. Coleman was in front of Starkey after pit 4 and had time on him. In the closing miles, Starkey got past Coleman but did not put enough distance on him to cut into the time gap. Coleman finished a second ahead on corrected time; Starkey was third. First place went to Cody Robinson and Kyle Conlon. Conlon started the car in 10th place but put in an amazing charge to be first on the road at mile marker 80. He handed the car over in good shape to Robinson at mile 150; Robinson drove the remainder of the race. Later, he lost power steering but was able to muscle the car to the finish with over three minutes of time on the competition.

Throughout the field there were fierce battles and for some heartbreak.  The next event in the Best in the Desert series will be on August 13-15 when they take on the longest off-road race in the United States, Vegas to Reno. The terrain will be similar to the Silver State 300 but the mileage will be nearly double.