The El Ray Network will continue its coverage of the SCORE 2018 four-race Desert Championship with a one-hour show this weekend.

With the 321 official starters, this year’s event saw one of the most-ever participants in the event’s 50-year history. A total of 187 racers took the checkered flag, making for the fifth-most to do so since the Baja 500 began fifty years ago. Competitors in the field ranged from American states all the way from Alaska to Hawaii to the Northeast. Global racers showed up from countries as far flung as Andorra, Germany, Japan, and New Zealand.

Patience and a good deal of intestinal fortitude, along with a stout truck, carried Hall-of-Famer Rob MacCachren to his second straight overall SCORE win back on June 2^nd. He won the event in fine fashion by starting first, never losing the physical lead, and finishing first in the elapsed-time race.

Race title sponsor BFGoodrich Tires also paid a handsome $25,000 contingency bonus to the man since he was running BFG Baja T/A KR3 tires on his rig. He earned the 32nd overall 4-wheel victory for the tire company in this race.

The strong field of 321 starters included 33 in the marquee racing division of high-tech, 950-horsepower, unlimited custom trucks. It was in this category that MacCachren, 53, drove to victory over a tremendously tough 542.12-mile race course, finishing in his No. 11 Rockstar Energy MacCachren Motorsports Ford F-150 (built by Geiser Bros of Phoenix).

He did so in a penalty-free 11 hours, 21 minutes, 15 seconds, averaging 47.75 miles per hour. Margin of victory? Three minutes, 32 seconds over Luke McMillin, 25 of San Diego, who finished second overall in 11:24:47 at 47.50 mph in the No. 83 Mark Racing Ford F-150.

Next on the SCORE card is the Lucerna Hotels & Resorts Tijuana 22nd SCORE Desert Challenge. This’ll be held in – obviously – Tijuana, Mexico. The dates are set for September 19^th – 23^rd. The mighty Baja 1000 wraps up the season on Nov 14^th – 18^th in Ensenada.

For 2019, fans of the desert series should expect a couple of schedule tweaks. All races are being held in Baja California, with the SCORE Desert Challenge being renamed the Baja 400 and moving to Ensenada. That means the four-race card will feature the San Felipe 250 in April, the Baja 500 in May/June, the new Baja 400 in September, and the Baja 1000 in November. Only the first race will be held in San Felipe; the other three with start in Ensenada.

BFGoodrich Tires 50th SCORE Baja 500 race coverage show is scheduled to debut on the El Rey Network at 3 p.m. PT on Sunday, Sept. 9^th.