Primm, Nevada ~ The fifth round of SCORE's wild off-road desert racing arrives to Southen Nevada this weekend, as the world's top off-road race team converge in Primm, Nevada. The SCORE Tecate Desert Series is a five-race series that culminates with the famed Baja 1000 in mid-November. Three of the five races are held in Baja, California and two others in Nevada. In addition to the SCORE five-race series, the 2005 racing season saw SCORE promote the Terrible's Cup 1 off-road stadium race this past July in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Terrible's Cup 1 was a great race that saw over 13,000 spectators come to the Las Vegas Motor Speedway to watch the nation's top off-road race teams battle for the win.

This weekend’s Primm 300 race marks the 10th Anniversary of the SCORE Las Vegas Primm 300 event and desert racing's top teams have all entered this event. SCORE has announced that seven of the nine winning trophy truck teams and all of the past nine Class 1 winners have pre-registered for this event.

Drivers from around the world have entered this race. That includes 13 U.S. States, Canada, Mexico, Japan and South Africa. The two fastest classes, Trophy Truck and Class 1 have combined entries totaling over 70 entries. The afternoon session of racing is no doubt set to be out of control.

So far in this 2005 Primm 300 race, SCORE has announced 220 pre-registered off road racers, which overtakes last year's entries of 182 racers. Of the 182 racers that raced in the 2004 event, only 62 teams finished.

The buzz amongst the off-road insiders is all about young guns Andy McMillin and Brian Ickler. Recently, the duo participated in testing at Primm where SCORE Class 1 Champion John Marking had the opportunity to drive Brian Ickler's rocket ship. Marking commented on Ickler's Jimco, "It's fast, very fast."

Andy McMillin and his dad, Scott McMillin, return to Primm after just winning the Baja 500 in the Class 1 with a time of 9:15:12. The father/son duo beat all Class 1 competitors by over 15 minutes. What did elude the fast young gun was the Baja 500 overall title, which was captured by NASCAR veteran Robby Gordon driving his Red Bull Chevy Trophy Truck. Robby Gordon's schedule will keep him from the field of top desert racers, as he is scheduled to race at Richmond, Virginia in the NEXTEL NASCAR Cup race on Sunday, September 11th, 2005.

Although, the McMillin duo has dominated the off-road desert racing scene all season long. In early February, the father/son team took on the best-of-the-best and beat all teams winning the San Felipe 250 overall title with a winning time of 3:48:06 and averaging 63.2 miles per hour over the 240 mile race course.

The father/son duo have an extensive background in the off-road racing world, as the name McMillin, is synonymous with off-road racing champions, off-road racing's dominant family and Baja California. The McMillin love affair with racing off-road in Baja started decades ago by the legendary, Corky McMillin. And since, the McMillin Family has continued that tradition for over three decades.

Scott and Andy McMillin put on an off-road racing clinic at the San Felipe 250, so to speak, and demonstrated why they are the 2005 San Felipe Champions. Their #120 Class 1 car performed at levels that no other team could match. Not only did this father/son team outperform all the other in Class 1 competition, but they beat the featured Trophy Trucks who have reigned at 4-wheel champions for the past six years. But more importantly, this dynamic McMillin duo also best the world's best motorcycle riders taking the overall win in the San Felipe desert.

Returning to the Primm 300 is Hawaiian, Alan "Fearless" Pflueger, who will defend his wild winning run from the 2004 race. Last season's Primm 300 race was a mix of rough desert racing conditions, as well as a fierce tropical weather that deluged certain parts of the race course with up to three feet of standing water in places. Fearless led the race from the start and never looked back as he took the win leading wire-to-wire. Look for Pflueger Racing to charge towards the front of the trophy truck field in search of a repeat winning performance at Primm.

Last year's Primm 300 wasn't so good to everyone. 2004 SCORE Class 1 Champion - John Marking suffered a blow that probably still hurts. Marking was leading the race blasting his Jimco-Chevy towards the finish line at top speeds when he ran out of race fuel only three miles from the start/finish line. Although, Marking went on to capture the 2004 SCORE Class 1 Championship, the Primm 300 win eluded him. More recently at the Baja 500, Marking and his top co-driver, Turbo Tom Geviss, suffered a broken axle that sidelined them early in the race ending their quest for a Baja 500 win. Even more recent is the reconfiguration of the Viejas Jimco-Chevy Class 1 car. Marking and his dedicated crew have made big changes to the Class 1 rocket ship since competing at the Terrible's Cup 1 race in Las Vegas. The car has been converted to a rear-engine Class 1 from its original mid-engine configuration. Marking and his crew will debut the new car in the near future, but it doesn't look like they'll be racing here in Primm.

Defending the Class 1 Primm 300 win will be Damen Jefferies who will pilot the Porter-Chevy at Primm. In last years race he won Class 1 with a winning time of 5:54:50 averaging 55.06 miles per hour finishing third overall. Jefferies always brings his "A" game and he cannot be counted out of a podium finish.

There are so many stories in the Class 1 and Trophy Truck classes that one doesn't know exactly where to start or where to end.

PCI Racing's Scott Steinberger will be back in action in his # 7 FabTech/Toyo Tires Trophy Truck looking for his first win in the SCORE Tecate Desert Series in a Trophy Truck. Steinberger, a perennial favorite and all around "nice guy, has stepped up his race program this season with the addition of the Jesse Jones Geiser-built Trophy Truck to the PCI Racing stable. The # 76 Jesse Jones Trophy Truck leads the BITD Series in the "Trick Truck" class, equivalent to the Trophy Truck class at SCORE, and they are on track towards a possible BITD championship if things go right for PCI Racing. Jason "Biz Kit" Briscoe has prepped the old # 7 Trophy Truck for the wild run at Primm.

SMD Motorsports, the 2004 Pro Truck Champions, the 2004 BITD Pro Truck Class Champions and the 2004 SCORE Pro Truck Class Champions have stepped up their racing program after selling their Pro Truck only a couple months ago. Steve Scaroni and his two sons, Matt and David, will be racing their new #27 Trophy Truck in the huge class of 30 Trophy Trucks.

Starting off the line in the afternoon session will be Matt Scaroni driving the #27 Trophy Truck towards a top finish at Primm. Sharing duties with Matt will be his younger brother, David, as well as team owner/dad, Steve. "They say they're going to let me drive the truck if we get a big enough lead. We are excited to take our race program to the next level," commented Steve.

In addition, SMD Motorsports has been the focal point of ESPN2's new feature show, "Truck Stop." ESPN2 host, Rebecca Grant, recently visited the SMD Motorsports compound to film a portion of the new show at their shop located in Heber, California. ESPN2 will feature the SMD Motorsports team in the new television show as the small self-funded race team versus the big dollar team of MGM Hotel & Casino boss - B.J Baldwin and his son. Watch for the show to air on ESPN2 in October/November 2005.

SMD Motorsports, along with the entire off-road racing industry, have all seen the destruction that Hurricane Katrina created on the Gulf Coast of the United States. SMD Motorsports is hosting a Hurricane Katrina Victim's Fundraiser that will include an raffle and silent auction at the Primm 300 race on Friday, September 9th at the SMD Main Pits located just outside of Primm, Nevada. The event begins at 7:00 pm and everyone is invited. Look for additional information in the SMD Motorsports Press Releases. You may also visit the Red Cross to pledge direct support.

The ORC crew is headed to Primm race on Thursday, September 8th and will be live with information from contingency in the late afternoon and early evening. Stay tuned.