AndyMcMillin leads latest entries--34th SCORE San Felipe 250

SCORE MEDIA CONTACT: Dominic Clark, dominic@score-international.com
February 17, 2020
Season Opener March 24-29

A. McMillin, Wells, Septien, Sullivan, Christensen, B. Lovell 
among new entries for 34th annual SCORE San Felipe 250

ENSENADA, Baja California, Mexico – Defending 2019 race, overall season and SCORE Trophy Truck season point champion Andy McMillin leads the recent group of early entries along with fellow SCORE Desert Racing stars Kaden Wells, Francisco Septien, Greg Sullivan, Martin Christensen and Brad Lovell for next month’s 34th Annual SCORE San Felipe 250 in Baja California, Mexico.
To date, the 44 total earliest entries have come from 12 U.S. States along with host country Mexico, Canada, Denmark and New Zealand.
The season-opening event of the four-race internationally-televised 2020 SCORE World Desert Championship will be held March 24-29 in San Felipe, the peaceful fishing village on the Sea of Cortez, 125 miles south of the U.S. Border at Calexico, Calif. All four 2020 SCORE races will be held on Mexico’s magnificent Baja California peninsula for the fifth consecutive year.
Domestically, the race will be televised on a delayed basis on the World of X Games show on the ABC Television Network as co-produced by SCORE International and award-winning BCII TV of Los Angeles.
THREE DECADES-PLUS
Celebrating the 34th anniversary of the youngest of the three legendary SCORE Baja races, sometimes referred to as the SCORE ‘baby Baja’, entries are being accepted on the SCORE website under Race Info at www.SCOREInternational.com for Pro and Sportsman classes for cars, trucks, UTVs, motorcycles and quads.
Pre-race festivities will be held in San Felipe on March 24, 25, 26 and 27 with race days on Saturday and Sunday March 28, 29 concluding with the post-race awards fiesta at Noon PT on Sunday, March 29.
The deadline to enter online in time to be in the drawing for starting positions within each class is 8 p.m. PT on Friday, March 13. Official pre-running on the 335-mile race course will open at 8 a.m. PT on Saturday, March 14.
DEFENDING CHAMP
A. McMillin, a third-generation desert racer from San Diego, started his successful march to the 2019 SCORE World Desert Championship Overall and SCORE Trophy Truck point championship with his San Felipe win in his No. 31 Chevy Silverado. He also won the overall and Class 1 title in this race in 2005 in San Felipe while splitting the driving with his father Scott McMillin.
McMillin enters 2020 with 11 career SCORE Trophy Truck race wins. He is tied for second all-time with Robby Gordon, Ed Herbst/Tim Herbst and Larry Ragland. The group trails Las Vegas’ Hall of Famer Rob MacCachren who has 17 career SCORE Trophy Truck race wins.
MORE EARLY ENTRIES
Kaden Wells, 21, St. George, Utah returns with his father Travis Wells after two stellar season point championships and three race wins in the Pro UTV NA (Naturally Aspiriated) class in his first two seasons racing in the SCORE World Desert Championship.
Mexico’s Francisco Septien, 44, of Ensenada, is one of the most prominent age-group motorcycle riders in SCORE history.  He has seven career SCORE season class point titles including five career race wins in the SCORE San Felipe 250. He will be the rider of record this year in San Felipe in the Pro Moto 30 (riders over 30 years old) class.
Fresh from his class win in last year’s rain-delayed SCORE Baja 1000, Sullivan, 56, comes all the way from Helena, Mont., to race in Class 5 for unlimited VW Baja Bugs. Using a Chevy power plant, he will be looking for his first San Felipe race win next month.
Originally from Denmark, Christensen, 51, who lives in Escondido, Calif., is a former SCORE champion returning as driver of record in the Pro UTV FI (Forced Induction Class) for the San Felipe race.  Christensen has three career SCORE season class point championships on his racing resume (1998, 2002, 2003). He also has three career class victories in the SCORE San Felipe 250 (1998, 2008, 2010).
With nine Rock racing season championships and 35 Rock racing victories, Brad Lovell, 44, from Colorado Springs, Colo., has also won races and titles in short-course racing and desert racing. Competing in multiple classes in the desert, Lovell returns to the SCORE San Felipe 250 drive in the Trophy Truck Spec class where he finished third in the same class last year.
MORE SCORE TROPHY TRUCKS & SCORE TT LEGENDS
SCORE Trophy Truck, the marquee SCORE racing division for high-tech, 950-horsepower unlimited custom trucks leads the early entry list with 10 vehicles (including two SCORE TT Legend entries) in the lineup so far. In addition to Andy McMillin, the other early SCORE Trophy Truck entries are his cousins Luke McMillin, 27, San Diego (No. 83 Ford F-150) and Dan McMillin, 32, San Diego (No. 17 Chevy 1500), B.J. Baldwin, Las Vegas (No. 97 Toyota Tundra), Alan Ampudia, Ensenada, Mexico (No. 10 Ford Raptor), Mike Lawrence, Banning, Calif. (No. 85 Ford F-150), Tony Smiley, Buckeye, Ariz. (No. 2 Chevy Silverado) and Dave Taylor, Page, Ariz. (No. 26 Chevy Silverado).
In SCORE TT Legend for drivers 50 years and older, entries so far are Russell Buehler, Kansas City, Kansas (No. 79L Ford Raptor) and Rob Reinertson, Woodside, Calif. (No. 72L Ford F-150).
QUALIFYING
For just the second time in the history of this popular ‘Spring Break’ race, SCORE will hold a qualifying session starting at 8 a.m. PT on Wednesday, March 25 to determine the starting positions within each class for the SCORE Trophy Truck, SCORE TT Legend, Class 1 and Trophy Truck Spec classes. Entries in these classes must also be completed by Friday, March 13 to be eligible to qualifying.
Starting positions for the other classes will be determined by a random drawing after the close of online racer registration which is at 8 p.m. on Friday, March. 13.
Late, on-site entries will receive the next starting position within the class entered.
The first time qualifying was held for this race was in 2017 when Rob MacCachren, Cameron Steele and Carlos ‘Apdaly’ Lopez were the top three qualifiers in the marquee SCORE Trophy Truck division for high-tech, 950-horsepower, unlimited custom trucks.
Qualifying will again be held south of the airport, which is located on the south end of San Felipe.
2-WHEEL CHAMP
Justin Morgan, El Cajon, Calif., won for the second straight year in San Felipe in 2019 on his No. 1x SLR Honda CRF450X. Last year he split the riding with teammates Mark Samuels, Yucca Valley, Calif., who now has four SCORE San Felipe 250 race wins and Justin Jones, Murrieta, Calif., who won for the second time in San Felipe.
Morgan won the SCORE Overall Motorcycle and Pro Moto Unlimited point title last year by winning all four races in the 2019 SCORE World Desert Championship. He has now won 11 consecutive SCORE Baja races over the last three seasons.
     GREEN FLAG SATURDAY
The motorcycle and quad classes will start at 6:20 a.m. PT Saturday (March 28) while the car, truck and UTV classes will begin their journey starting at 9:30 a.m. PT (March 28). SCORE Trophy Truck and the Pro Moto Unlimited classes will start one vehicle every 60 seconds race while all other classes will start one every 30 seconds.
While the fastest vehicles in the elapsed-time race are expected to finish in approximately six hours, all vehicles will have 16 hours from the time each starts to become an official finisher in the historic race.
SCORE FIESTA TIME
Colorful pre-race festivities will be held in San Felipe during race week on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday with race days on Saturday and Sunday concluding with the post-race awards celebration at Noon PT on Sunday.
The colorful pre-race contingency and Manufacturer’s Midway, the starting line and the finish line will be on the Malecon in the heart of San Felipe for the fourth straight year.
Contingency will be held on two days for the second time in the history of this race with classes split with some, including all UTVs, motorcycles and quads going through the line on Thursday and the balance, including the marquee SCORE Trophy Truck division, SCORE TT Legend, Class 1 and Trophy Truck Spec, going through  on Friday. Contingency will run from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. PT each day with pre-race tech lasting until 6 p.m. PT on both Thursday and Friday (March 27-28).
The post-race awards celebration will be held on the start/finish line ramp on the Malecon on Sunday (March 29) at Noon PT.
LATE RACER REGISTRATION
A special on-site racer registration will be held on Tuesday (March 24) from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. PT for the racers who will be part of qualifying. Regular on-site, late racer registration will start at 2 p.m. PT on Wednesday in San Felipe.  It will be held Wednesday (March 25) from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. PT as well as Thursday (March 26) from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Friday (March 27) from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. PT with no new entries accepted after 3 p.m. PT on Friday.
SIX-TIMER
While three racers have three overall victories in the SCORE San Felipe 250, Las Vegas’ Hall of Fame racer Rob MacCachren might have set a standard that will last for awhile, unless he breaks his own record of six overall and SCORE Trophy Truck wins.
MacCachren, who won the overall in San Felipe in 2018 to give him 10 class wins in this race, earned his first SCORE Trophy Truck overall in this race in 2003 when he split the driving with Mexico’s Gustavo Vildosola Sr and his second in 2007 when he split the driving with Mark Post.
MacCachren earned back-to-back wins in 2011 and 2012 driving solo and won his fifth in 2017 and his sixth in 2018 driving solo again in his No. 11 MacCachren Motorsports Ford F-150.
BFGOODRICH TIRES UNMATCHED
As part of their massive SCORE Contingency program for 2020, long-time SCORE sponsor partner BFGoodrich Tires is offering a large contingency bonus for each overall winner in the 2020 SCORE World Desert Championship. For the 34th annual SCORE San Felipe 250, the contingency bonus is US$10,000. BFGoodrich Tires is entering its 44th year as the Official Tire of SCORE and in 2020 the company will also be the title sponsor of both the 52nd SCORE Baja 500 and the 53rd SCORE Baja 1000.
Presenting sponsor of both of those iconic races will be 4 Wheel Parts.
BFGoodrich Tires is celebrating over four decades as a major player in SCORE Baja racing. In addition to being the official tire of SCORE International for over four decades, BFGoodrich Tires has now produced the tire of choice for 30 of the overall 4-wheel vehicle winners in the SCORE Baja 1000, including 30 of the last 34 years along with a record-run of 20 straight from 1986 through 2005. In total, BFGoodrich Tires has now be the tire of choice for the overall 4-wheel vehicle winner in 92 SCORE Baja races including 32 in the SCORE Baja 500.
EL BANCO
For over three decades, the annual motorsports festival that has brought the largest economic impact of any single event held annually in this lightly-populated portion of the rugged, rough and bountifully beautiful Baja peninsula has been the SCORE San Felipe 250.
SCOREscope
2020 SCHEDULE
Here is the four-race 2020 SCORE World Desert Championship and for the fifth consecutive year all races will be held in Baja California, Mexico:
34th SCORE San Felipe 250, March 24-29, San Felipe, Mexico
BFGoodrich Tires 52nd SCORE Baja 500, presented by 4 Wheel Parts, June 3-7, Ensenada, Mexico
2nd SCORE Baja 400, Sept. 16-20, Ensenada, Mexico
BFGoodrich Tires 53rd SCORE Baja 1000, Nov.16-21, presented by 4 Wheel Parts, Ensenada, Baja California to La Paz, Baja California Sur
ABC TV AGAIN IN 2020
For the second straight year, the 2020 SCORE World Desert Championship aired on the ABC family of networks. The four-races air as one-hour specials on ABC TV’s World of X Games program with replays on ESPN2.
ABC first covered the 1967 and 1968 Baja 1000 races on the old ABC Wide World of Sports show with Jim McKay and again in the late 1980s with veteran motorsports journalist Sam Posey.
All of the SCORE race coverage shows also continue to air internationally in nearly 25 countries in Europe, Asia, Latin America and South America via syndication and ESPN International.
SCORE SPONSORS…
Official SCORE Sponsors: BFGoodrich Tires-Official Tire and Race Title Sponsor, Monster Energy-Official Energy Drink, 4 Wheel Parts-Official Off-Road Retailer and Race Presenting Partner, Ford-Official Truck and SUV, King Shocks-Official Shock Absorber, Polaris RZR-Official UTV, RACELINE Wheels-Official Wheel, VP Racing Fuels-Official Fuel, Wide Open Excursions-Official Arrive and Drive Company, Crystal Bay Casino-Official Casino.
SCORE Official Partners: PCI Race Radios, The Satellite Phone Store, Instant Mexico Auto Insurance, Lucerna Hotel.
Additional SCORE Associate Partners: Baja California Secretary of Tourism, XXIII Ensenada Municipal Government, XXIII Mexicali Municipal Government, Mexicali and San Felipe COTUCO, Cruz Roja Mexicana.
For more information regarding SCORE, visit the official website of the SCORE World Desert Championship at www.SCOREInternational.com.

SCORE San Felipe 250 All-Time Starters/Finishers by Year

1982
Total Starters: 232 Total Finishers: 133
1983
Total Starters: 194   Total Finishers: 107
1984
Total Starters: 200  Total Finishers: 113
1990
Total Starters: 264    Total Finishers: 164
1991
Total Starters: 214    Total Finishers: 136
1992
Total Starters: 192    Total Finishers: 117
1993
Total Starters: 82    Total Finishers: 56
1994
Total Starters: 180   Total Finishers: 120
1995
Total Starters: 231    Total Finishers: 130
1996
Total Starters: 200   Total Finishers: 122
1997
Total Starters: 194    Total Finishers: 106
1998
Total Starters: 227   Total Finishers: 143
1999
Total Starters: 234    Total Finishers: 149
2000
Total Starters: 227   Total Finishers: 148
2001
Total Starters: 208    Total Finishers: 135
2002
Total Starters: 235   Total Finishers: 147
2003
Total Starters: 249   Total Finishers: 164
2004
Total Starters: 249   Total Finishers: 149
2005
Total Starters: 269   Total Finishers: 159
2006
Total Starters: 341   Total Finishers: 220
2007
Ensenada to Santo Tomas
Total Starters: 394   Total Finishers: 288
2008
Total Starters: 263   Total Finishers: 181
2009
Total Starters: 226   Total Finishers: 161
2010
Total Starters: 257   Total Finishers: 158
2011
Total Starters: 220   Total Finishers: 145
2012
Total Starters: 207   Total Finishers: 150
2013
Total Starters: 250   Total Finishers: 178
2014
Total Starters: 183   Total Finishers: 142
2015
Total Starters: 149   Total Finishers: 103
2016
Total Starters: 164   Total Finishers: 118
2017
Total Starters: 204   Total Finishers: 143
2018
Total Starters: 246   Total Finishers: 162
2019
Total Starters: 239   Total Finishers: 164

Top Total Starters

Year, Number (Finishers)
2007—394 Starters (288 Finishers)
2006—341 Starters (220 Finishers)
2005—269 Starters (159 Finishers)
1990—264 Starters (164 Finishers)
2008—263 Starters (181 Finishers)
2010—257 Starters (158 Finishers)
2013—250 Starters (178 Finishers)
2003—249 Starters (164 Finishers)
2004—249 Starters (149 Finishers)
2018—246 Starters (167 Finishers)
2019—239 Starters (164 Finishers)
2002—235 Starters (147 Finishers)
1999—234 Starters (149 Finishers

Top Total Finishers

Year, Number (Starters)
2007—288 Finishers (394 Starters)
2006—220 Finishers (341 Starters)
2008—181 Finishers (263 Starters)
2013—178 Finishers (250 Starters)
1990—164 Finishers (264 Starters)
2003—164 Finishers (249 Starters)
2019—164 Finishers (239 Starters)
2018—162 Finishers (246 Starters
2009—161 Finishers (226 Starters)
2005—159 Finishers (269 Starters)
2010—158 Finishers (257 Starters)
2012—150 Finishers (207 Starters)
1999—149 Finishers (234 Starters)
2004—149 Finishers (249 Starters)