SAN FELIPE, Mexico — Luke ‘The Luke’ McMillin, 33, San Diego, Calif., put a winless 2025 behind him, roaring back in dominant fashion with a spectacular overall victory and SCORE Trophy Truck win amid scorching temperatures at the King Shocks 39th SCORE San Felipe 250, celebrating with his family just steps from the turquoise waters of the Sea of Cortez.
McMillin emerged victorious in the opening round of the 2026 SCORE World Desert Championship, conquering the 281.5-mile race course in 4 hours, 29 minutes and 45 seconds aboard his No. 83 Ford Raptor Mason AWD Mark McMillin Racing.
It marked McMillin’s fourth career victory at the SCORE San Felipe 250, his third overall, and his seventh triumph in SCORE Trophy Truck, the premier high-tech class featuring 1,000-horsepower trucks created by Sal Fish in 1994.
A third-generation racer and heir to SCORE champion Mark McMillin, Luke also delivered BFGoodrich Tires its 31st overall victory in 39 editions, running on the new 42-inch tire that dominated this week across the deserts of Northern Baja California.
Rob ‘The G.O.A.T.’ MacCachren, 61, Las Vegas, added another chapter to his legendary career, earning his 11th victory in the history of the SCORE San Felipe 250—and his first in SCORE Trophy Truck 2WD—further cementing his status as the greatest off-road racer of all time. He defeated a 20-truck field with a time of 4 hours, 53 minutes and 2 seconds behind the wheel of his No. 11T Ford F-150 Geiser Bros MacCachren Motorsports.
MacCachren, an Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame inductee and the first-ever SCORE Trophy Truck champion with Ford Rough Riders team, also capped off another successful weekend for BFGoodrich Tires, the winningest tire brand in off-road racing history.
David Payne, 65, St. Louis, Mo., and Larry ‘Mr. Baja’ Roeseler, 68, Boulevard, Calif., scored their first victory in SCORE Trophy Truck Legend, winning the SCORE San Felipe 250 in their No. 61 Chevrolet Silverado Mason AWD Payne Racing with a time of 5 hours and 22 seconds.
Roeseler is a seven-time SCORE San Felipe 250 winner, including two overall wins on motorcycles with the legendary Kawasaki Team Green, taking the checkered flag in 1991 and 1992 alongside Ted Hunnicut Jr.
Former NASCAR driver and prominent businessman Brendan Gaughan, 50, Las Vegas, claimed the SCORE San Felipe 250 Class 1 victory after recovering from a rollover at mile 10 of the race course, with local fans helping him get back in the race behind the wheel of his HMS-Chevy.
Gaughan, aided by Tim Wilson over the 281.5-mile race course, crossed the finish line in 6 hours, 1 minute and 45 seconds, running on his 42-inch BFGoodrich Tires—the same brand that won the last SCORE Baja 1000 in Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico.
Jorge Sampietro, 35, Ensenada, Mexico, won the SCORE San Felipe 250 for the second consecutive year in the Trophy Truck Spec class, with new navigator Bruce Yee—a former SCORE Class 10 champion—crossing the finish line at the San Felipe Malecón in their No. 297 Mason-Chevy JS Racing in 4 hours, 47 minutes and 46 seconds.
Sampietro notched his fifth career SCORE San Felipe 250 victory, including three wins in the ½-1600 Class in 2015, 2016 and 2017, as part of ‘The Mexican Army,’ which kicked off the 2026 SCORE World Desert Championship with a win in the season opener.
Polaris RZR SCI Motorsports swept the Pro UTV Open class 1-2 at the SCORE San Felipe 250, thanks to Brock Heger, 26, El Centro, Calif., and Joe Terrana, 25, Las Vegas, who dominated the 281.5-mile race course through iconic Baja California landmarks like Matomi Wash and the popular Zoo Road.
Heger expertly piloted the No. 1896 Polaris RZR Pro R Factory to a time of 5 hours, 21 minutes and 59 seconds, securing back-to-back victories in this race after winning in 2025. He is also the current two-time Dakar Rally champion in UTVs and previously competed in short course events in the old Lucas Oil Series.
Terrana finished second in the Pro UTV Open class with a time of 5 hours, 24 minutes and 52 seconds, claiming a podium spot to kick off the 53rd season of SCORE International, representing Polaris RZR SCI Motorsports.
