PARKER 425

Taking full advantage of his new higher horsepower engine, BJ Baldwin took control of the race and handed Black Rifle Coffee its first-ever Trick Truck and overall victory. Photo by Jason Zindroski / HighRev Photography

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BJ taking his fi rst Best In The Desert win in quite some time. Photo by Dirt Nation

It’s been a few years in the making but BJ Baldwin has landed on top of the box once again winning the 2022 MAXXIS Parker 425 presented by JIMCO Racing. For the fi rst time in over 20 years the usual Parker course that was getting old and repetitious was run backwards giving the racers an all-new course and look to contend with. The overall consensus from the racers was they enjoyed the change and it was a much smoother and faster course. The event was split between two days of

racing starting off on Friday with the limited classes and Class 1000 leading the way. The 1075 car of Preston Brigman and Brent Fox started fi rst after qualifying as such at Time Trials. With no dust to hinder performance, the Brigman and Fox team got out to an early lead set a fast pace. At the end of the fi rst lap, it was Brigman and Fox still out front followed by James Ford and Conner McMullen and Roger Starkey Jr. However, on adjusted time, the 1023 Jimco Racing car driven by Jorge Trevino was less than a minute off the lead. Lap two saw the Starkey team drop out due to motor issues while Brigman stayed in the lead followed closely by Ford. Once again on adjusted time, Trevino cut the lead a little shorter by entering the last lap 43 seconds off the leader. For this race the top 20 cars left at twominute intervals so at the fi nish line they

Preson Brigman and Brent Fox lead from the start to take the 1000 Class win. Photo by Jason Zindroski - HighRev Photography

This year’s Parker 425 greeted racers with a smoother and faster racecourse. Keith Waibel fi nished third in Class 1000. Photo by DMA Race Photo & Video

waited about 15 minutes before making the call. Jorge Trevino in the 1023 car was close on time going out on the last of three laps but suff ered mechanical problems and dropped out. After waiting and checking tracking the call was made with Brigman and Fox taking the overall and class win for day one having led physically the entire race and crossing the fi nish line fi rst. Coming in second place was James Ford who had Connor McMullen driving with him about six minutes back. Third place would go to Keith Waibel in the 1072

AlumiCraft car. Other class winners that raced on Friday where Jeremy Crandall in Trophylite, Sean Berryman in Stock Full, Chad Hall in Stock Mid, and Gwen Dailey in Vintage class. Ray Promer took Class 5000, while Jerry Simonson won the Jeepspeed Outlaws and Garett Allred took the Jeepspeed Trophy Class. Class 8000 was also packed with talent with all entries driving Ford-powered vehicles. Steve Olliges placed fi rst in his trusted 8000

Garett Allred grabbed the top spot in the Jeepspeed Trophy Class. Photo by Bink Designs

Trophylite class winner Jeremy Crandall. Photo by Dirt Nation

Scott Biehl took the Jeepspeed Cup win. Photo by Dirt Nation

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Steve Olliges fi nished fi rst in Class 8000. Photo by Dirt Nation

Off-road racing legend Dave Shoppe came out of retirement and took the second spot in Class 8000. Photo by Dirt Nation

truck followed by racing legend Dave Shoppe who came out of retirement to run his old race truck that he sold 31 years ago and won back in the late 1980s and early 1990s with Frank “Scoop”Vessels and Robby Gordon at the wheel. Saturday was for the big boys as the Trick Truck, Class 1500 and 6100 class all went out to see what they could do in three laps. Brenthel Industries #1 Kyle Jergensen wasted no time in setting a good pace for the race and going into the halfway point on lap one was your leader, however the Concrete Motorsports truck of Harley Letner was breathing down his neck on

Defending Trick Truck champ Kyle Jergensen took the top spot at Time Trials and was fi rst off the line. Photo by Dirt Nation

time just three seconds behind on corrected time. Tragedy would strike however as the #70 truck would be forced to park it at race mile 74 with a fl ex plate issue. Going out on lap two Jergensen still held his lead putting a minute over Jax Redline who was sharing driving duties with Nick Whetstone, but luck wasn’t on the defending class champion’s side as a few miles into lap two he was forced to pull over and return to main pit for repairs. Now the #18 truck with Whetstone at the wheel took over the lead followed closely by Black Rifl e Coff ee Co.’s BJ Baldwin, but would only hold on to it shortly as by the halfway point into lap two BJ would put two minutes on the #18. From then on BJ got into a rhythm and clicked off mile after mile extending his lead fi nally taking the checkered fl ag seven minutes faster than Whetstone, all doing so with no brakes on the last lap. Still impressive though for Whetstone as this was his fi rst Trick Truck race of his career coming over from Australia with only a motorcycle background. Alex Wacker and Josh England had their best fi nish as well taking home their fi rst podium

Connor McMullen moved into the 6100 ranks and drove his Brenthel Industries truck to the class victory. Photo by Jason Zindroski - HighRev Photography

in the Trick Truck class piloting their Camburg built truck. In the 6100 class Connor McMullen got a little revenge on Brent Fox as the two swapped fi nishing positions from the day before. Fox would lead the entire race physically, but McMullen would settle the score on the last lap fi nishing a little over two minutes ahead of Fox on corrected time with a fi nishing time of 5 Hours, 53 Minutes and 9 DirtVenture 59

Chip Prescott got the Class 1500 victory. Photo by Dirt Nation

In his fi rst Trick Truck race, Nic Whetstone grabbed the runner up spot. Photo by Daniel Curiel Photographic Brent Fox took a close second in Class 6100. Photo by Dirt Nation

Nick Carolan continued his dominance in the 6200 Class opening the season with another win. Photo by Dirtfocus.com

Seconds. While they fi nished one two for the race they weren’t the leaders the entire time. Early in the race Tanner Courier and Joseph Herling were one two but both ended up DNF’ing for the day showing you can be fast off the start but need to be able to hold that for the long run. Justin Blower would be your third-place fi nisher and the top three times were slower only to BJ Baldwin in the TT class. In the 1500 Unlimited Car Class, it was all Chip Prescott landing his fi rst-ever Best In The Desert win in the Unlimited Car Class and seventh overall. In Class 6200 it was Nick Carolan who continued where he left off in 2021 by dominating the class for another win and fi nishing ninth overall. As the second race of the Best In The Desert 2022 series and the fi rst show of trick trucks and car classes came to a close, racers are warmed up and setting their sights on the rest of the season and a quest for class championships.

Justin Blower took the fi nal podium spot for Class 6100 coming in third. Photo by Dirtfocus.com