CAR & TRUCK CLASSES

from DirtVenture 2022 Q4

WORLD HARE & HOUND CHAMPIONSHIP

By Mike Ingalsbee

Truck drivers haul for a living, and so did a pair of racers in the truck classes at the Laughlin Desert Classic. Both young men had a perfect weekend of racing. Cayden MacCachren took the top qualifying spot on Thursday in the Trick Truck class as did Conner McMullen in 6100. MacCachren out qualifi ed the veteran BJ Baldwin and the surging Robert Johnson who were second and third fastest of the Trick Trucks. Connor McMullen was the fastest of the 6100 trucks ahead of Chase Barbieri in second, and Joe Herling in third.

Cayden MacCachren left the rest of the Trick Truck field in his dust all weekend long. Photo by HighRev Photography

From qualifying to two days of racing, Conner McMullen completely dominated Class 6100. Photo by Justin Brown Photo

These two racers would go on to totally dominate the weekend of racing. They did a clean sweep by qualifying fi rst, and winning both days to take the overall win in their respective classes. Laughlin is a two day event with the driver who has the lowest combined time from both days taking the win. It’s a fast paced aff air that leaves no room for error. Cayden MacCachren has been winning races and championships in his UTV, and is now transitioning into the trucks. Considering the challenge posed, you would think he would have shown up with a carefully prepped truck ready to be pushed to the limit. That wasn’t the case. After Rob ran a 400 mile event in Mexico, and then Cayden took the truck to a second place overall during a very rough 300 mile race in California, Cayden and his famous father Rob decided to bring the truck to Laughlin and see if it would live. It was a test for a burgeoning driver to see if he could successfully manage a well-worn truck. I guess he passed that test with fl ying colors. Not only did the truck have a lot of miles on their prep job, but it’s a small block powered truck made for a long desert race, not necessarily a quick, multi-lap sprint race.

Other big block powered trucks would have an advantage. I just happened to speak with Rob when they pulled into the infi eld on Thursday before qualifying. He said like any father he has been passing along what he has learned in racing to Cayden. He said it seems that Cayden is not listening every time, but when the situation calls for it, he responds perfectly, and it makes Rob very proud. This is not good news for the competition. Rob is referred to as the G.O.A.T. by many, (greatest of all time) and now there are

BJ Baldwin’s second place fi nish was good enough to seal the 2022 Trick Truck Class Championship. Photo by HighRev Photography

two of them. They both share that quiet confi dence that comes in handy in the desert. Off -road racing is a constant test of splitsecond decisions. Being calm and collected is a huge asset. Cayden has the demeanor and the skills to excel. Cayden had to contend with a bunch of hard charging veterans in his class like defending champion Kyle Jergensen, Robert Johnson, Sterling Miller, Dale Dondel, Andrew Myers, and BJ Baldwin to name a few. Baldwin would fi nish second while wrapping up another championship and Nic Whetstone was third on the weekend and second to BJ in the Trick Truck championship standings. Another dominating performance by a young driver was that of 21 year old Conner McMullen. He also took the top spot in qualifying and then won both days for the overall win. Conner was putting the wraps on a 6100 class championship as well. He did however have an excellently prepped truck to race. His Brenthel prepared truck has taken him to two victories and three podium fi nishes out of four races this season. He fi nished second at Vegas to Reno by just over one minute. “Our goal this year was for it to be a learning curve and then step it up next

Jon Largent took home the Class 6200 win. Photo by Dirt Nation

Preston Brigman took the top spot in Class 1000 . Photo by Bink Designs

season,” said Conner. “Fortunately for me, I got the hang of it in the fi rst couple races. It wasn’t automatic, but I did get the hang of it right away. I started understanding the truck, how it drives, and how it works. We set up the suspension to my liking and then we were showing up to races expecting to be on the podium or to win; we won in Parker. We always race to win. Taking the championship was just a bonus.” Tanner Currier fi nished second to McMullen and Tracy Poole was third. The 6200 buggy class is similar to 6100 as it has an engine limit but everything else 38 DirtVenture

is pretty much unlimited. It’s a fun class for those who don’t want to spend as fast as those in 1500. Nick Carolan has been running his 6200 car in class 1500 a couple times this season just for the competition. He gets kudo’s for going against the bigger engines this season. At Laughlin he had someone his own size to race against. Jon Largent, who was also in an Alumicraft, got the win, Carolan fi nished second. The class 1000 cars are always a crowd favorite. They have limited motors and unlimited suspensions. They are typically light weight cars that take a lot of skill to drive. Not

The Baja Class win went to Chris Schweers. Photo by Justin Brown Photo

Off-Road racing legend Dave Shoppe earned the Class 8 victory. Photo by RnR Photos

that the cars are ill handling; it’s just the level of the competition in the class. You have to keep the throttle buried at all times regardless of the terrain. The cars are so evenly matched that driver skill and commitment usually determines the winner. Preston Brigman had a stand-out weekend like MacCachren and McMullen. He qualifi ed fi rst, won the class, and secured the season long points title. Talk about results. Michael Taylor fi nished second and Tom Coons was third. The new crop of drivers are defi nitely

Robert Thomasson took the Jeepspeed Outlaw class win. Photo by Daniel Curiel Photographic

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The Jeepspeed Challenge class win went to Bruce Raub. Photo by RnR Photos

making a name for themselves in off -road racing but don’t count out some of the older guys. Dave Shoppe and Todd Wyllie showed up in their class 8 trucks and threw down in Laughlin. Dave is 78 years young and has many class 8 championships to his name. Todd is only 57 but it seems like he has been around forever. Those of us who watched the big class 8 trucks in their heyday will never get over the sound of those big V8 engines or the incredible action they were capable of. Some of the greatest off road racers of all time battled in class 8 before the trick trucks ever existed. It looks like Dave still has a few tricks up his sleeve as he took the win. Todd was an unfortunate DNF.

Garth Owens nailed the Jeepspeed Trophy class win. Photo by RnR Photos

Laughlin has always been a diff erent kind of race. It’s part short course and part desert race. It lends itself to racers who aren’t afraid to hang it out. The short distance forces everyone to go all out, and the harsh terrain is not to be taken for granted. What Cayden MacCachren did was unusual and pretty incredible. Starting with a fully prepped race vehicle, only a few laps run at a typical Laughlin race has put many teams on the trailer. Cayden proved his skills behind the wheel. It will be interesting to see what he does next season. Will he get snatched up by a team? Will he show up in his own truck? What class will he be racing in? If he races in 6100 will he and Conner McMullen battle it out all year? McMullen wants to win back to back championships like he did in class 1000. Will we see a class 8 resurgence in 2023? I can’t wait until next year to learn the answers to these questions.