LAUGHLIN DESERT CLASSIC - Intense Action

Justin Lofton - 1st Trick Truck Photo by Jason Zindroski, High Rev Photography

Story by Scot Harden

The King Shocks Laughlin Desert Classic once again proved why it is one of the favorite events on the off-road racing calendar. Two full days of racing with double points going toward a Best In The Desert Series Class Championship, and an ultra-competitive 17-mile semi-short course, made for an exciting event for racers and spectators alike.

Lofton, Jergensen, Baldwin Battle for Trick Truck Supremacy, Andrew Myers Takes Hard-Fought Class 6100 Win, McMullen Owns Class 6200, Berri wins 1500

Thursday Sept. 23, 2021, started fast with Time Trials for Trick Trucks and Classes 6100, 6200, 1000, and 1500. The star-studded fi elds came down to just a few seconds of separation to determine who would start on the front row come Saturday. In Group A, Conner McMullen took the all-important pole position after fi nishing with a 3:19 lap time in his Class 6200 truck over Sam Berri in his Class 1500 car just six seconds behind, Nick Carolan was right on Sam’s tail by a mere two seconds. Group B featured Class 6100 with Jordan Brenthel setting the fast lap in 3:28 followed by Mavrick Gaunt and Andrew Myers, all separated by a single second giving a preview of how close the race would be on the weekend. The fi nal Time Trials would be Group C featuring the Trick Trucks. Justin Lofton ended up taking the group in 3:18 with Harley Letner 4.8 seconds behind and Kyle Jergensen rounding out the top three fi nishers. BJ Baldwin, Tracy Graf, Adam Householder, Bill Apgood, and Steve Olliges made up the top eight qualifi ers.

TE Motorsports’ Andrew Meyers earned the narrow victory in Class 6100 Photo by Jason Zindroski, High Rev Photography

Friday featured the Best In The Desert Event Expo which brought racers and fans together including a very special young fan named Kimber Johnson. 12-year-old Kimber is fi ghting cancer and Best In The Desert set up a meet-and-greet with BJ Baldwin who took her on a special lap in his Trick Truck around the infi eld section. It was a very special moment for the racers, fans, and Kimber’s friends and family. Each day would feature four main events. Combined times over the two days of racing would determine overall scores. Sportsman/8100 Class ran fi rst which many teams used as practice for their main event. Patrick Whitt, Jr., in his Fusion-prepared truck fi nished his three laps in 59:42 to take the win with Preston Brigman and his team fi nishing second, and Bret Jeffers rounding out the podium. Race 2 featured a mix of classes with the Chris Schweers/Cody Gregory/Trevor Barkley/Jon Schweers team taking the overall fi nish and Class 5000 win in 1:10:59. Second overall went to Troy and Jack DirtVenture 83

Chris Schweers - 1st Class 5000 Photo by Dirt Nation

Grabowski in their Class 5000 Car while third overall and fi rst in Class 4700 went to the Andrew Hulse-led team in 1:16:12. Class 1700 belonged to Steve Palmieri and team, fi nishing three laps in 1:05:40 while Class 1200 was taken once again by Chad Hall in his Chevrolet Performance ride, proving what can be accomplished with a stock truck. Other class winners from Race 2 included Class 3700 winners, Chris Mortensen and Jerry Simonson, and Class 7300 winner, Melvin Wade who brought his Jeep home in 1:11:29. Many fans and racers were waiting for Race 3 to see what would happen in Class 6100. A fi eld of 25 trucks competed, and, in the end, only 29 seconds separated fi rst and fi fth place after four laps of racing. Andrew Myers took the class glory in 1:04:19 with Mavrick Gaunt, Dustin Grabowski, and Jordan Brenthel fi nishing second, third, and fourth place, respectively. Fifth place in this class went to new racer, Brent Fox, fi nishing in 1:04:48 proving the tight competition in this group. Race 4 on Saturday went to Class 6200 star, Conner McMullen in 1:03:52. McMullen led from the start, but Nick Carolan kept him honest fi nishing only 48 seconds behind in second place. Third place overall and fi rst in Class 1500 went to race-veteran Sam Berri in 1:06:54. Class 1000 was a freight train of a race with vehicles literally battling it out bumper to bumper. Preston Brigman eked out a win over Bret Jeffers by a mere 23 seconds with Peter Hajas coming in third.

Connor McMullen dominated Class 6200 for the weekend victory. Photo by Bink Designs

The fi fth and fi nal race of the day came down to the Trick Trucks with Justin Lofton starting on pole position. From the green fl ag on it was a race between Justin and Kyle Jergensen, Harley Letner, defending-champ Adam Householder, and BJ Baldwin. At the fi nish, only 22 seconds separated the top three with Lofton in the front with 1:01:20, Jergensen in 1:01:28, Letner in 1:01:42, and Householder in 1:03:32. Despite their success on Saturday, every class winner knew the battle was only half over and it would take an equal or perhaps even better performance on Sunday to take the overall victory. While Saturday was fi lled with high-octane racing, it would be Sunday’s races that would put racers on the podium and the all-important points

that go along with it. Sunday started with the same format of races with the Sportsman/8100 Class fi rst. While many racers suffered DNFs, it was Preston Brigman who ended up taking the overall fi nish and Class win. Race two started strong with the Schweers team coming out and taking Class 5000 over Troy Grabowski and Zac Palmer. Finishing third place overall but fi rst in the 4700 Class was Andrew Hulse with a time of 1:22:19. Finally, but certainly not least, was Chad Hall who came out on top again in Class 1200 fi nishing in 1:23:32. Other class winners of Race two included Melvin Wade repeating his win in Class 7300 and Chris Mortensen and Jerry Simonson who earned the Class 3700 win in 1:16:04.

How about a 100 MPH tandem jump for intense action! Jordan Brenthel and Dustin Grabowski run nose to tail over the Needles Highway road crossing. Photo by Jason Zindroski, High Rev Photography

Preston Brigman - 1st Class 1000 Photo by Bink Designs

Race three on Sunday was similar to Saturday’s competition with Andrew Myers going head-to-head with Jordan Brenthel, Dustin Grabowski, and Brent Fox to ultimately take the Class 6100 and overall win in 1:04:53. The fi nal lap of the race saw Brenthel with a 20-second lead on combined time only to suffer from mechanical issues to put him out of the competition. In the end, the overall podium was led by Myers, followed by Grabowski and Fox. Race 4 featured Class 6200 with Connor McMullen again proving he is hard to beat, besting Nick Carolan in 1:02:17. In Class 1000 it was Bret Jeffers who came in fi rst with a time of 1:10:21 beating Preston Brigman and Peter Hajas by seconds on the clock. However, when the combined scores were added, Briugman took home the overall win. Sam Berri took Class 1500 once again in 1:09:26 getting him that much closer to a Series Championship win. Sunday’s Race fi ve was one to watch after Saturday’s heated competition. As the trucks went off the start line, it was Justin Lofton who burst through with the hole shot with Kyle Jergensen right on his tail pipe. Kevin Thompson took the wheel in the #1 Concrete Motorsports truck but unfortunately a roll-over in the infi eld section caused a defeating delay while his truck was righted. BJ Baldwin started behind Thompson and had to restart as a result but drove hard and fast to ultimately take the Trick Truck Class win in 1:02:33, six seconds ahead of the #AHBEEF Justin Lofton team. In the end, however, the combined scores put Justin Lofton fi rst overall followed by Jergensen in second and Baldwin in third who made up for Saturday’s fi fth place fi nish. Lofton commented, “It’s great to be back racing with Best In The Desert. This race is one of the best races of the year and I wouldn’t miss it. It’s great to bring the #AHBEEF #41 Trick Truck home for the win against such a stellar fi eld.” “We couldn’t have asked for a better weekend of racing,” commented Best In the Desert CMO Bryan Folks. “The drivers loved the track and really enjoyed the racing format. The weather was perfect and the huge spectator turnout was much DirtVenture 91

FST™ Performance Fuel Filters are the latest, high flow/low restriction, water separating fuel filter system that filters down to 4 microns... unheard of in the high performance/ racing industry.

Herbst/Smith Fabrication built race vehicles all have FST Filters to keep their fuel crap-free.

Models for every application: racing, high performance, marine - gasoline, methanol, diesel and bio-fuels.

• Overall Compact Size: 4 ¾” tall x 3” wide x 3 ¾” deep • Weighs: 24 oz • Base/Manifold: Billet 6061-T6 aluminum base/ manifold, anodized Clear - Not a casting. • Mounting holes: 7/16 - 2 inches center to center. • Flow: 300 gallons per hour (1,800 - 1,875 lbs per hour) • Easily replaceable spin-on filter Call today or vist the web site for more info: wwww.FSTperformance.com 407.323.0122

Sam Berri - 1st Class 1500 Photo by Dirt Nation

appreciated. The King Shocks Laughlin Desert Classic lived up to its billing as one of the most exciting races on the yearly calendar.” “There is something very special about racing at Laughlin,” stated Best In The Desert Race Operations Director Jeff Phillips. “The town as backdrop, the beautifully prepared infi eld section, and the banners and the crowds make for one amazing venue for off-road racing. Most of all our racers really enjoyed the experience. Without question, every racer was pumped about the experience of racing at Laughlin. It was defi nitely another highlight of the 2021 race season. We look forward to seeing everyone in November at our all new season-ending Cal City Desert Challenge Brought to you By Fox at the Peralta Ranch in East Kern County, CA near California City.”

BJ Baldwin took the top Trick Truck spot on Sunday but had to settle for 3rd for the weekend on corrected time. Photo by Daniel Nobel