SCORE Journal - The Official Publication of SCORE Off-Road Racing
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/1443954
SCORE TROPHY TRUCK CHAMPION Rob MacCachren Pulls Out All The Stops To Take A 2021 SCORE Trophy Truck Championship By Dan Sanchez Photos by Get Some Photo It was a busy year for Rob MacCachren. The struggle to keep a team together, finding sponsors, and racing full-time is one thing, then add his son Cayden and his emerging racing career to deal with, and the work doubles. “Between Cayden racing UTVS, and pre-running for the SCORE Baja 1000, these past few months have been crazy,” said MacCachren. During the 2021 SCORE season, MacCachren struggled to get on the podium, managing at best a third-place finish at the SCORE Baja 400. The season was incredible, however, allowing all the stars to align in the perfect way for him to be able to win the SCORE Trophy Truck Championship, something MacCachren didn’t see coming early into the season. “At the beginning of this season, I would bet that no single SCORE Trophy Truck racer would be on the podium 12-times in a row,” he said. “We ended up with one at the SCORE Baja 400 and got into a tie (in points) with Larry Roeseler for the SCORE Trophy Truck Championship.” No one could have foreseen the circumstances that led up to the 54th SCORE Baja 1000 being the deciding factor for the class championship. “Luke and I had already decided to race together at the SCORE Baja 1000,” said MacCachren. “But in a way, the DQ for Luke at the SCORE Baja 500 I thought was a bit much. That put him out of contention for the championship. He finished one position better than me at the SCORE Baja 400 but the McMillin family reached out to me and decided to run the No. 11 on the truck so I could have a better chance at a championship. I was honored, and I feel we both earned and shared this championship. If it weren’t for the DQ, Luke would be champion again.” MacCachren and the McMillin family have a long-time relationship that extends back to when MacCachren began his racing career. “I raced against Mark and Scott McMillin in 1986 in Class 1,” he said. “When I started short course racing, I needed a trailer, and they had one for sale. They were kind enough to allow me to pay for it little by little, and that was long before Luke and Dan were born. After they began racing, and as we hung around each other, I came to appreciate the family more. They have lots of integrity. If I could give the championship to Luke, I would, but in his heart, he knows he won it too.” This 2021 SCORE Trophy Truck Championship is MacCachren’s fourth. “They aren’t easy to get, especially in this class, and there have been many more that got away,” he said. “I love doing this and have a hard time envisioning not doing it. We will be racing the series next year and hopefully, my son will take part in the UTV class.” MacCachren realizes the class is changing with the improving reliability of AWD trucks. “There will be a time when I’m not going to have the money to keep up with an AWD truck,” he says. “The way I could do it in the past was to do it differently, my way, and with my people. I don’t see it being there long-term. I have been very fortunate to do what I have done this long. I am appreciative of that and of doing what we’ve done with what we had. I realized that is the most rewarding thing.” SJ