SCORE Journal - The Official Publication of SCORE Off-Road Racing
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/1506040
Andy McMillin Wants A Sixth SCORE Baja 1000 Win By Dan Sanchez SCORE Fans were elated to hear that Andy McMillin was partnering with the Bryce Menzies team to compete at the K&N 4th SCORE Baja 400 Presented by VP Racing Fuels and get a good starting position for the ultimate goal, winning the SCORE Baja 1000 Peninsula Race. It was a tough decision for McMillin to sell his race shop and Mason AWD SCORE Trophy Truck last year, but he did it for himself. “People don’t understand the commitment of time it takes to race and manage a team,” said McMillin. “It’s a full-time job to be at a high level and it got to the point where a lot had boiled to the surface and I had to step back for me and my family.” Now that he’s had some time away from racing, Andy McMillin is returning to race with Bryce Menzies in one of the Menzies Motorsports spare trucks. “I love Baja and racing the SCORE Baja 1000,” says McMillin. “I’m always trying to figure out opportunities that present themselves, and when Bryce reached out to me with an interesting plan to race with him in his second AWD truck, it was exciting, and I was thankful for the opportunity. He has a great team and backing, but we both have some unfinished business; to win the SCORE Baja 1000.” McMillin still has the talent and drive to win, but now it’s in a different mindset. He likes the idea of being a hired gun, practicing with the team that wants him, showing up for a race, and driving to win. “For me, It’s exciting to simply show up and drive. There’s a lot less pressure.” Granted, with his photographic memory and driving skills that were honed at an early age, he can now be more focused on the course and winning without worrying about the team and logistics. McMillin started racing in SCORE at a young age with his dad, Scott McMillin, who would take him pre-running in Baja when Andy was two years old. He is a five-time SCORE Baja 1000 champion, and his first race was in a Class 1 vehicle at age 14. He has also won the SCORE Baja 500, SCORE San Felipe 250, and many other races in his career. “What’s been interesting is racing in Baja since the 90s, and being a student of the sport, is watching the evolution of the SCORE Trophy Truck class,” says McMillin. “Racers were trying to make their trucks survive to get to the finish line. Now, with the advent of AWD Trucks, everyone has stepped up to one making it so competitive that to win, you have to make the fewest mistakes.” “I’m excited for the opportunity Bryce has given me, but he also knows that my cousin’s team (Luke and Dan McMillin) are hard to beat at the SCORE Baja 1000. But drivers make mistakes, and things happen. So Bryce and I are hopeful this will be our year.” With the SCORE Baja 400 still determining their starting position, it’s evident the Menzies/McMillin team is playing it smart and doing all the right things to increase their chances of placing high on the starting grid for the SCORE Baja 1000. For the 50th Anniversary of SCORE International, that race will run backward, starting in La Paz, Mexico Baja Sur, and finishing in Ensenada. Although the course will be different for most racers, McMillin doesn’t have any worries about it. “It’s not much different seeing the terrain backward,” he says. “I see it much like the 2015 SCORE Baja Sur race.” Of course, McMillin can recall every turn, cactus, and rock, much like the “OG” racers did before GPS. “Our goal is to make no mistakes, push hard, and slow down where it’s needed. But it first starts with the SCORE Baja 400, “ he says. “We need to come back with a solid top 10 and ensure we have a good starting point for the SCORE Baja 1000.” K&N Engineering Joins SCORE International As Major Race Sponsor SCORE welcomes K&N as the title sponsor of the 4th SCORE Baja 400 Presented by VP Racing Fuels. The company is one of the first to be involved with off-road performance products with their air filter systems used in Off-Road racing. This involvement will begin with K&N as the title sponsor for this SCORE Baja 400 race in September, and then will be the presenting sponsor for the BFGoodrich Tires 56th SCORE Baja 1000 Presented by K&N in November.