SCORE Journal - The Official Publication of SCORE Off-Road Racing
Issue link: https://read.uberflip.com/i/1547140
THREE FOR THREE Luke McMillin Finds The Edge By Micah Anderson Photos by Get Some Photo At the very top of SCORE Trophy Truck racing, there is very little room left between winning and watching somebody else celebrate victory. Luke McMillin, Bryce Menzies and Alan Ampudia have demonstrated that throughout the 2026 SCORE World Desert Championship. All three are former SCORE Trophy Truck champions. All three are driving Mason Motorsports AWD Trophy Trucks. And all three have repeatedly shown they can run at the front of the field for hundreds of miles while separated by remarkably small margins. The 2026 SCORE Baja 400 became another close fight between McMillin, Menzies and Ampudia, with all three running at a pace that left little room for mistakes. Luke McMillin and navigator Jason Duncan kept the Monster Energy BFGoodrich Tire No. 83 truck in contention throughout the day, then capitalized late to earn their third straight overall victory of the season. McMillin drove to the overall victory in 8 hours, 40 minutes, 50.386 seconds over the technical 423.16-mile course. The win followed his victories at the SCORE San Felipe 250 and SCORE Baja 500, making him three-for-three heading into the season-ending SCORE Baja 1000. “We’ve had a great season winning three races in a row, and our team has done an incredible job,” McMillin said. “But I really think this is the result of years of consistency. We’ve had nearly 20 SCORE podiums over the last 10 years, and we’ve continued refining the same program.” That refinement mattered during this SCORE Baja 400, where McMillin, Menzies, and Ampudia attacked the course while using real-time data to analyze the competition, watching one another’s gaps, managing tires, and pressing the advantage when the opportunity was presented. A Race With Little Margin McMillin qualified third behind Christopher Polvoorde and Ampudia. Once the race started, however, the battle changed quickly with Polvoorde encountering trouble early, and the familiar lead group of Ampudia, McMillin, and Menzies broke out into another close fight. McMillin said he knew where his closest competitors were throughout the race. With SCORE allowing communication from helicopters, his team could relay gaps and track position from above. “I was very aware of where everyone was throughout the race,” McMillin said. “The battle for the lead was really exciting, and ultimately a lot of it came down to tires and managing the terrain.” That was especially important through the rocky and technical sections. “There were definitely sections where we could attack, but there were also some really rocky areas where you had to be smart,” he said. “You might be able to gain a few seconds by pushing harder, but a flat can cost you a minute or more.” Luke went on, “Overall, I really liked this year’s course because it was extremely technical and very different from the Baja 500. The 400 was just a little more draining. I think there was a little more pressure coming into it after winning the first two races because I really wanted to keep the perfect season going. We know how to handle pressure, but you still feel it.” McMillin Had One Flat. “We only had one flat,” Luke shared. “It happened in a really rocky section where everyone was asking a lot out of their tires. I’m really proud of BFGoodrich because I think they showed again why they’re the best tire in Baja.” Duncan changed the left-rear tire in roughly 45 seconds. About 10 miles later, the team stopped for about eight seconds to re-rack a spare after Duncan had recognized Ampudia was making a similar stop. For Jason Duncan, those moments have become another part of racing for the lead. “My job inside and outside the truck is just as important as Luke driving or the mechanics prepping or the pits,” Duncan said. “Our races are coming down to seconds, so we have to be on top of all of that,” Duncan said. He practices tire changes regularly and is now consistently completing them in the 40-second range. His approach is simple: “Don’t rush. Go fast.” Knowing When To Push The flat briefly allowed Menzies to get ahead and begin opening a gap, but McMillin resisted the temptation to immediately chase him through the rocks. “For a little while I was definitely concerned that Bryce might get away from us,” McMillin said. “We stayed disciplined, gave up a little time through the rocks and then were able to make all of it back going up the coast.” Eventually, McMillin regained the physical lead. That became increasingly important as the race moved toward Ojos Negros, where dust and the setting sun were making visibility very difficult. “Clean air was absolutely a key factor in winning the race,” McMillin said. Then another problem surfaced. Late in the race, the brake pedal began going to the floor. McMillin adjusted his braking points while Duncan concentrated on getting his calls to the driver early enough to compensate. “It was crucial for me to just keep reassuring him that everything’s fine, we’re almost there, and just stay focused,” Duncan said. “We’re in it together.” With roughly 30 miles remaining, McMillin decided it was time to make the final push. “There’s just a switch inside my head that I’m able to flip when a race is on the line and it’s time to win,” Luke explained. “It’s more about committing completely to the pace. We’ve proven over the years that we’re really strong in the last 50 miles of these races. I know we’re probably not the fastest truck in the first 50 miles, but the last 50 have always been a lot of fun for us.” Duncan is tuned into McMillin’s vibes and knew that the switch had been flipped. “That’s my favorite time,” he said. “Luke is a very calculated and cautious driver. I’m normally pushing him to go faster. When he gets in that final push, to me, it’s like when I used to play hockey, and there’s a minute left on the clock, and it’s a tie game. Put your head down, focus, and give it everything you got. ” Working As One That relationship between driver and navigator has become another important part of McMillin’s 2026 run. McMillin memorizes the course. Duncan works from thousands of GPS notes. Both watch the terrain and evaluate lines together. “We communicate really well because we see eye to eye on how things should be done,” McMillin said. “He’s extremely smart when it comes to understanding the truck and its dynamics. We’re both looking at the terrain and analyzing lines together. It’s not just him reading notes and me driving — we’re really working through the race together.” Duncan describes it another way. “I feel like we’re talking subliminally,” he said. “I always refer to it like a Vegas show, and we are just the two main characters hitting our marks. If something happens, the show has to go on.” That show has now produced three consecutive overall victories. The Baja 400 win was also significant on its own. McMillin had finished second overall in the race three times, in 2021, 2022 and 2023, before finally earning his first Baja 400 overall victory in 2026. It also completed his overall victories in each of SCORE’s four current Baja races. Behind McMillin, Menzies finished second overall in 8:43:22.272. Kevin Thompson and Harley Letner finished third after running near the front throughout the day. Ampudia, who had also led portions of the race, finished fourth after tipping over late while pushing through the dust. One Race Left McMillin now leads the SCORE Trophy Truck championship with 335 points. Menzies follows with 309; Ampudia has 296, and Thompson sits at 292. But McMillin is not talking about protecting a points lead. “For me, the SCORE Baja 1000 victory is more important than thinking about points or protecting anything,” he said. “We’re going down there to race the Baja 1000 the way we know how to race it and try to win another one.” The 2026 BFGoodrich Tires SCORE Baja 1000 will present something different. The race moves into Baja California Sur and starts and finishes in San José del Cabo as a loop race, putting teams into terrain where many competitors have far fewer existing notes. Duncan estimates he normally carries about 12,000 notes into a Baja 1000. This time, much of that work will have to start from scratch. That makes preparation another potential place to find an edge. After three races, McMillin, Menzies and Ampudia have already shown how small that edge can be. They have similar trucks, championship experience and enough speed to win. What separates them may simply be who can stay closest to the limit for the longest — without stepping over it. So far in 2026, McMillin has found that difference three times. SJ