MONSTER Energy's Pflueger WINS SCORE Terrible's Cup Friday Mud Fest at Las Vegas Motor Speedway

Las Vegas, Nevada (July 20, 2007) Alan Pflueger overcame the worst track conditions seen in the history of the SCORE Terrible's Cup event beating the nation's top Trophy Truck drivers in the Friday night Main Event at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

It was reported that Nevada's Department of Transportation had warned SCORE that dust from the Friday practice had drifted across Interstate 15 causing problems for traffic traveling the Interstate. It was reported that if the condition occurred again, the event could be cancelled.

SCORE officials watered the race course heavily and that caused very slippery conditions because the dirt here at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway has the consistency of clay.

Outlasting the competition in the mud bog was Monster Energy's Alan Pflueger who drove the #28 SCORE Trophy Truck to a win on BFGoodrich Tires. The racer affectionately know as "The Flying Hawaiian" railed his blacked Monster Energy logo'd trophy truck to an impressive victory in front of fans here at the LVMS Dirt Track.

Racers were forced to deal with the conditions and that put $450,000 dollar SCORE Trophy Trucks sliding around the race course with very little control. The first two heats saw some of SCORE's top drivers suffer massive damage.

Leading the list of competitors out of this race after only one night of racing was the 2006 SCORE Baja 1000 Champion - Andy McMillin. The reigning champion suffered race ending damage on his Red Bull Trophy Truck. Initially, the damage to the driver's side front a-arm and spindle looked to be fixable, however his crew later discovered the front half of his race truck to have suffered serious damage that forced Andy to have the crew load up the race truck and call it a weekend here at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Jerry Whelchel, driving the Chet Huffman #40 Trophy Truck, led several laps early in the race, but then suffered serious damage when he got caught up with several other race trucks in the mud fest. Whelchel suffered a broken left side rear trailing arm. The damage pushed the truck's axles into the transmission breaking the transmission mounts. The motor mounts were broken as well and that forced the Chet Huffman crew to work thru the night in the parking lot of the Las Vegas Motor Speedway making repairs to the race truck.

Cameron Steele suffered extensive damage that kept him out of the Friday night Main Event after his Cadillac Escalade was mashed between a handful of trucks that put the hurt on the kingpin of the Desert Assassins. Late Friday night the DA Crew was attempting to repair suspension, a-arms and tubes that were all heavily damaged in the heat race.

Steele, Jesse Jones and Jesse James all got caught up together in the BFGoodrich hairpin turn that routes racers back into the stadium. Jesse James was in front of both Cam Steele and Jesse Jones and James suffered the most damage.

Jesse James, driving the #54 Trophy Truck, had the entire left front a-arm assembly/spindle etc...sheared off his truck resulting in several other problems including suspension issues. Danny Porter and Billy Gasper immediately jumped into the fray and Porter ordered up some parts from his shop and word had it his crew from his shop in California were enroute with new components to put Jesse James back into the mix for Saturday's race action.

Jesse Jones, driving his newly built Geiser Trophy Truck, for the first time ever, was able to race in Friday's main event even though his truck was damaged. Jones destroyed his championship winning truck at the 2007 SCORE Baja 250 earlier this year when he drove off a cliff and into the Pacific Ocean. Rick Geiser delivered Jesse his new truck only Thursday afternoon. Geiser tested the truck for the first time here at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway and Jones arrived to race his new truck.

SCORE Trophy Trucks were not the only race vehicles that succumbed to the mud fest held at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. In fact, the 1-2 1600 cars took to the race course and more than a handful had issues simply getting around the race course and that spread to all the other classes as well.

The Terrible Herbst truggy was painful to watch as one of the winningest Class 1 vehicles of all time struggled in the tight turns and ultimately suffered a right front flat tire after contact with several other Class 1 vehicles. They had also suffered right front damage that took out the suspension along with the front hub ending hopes for a top five finish in this SCORE point's race.

SCORE Desert Series racers are not accustomed to this type of closed course racing and Friday's races proved that. Many teams beyond the teams mentioned here, also suffered extensive damage.

In fact, the Terrible Herbst #19 Trophy Truck suffered damage that perhaps could have seriously injured a co-driver, had a co-driver been riding in the passenger seat of the winningest SCORE Trophy Truck in history.

The #19 Trophy Truck spun out in the heavy mud during practice and Josh Baldwin, driivng his #86 Baldwin Racing Trophy Truck, struck the passenger side of the Herbst truck and penetrated the cab resulting in severe damage. Many who saw the damage raised eyebrows and commented that perhaps this SCORE Terrible's Cup venue is not for desert racing vehicles.

By the night's end the discussion throughout the pits was all about the safety of the competitors.

Monster Energy's Alan Pflueger was all smiles as the takes a commanding lead into the Saturday main event. This race is a point's race, therefore many teams in the hunt for the SCORE season championship are here at Terrible's Cup blasting through the mud and seeking the all important series points.