February 4-6, 2010
Parker, AZ

BJ Baldwin Takes the WIN at BITD Parker 425

BJ Baldwin charged hard to the front and once he passed the leader he never looked back. Today was filled with attrition and BJ had a flawless day. Troy Herbst raced hard and moved up to second place. Baldwin will head back to Las Vegas to prepare for the 2010 SCORE MasterCraft San Felipe 250. Check out our LIVE updates HERE or search DIRTnewz in the app store on your iPhone or iPod touch for our free app and catch the LIVE coverage on that.

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Racers have taken the green flag and hit the dirt with Sam Berri leading the pack. Berri, in his single seater, qualified with the fastest time and earned his fresh air at the start of this race. Stay tuned to see if he can hold on to his lead.

2009 Trick Truck champion Andy McMillin, driving the #6 Corona Extra truck of Steve Sourapas, had a mishap in qualifying and got stuck on a burm which caused him to start in the back of the pack. Despite earlier issues Andy is on a mission to defend his 2009 Trick Truck Championship Title as he flies by cars left and right after only 1 mile of racing.

To those in the off road racing industry many may not think that competitors Pistol Pete Sohren and Camerone Steele have much in common except their ongoing rivalry. At this weekends 2010 BITD season kickoff

Starting Order:

1. Sam Berri
2. Ray Griffiths
3. Pete Sohren
4. BJ Baldwin
5. Steve Strobel
6. Chuck Hovey
7. John Herder
8. Smilley
9. Loren Brown
10. Croll
11. Tim McDonald
12. Troy Herbst
13. Tim Herbst
14. Sproule
15. Brenden Gaughn
16. Chase
17. Harley Letner
18. Roger Norman
19. Mark Ewing
20. Croll
21. 1575
22. Adam Householder
23. Steve Melton
24. Danny Anderson
25. Reuben Wood
26. Terry Householder
27. 1572
28. 1538
29. Sproule
30. Scott Kincaid
31. 18
32. Mike Vodorius
33. Ron Whitton/ Todd LeDuc
34. Steve Appleton
35. 1566
36. John Cooley
37. Clyde Stout
38. Jimmy Beaver
39. Dale Lenk
40. Steve Raskett

Sam Berri Takes the Pole for BITD Parker 425

Sam Berri will start in the front for tomorrow's 2010 BITD season opener. Top qualifiers are as follows:

1. Sam Berri
2. Ray Griffiths
3. Pete Sohren
4. BJ Baldwin
5. Steve Strobel
6. Chuck Hovey
7. John Herder
8. Smilley
9. Loren Brown
10. Croll
11. Tim McDonald
12. Troy Herbst
13. Tim Herbst
14. Sproule

Dirt Sports Magazine Names Andy McMillin 2009 “Driver of the Year”

Carl Renezeder, Brad Lovell and Jeff Ward also honored in Newly Restructured Annual Award

February 4, 2009 (Long Beach, Calif.) – On the eve of trying to repeat his overall victory at the Best-in-the Desert (BITD) Parker 425 desert race, defending event champion Andy McMillin capped off his monumental 2009 season by being honored by Dirt Sports Magazine and Ryan Communications Group (RCG) as Dirt Sports’ “2009 Driver of the Year.” The third generation driver took top honors in this year’s selection, but was also joined by fellow racers Carl Renezeder as “2009 Short Course Racer of the Year,” Brad Lovell as “2009 Rock Racer of the Year,” and Jeff Ward, who took the magazine’s “2009 Rookie of the Year” title.

Staats #42 MasterCraft Trick Truck Prepares for BITD Season Opener

Only days remaining until racers take the green flag and charge the fresh terrain setting the stage for the 2010 Best in the Desert season opener in Parker, Arizona. The newly soaked course will challenge racers in all aspects as they begin the 2010 BITD season with a clean slate. Amongst the 76 pre entered to qualify for the Parker 425 is the #42 Staats racing MasterCraft Trick Truck of Will and Emily Staats. The father and daughter duo will be one to watch this coming weekend as they team together with MasterCraft Racing's Robbie Pierce. Pierce is campaigning the #30 MasterCraft/ Rockstar Trophy Truck in the SCORE series and will team together with Staats to charge toward victory at this weekend's BITD Parker 425. Stay tuned for our LIVE coverage and if you dare step away from the computer be sure to download our DIRTnewz iPhone app where you can follow the race with our LIVE updates, videos, photo galleries and more. Simply search DIRTnewz in the app store on your iPhone or iPod Touch NOW!!

The Best of the Best are coming to Best In The Desert’s 2010 Blue Water Resort & Casino “PARKER 425”

The entry list for the upcoming “Parker 425” is looking like a “who’s who” of off-road racing, with well over 550 having already signed up for the pre-fun run. This “crown jewel” of desert racing is drawing the top drivers and teams from across the nation and Canada. Robby Gordon headlines a list of Trick Truck racers that also includes Roger Norman, Larry Roeseler, Chet Huffman, Jerry Welchel, Rick D. Johnson, Steve Sourapas and Andy McMillin, Troy Herbst, Jason Voss, Will Staats, Jesse Jones, Scott Kincaid, Kevin McGillivray, and Steve Olliges.

The open class 1500 field features defending champ Kevin Colan along with Chuck Hovey, Harley Letner, John Cooley, Mike Bilek, Steve Raskett, Pat Dean and Sam Berri. Also ready to take on the challenging Parker course will be defending class 8000 champ Macrae Glass, class 7200 champ David Caspino, and Protruck champ Ryan Staats.

Added to this year’s festivities is the “Parker Downtown Experience”. This special event takes place after the completion of Thursday’s Time Trials. Competitors will parade their race vehicles down the streets of Parker to the center of town for a grand celebration kicking off the action packed weekend. With an open invitation to all of the citizens of Parker, AZ, along with racers and fans, this is sure to be an exciting and memorable affair. The racers will then parade back to the Blue Water Casino for a party to announce the results of the Time Trials and the winner of the $1,000 “Team Ford Pole Award” presented by Steve Olliges, president of Team Ford Las Vegas.

Contingency gets underway Friday morning in the Blue Water Casino parking lot. Thousands of spectators and race fans are expected and will have the chance all day long to get up close to the race vehicles and drivers as they weave their way through the hundreds of contingency donors set up on display.

At daybreak Saturday, the real business of the weekend gets underway when the first race vehicle blasts off the line at the start held on the streets in the middle of downtown Parker. Every racer will be on equal ground, including returning champions, as their quest for the season class championships begins. Back this year is the fan favorite and hugely popular “Parker Python”, a special two mile infield section of thrilling jumps and switch-backs in the middle of the main pits.

The overall race winner will be crowned with the newly announced “Manny Esquerra Valor Award”, recognizing his legendary contribution to the sport of off-road desert racing.

The 2010 Blue Water Resort & Casino “PARKER 425”...If you’re a racer, you don’t want to miss the “battle of the best”. If you’re a race fan, you don’t want to miss the exciting adventure.

Best In The Desert official sponsors: Ford Motor Company – official truck, General Tire – official tire, VP Racing Fuels – official fuel, KC HiLiTES – official light, Banks Power – official power system, Arctic Cat – official UTV, KTM – official motorcycle, FabTech – official suspension, Fall Advertising, Prerunner Maniac, McKenzies, Werdco BC Inc., PCI Race Radios, and Sportsman Cycle Sales.

The Best In The Desert Racing Association is based on over three decades of experience sponsoring and promoting successful local and national off-road racing events. Best In The Desert Inc. is owned and operated entirely by Casey Folks, with offices at Sportsman Cycle 3475 Boulder Highway, Las Vegas, Nevada.

Fox Sports Network Will Air Coverage of Best in the Desert’s Henderson Fabtech Desert Classic Race on February 4

Jan. 26, 2010 – Sopwith Motorsports today announced that Fox Sports Network will feature coverage of the Henderson Fabtech Desert Classic during next week’s broadcast of Bully Dog Best in the Desert TV. The Henderson race, which was held in December, was the final event of the 2009 series.

Bully Dog Best in the Desert TV is off-road desert racing’s most widely televised, full-season television series, offering an up-close-and-personal view of the sport by profiling several race teams during each 30-minute documentary-style episode.

The Henderson episode will air on Thursday, February 4 at 3:00 PM on Fox Sports Network. However, fans are advised to check local cable listings for the exact air time. Some cable providers may choose to delay the broadcast or may offer additional airings of the program. Visit http://msn.foxsports.com/tv/schedule for additional details (look for “Off-Road Racing: Best in the Desert Series” in the website listings.)

The American Off-Road Racing Series…Best In The Desert!