The seaside town of San Felipe saw a landmark moment in desert racing when Ricky Johnson topped the Method Race Wheels Qualifying session for the King Shocks 39th SCORE San Felipe 250. On March 26, 2026 the No. 1L Ford Raptor Mason AWD blazed around the short 2.97-mile qualifier in 3 minutes, 39 seconds.177, marking the first time in SCORE history that an overall qualifying winner came from outside the premier SCORE Trophy Truck category. Johnson will pair with Gustavo Vildosola Sr. for the opening round of the SCORE World Desert Championship, bringing an experienced pairing to the event.
That pairing is notable: Vildosola and Johnson are four-time champions in the Desert Monster style Trophy Truck Legend division for drivers over 50, and they enter the season on an active streak of 16 consecutive victories within SCORE competition. The San Felipe layout, often called “The Baby Baja,” sits about 125 miles south of Calexico, California along the shores of the Sea of Cortez, and has been a stronghold for the Vildosola Racing Team, which has dominated the Trophy Truck Legend results there for the past four years.
Qualifying results and class leaders
The day produced standout runs across multiple classes. In the marquee SCORE Trophy Truck ranks, Luke “The Luke” McMillin posted the quickest time within the class and finished second overall, stopping the clock at 3 minutes, 42 seconds in his No. 83 Ford Raptor Mason AWD. Alan Ampudia, a two-time defending overall winner at San Felipe, secured second among Trophy Trucks with a qualifying time of 3 minutes, 42 seconds.716 behind the wheel of the No. 1 Ford Raptor Mason AWD for Team Papas and Beer. Gustavo “Tavo” Vildosola Jr. rounded out the top three in that division with a lap of 3 minutes, 44 seconds.363.
2WD, spec classes and notable poles
Rob “The G.O.A.T.” MacCachren led the SCORE Trophy Truck 2WD field, recording a top time of 4 minutes, 5 seconds.291 in his No. 11T Ford F-150 Geiser Bros. Dave Taylor paced second in that category with 4 minutes, 5 seconds.557 in the No. 26T Chevy-Silverado Geiser Bros, and rising talent Mason Cullen is slated to take over driving duties for Taylor in the main event. In Trophy Truck Spec, Jason McNeil claimed pole with a 3 minutes, 58 seconds.095 lap in his No. 234TSCO-Ford and will share the race effort with his son Connor. Other class highlights included Cody Parkhouse seizing the top spot in Class 1.
Entries, numbers and on-site procedures
Organizers have reported strong interest: of an expected field of over 240 entries for SCORE’s 53 years of desert racing excellence, 225 entries had been received at the time of the release, representing competitors from 22 U.S. states and 10 countries — the United States, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Argentina, Australia, Canada, Ecuador, France, Israel, and New Zealand. Several professional classes reached double-digit entry totals: Trophy Truck Spec (36), Pro UTV Open (21), Pro UTV FI (24), Pro UTV Stock (25), while Class 10 showed nine entries prior to on-site late registration.
Late registration and race start logistics
The final day for late-entry registration was scheduled for Friday, March 27, on the second floor of Restaurante Matildes at Hotel Stella del Mar in San Felipe from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. PT, with a hard cut-off for new entries at 3:00 p.m. PT. Media registration was available at the same venue from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. PT on that day. The onshore contingencies, technical inspections and start/finish compound are located at the picturesque El Malecon overlooking the Sea of Cortez.
Race format, coverage and the season outlook
The King Shocks 39th SCORE San Felipe 250 is set as an elapsed-time race with staggered starts: the green flag for motorcycles and quads drops at 6:00 a.m. PT on Saturday, March 28, and cars, trucks and UTVs follow at 10:00 a.m. PT. The course spans 281.5 miles, with the fastest rigs expected to finish in roughly four-and-a-half hours and a maximum 14-hour time limit to be classified as official finishers. Fans can follow coverage via SCORE LIVE, featuring host Wes Miller, action desk analyst Rich Minga, studio contributors Ken Stout and Jason Heard, and long-time ramp announcer Rat Sult. Live tracking, drone feeds, timing and in-car cameras will be accessible on the SCORE website, SCORE APP, SCORE Facebook page and the SCORE YouTube channel.
As the SCORE World Desert Championship continues through 2026, all four championship rounds remain on the Baja California peninsula: the King Shocks 39th SCORE San Felipe 250 (March 25-29), BFGoodrich Tires 58th SCORE Baja 500 (June 3-7), the 7th SCORE Baja 400 (September 9-13), and the BFGoodrich Tires 59th SCORE Baja 1000 (November 9-15). With a strong lineup of sponsors and partners supporting the series, the season aims to build on SCORE’s long heritage as the leading sanctioning body for international desert racing.
