Maverick and Chasen Gaunt claimed their first SCORE Trophy Truck 2WD win at the Baja 400, with November’s Baja 1000 next on the schedule.
Maverick Gaunt and Chasen Gaunt earned their first SCORE Trophy Truck 2WD victory at the 7th SCORE Baja 400, adding a new winning crew to the category.
The brothers covered the 423.42-mile course in 9 hours, 52 minutes, 19 seconds in the No. 42T Geiser Bros Chevrolet Silverado. Confirmed in the race report published September 13, the result gave the second-year class a fresh winner before the 2026 season heads to its Baja 1000 finale.
A breakthrough in the 2WD class
Maverick, 32, and Chasen, 30, guided the Silverado along a route that took in Ojos Negros, the Goat Trail, Mike’s Sky Ranch, San Quintin, Erendira Beach and Ejido Uruapan. Competitors also dealt with heat and rain.
It was their first SCORE Trophy Truck 2WD victory.
Mike Perez and Jonathan Faulkner placed second in the No. 95T Brenthel Chevrolet Silverado. They posted an official time of 11 hours, 30 minutes, 16 seconds, finishing 1 hour, 37 minutes, 57 seconds behind the Gaunt entry.
The 2WD classification produced its own story alongside the unlimited SCORE Trophy Truck battle, where custom tube-chassis vehicles can run two-wheel drive, four-wheel drive or AWD. The Gaunts’ category retains the Trophy Truck silhouette but places its entrants in a dedicated two-wheel-drive class.
Survival shaped the Baja 400
The breakthrough arrived in a punishing edition of the race. Among the 164 teams that started in Ensenada, 102 officially made the finish for a 62-percent finishing rate.
That meant 62 starters went without an official finish.
Racers came from 23 U. S. states and Puerto Rico, along with Mexico, Argentina, Australia, Canada, Denmark, England, France, Germany, Japan, New Zealand, Scotland and Spain. The full Baja 400 entry once again put different types of machinery, ranging from unlimited trucks to UTVs, on the same long course.
Luke McMillin claimed the overall win in the No. 83 McMillin Racing AWD Ford Raptor Mason. With Jason Duncan navigating, McMillin recorded a time of 8 hours, 40 minutes, 50 seconds. The Gaunts finished 1 hour, 11 minutes, 29 seconds after the overall winner and still secured their class victory.
Other classes produced fresh winners
The Gaunt brothers were among several drivers to record a first Baja 400 victory.
Wayne Matlock took his first win in the race’s Pro UTV Open class and overall UTV classification. Matlock drove the No. 1871 Matlock Racing Polaris RZR Pro R Factory to the finish in 9 hours, 54 minutes, 28 seconds. He defeated 18 other Pro UTV Open competitors and earned the $50,000 Polaris SCORE Challenge prize.
Carlos Apdaly Lopez topped the 29-team Trophy Truck Spec field in the No. 273 Brenthel Chevrolet Silverado. His 9 hours, 20 minutes, 22 seconds put him 51 seconds clear of Mike Marsal, who scored his first podium of the 2026 season in the No. 236 Brenthel Chevrolet.
Justin Davis rounded out the class podium in the No. 285 Green Army Motorsports TSCO-Ford.
Veterans extend a Baja 400 streak
Gustavo Vildosola Sr. and Ricky Johnson added to one of the event’s established streaks while the Gaunts celebrated their first class win. The pairing captured SCORE Trophy Truck Legends at the Baja 400 for a fifth consecutive year.
Vildosola, 73, and Johnson, 62, finished in 9 hours, 15 minutes, 48 seconds aboard the No. 1L Vildosola Racing AWD Ford Raptor Mason. The result marked their second consecutive SCORE victory of the 2026 season.
The final classification showed two different milestones. One crew extended its category run to five years, while the Gaunt brothers joined the Trophy Truck 2WD winners list for the first time.
Baja 1000 comes next
The BFGoodrich Tires 59th SCORE Baja 1000 is the next confirmed event, set for November 9 through 15 in San Jose del Cabo, Baja California Sur.
It will be the first Baja 1000 held entirely within Baja California Sur. More than 220 teams representing 18 countries are expected, offering the Gaunt brothers their next chance to follow up the No. 42T Silverado’s first SCORE Trophy Truck 2WD win.
