Baja 400: Luke McMillin wins before SCORE finale

Luke McMillin won the 2026 SCORE Baja 400 overall after Christopher Polvoorde secured Trophy Truck pole. The Baja 1000 finale comes next.

McMillin wins the Baja 400

Luke McMillin claimed the 2026 SCORE Baja 400 overall victory in Ensenada, shifting the championship focus to the season-ending Baja 1000 after the official four-wheel results were posted on September 14.

The 423.16-mile race took place during the September 9 to 13 event and served as Round 3 of the four-race SCORE World Desert Championship. The field featured 163 officially entered vehicles across the car, truck, UTV, motorcycle and quad categories.

Polvoorde's pole doesn't lead to victory

Christopher Polvoorde led the SCORE Trophy Trucks away after winning Method Race Wheels Qualifying on September 11. The 26-year-old from Heber City, Utah, secured pole at Rancho Grijalva in Ojos Negros.

McMillin took control once the main race started.

Motorcycles and quads departed at 5 a. m. PT on Saturday. The cars, trucks and UTVs followed at 10 a. m. PT, with the start and finish compound located beside the Riviera de Ensenada Cultural Center on Boulevard Costero.

Official results shift the focus

The four-wheel overall classification is official, confirming McMillin's win and bringing the Baja 400 portion of the championship to a close. The material published with the result did not include a detailed post-race points table, leaving the exact title margins unconfirmed.

The championship format is confirmed. The Baja 400 was the third of four rounds, while the BFGoodrich Tires 59th SCORE Baja 1000 will determine the 2026 championship.

Championship stays in Baja

All four rounds of the 2026 SCORE World Desert Championship are being staged in Baja California, Mexico. This marks the 11th consecutive season with the entire schedule held in Baja.

Ensenada hosted the Baja 400 over five days, where McMillin's race victory followed Polvoorde's qualifying success. Those two confirmed results are the final major form markers before the longer finale.

Baja 1000 is next

Teams will now prepare for the BFGoodrich Tires 59th SCORE Baja 1000, Round 4 and the 2026 championship finale on November 13th in La Paz, Mexico.

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Did you know?

1
Luke McMillin is a third-generation desert racer whose family’s Baja legacy began when his grandfather Corky and father Mark co-drove a buggy in the 1976 Baja 1000.
2
McMillin won the 2022 SCORE World Desert Championship overall and Trophy Truck titles with 534 points, bookending his season with overall victories at the San Felipe 250 and Baja 1000.
3
His 2024 Baja 1000 victory with Rob MacCachren was McMillin’s fourth overall win in the event in just five years.
4
McMillin’s 2026 San Felipe 250 triumph was his fourth career victory there, his third overall win at the event and his seventh SCORE Trophy Truck win.
5
After a winless 2025, McMillin opened 2026 with consecutive SCORE victories at the San Felipe 250 and Baja 500. he covered the Baja 500’s 468.70 miles in 9 hours, 10 minutes and 54 seconds.