Luke McMillin won the 2026 Baja 400 to complete his career Baja Grand Slam and carry a perfect SCORE Trophy Truck season into November’s Baja 1000.
Luke McMillin won the SCORE Baja 400 on September 13 to extend his perfect 2026 season, complete a career Baja Grand Slam and head into the championship’s final race unbeaten. McMillin and navigator Jason Duncan finished the 423.42-mile course in 8 hours, 40 minutes, 50 seconds in the No. 83 McMillin Racing AWD Ford Raptor Mason.
McMillin had already won the SCORE San Felipe 250 in March and the SCORE Baja 500 in June. His record through three races stands at three overall victories and three SCORE Trophy Truck wins.
McMillin completes the set
The Baja 400 victory put McMillin among the racers who have won the SCORE San Felipe 250, Baja 500, Baja 400 and Baja 1000 during their careers. It also marked his ninth SCORE Trophy Truck win, tying Ivan Stewart, Dan Smith, Dave Ashley and Mark Post.
McMillin matched a class streak previously achieved by Robby Gordon in 1996, Curt LeDuc in 1997, Bryce Menzies in 2023 and Alan Ampudia in 2025. Each driver won three consecutive SCORE Trophy Truck races.
“I’m very excited that we’re three for three this season. It was an emotional day with a lot of ups and downs. With the dust, the sun, and everything else we faced, we were able to pull off the win. So I’m very, very happy and proud of the entire team,” McMillin said.
An American driver reclaimed the Baja 400 overall crown after Ampudia’s 2025 victory. Ampudia remains the only Mexican racer to win the event overall.
Menzies keeps his podium run intact
Bryce Menzies placed second in the No. 7 Menzies Motorsports Ford Raptor Mason with an official time of 8 hours, 43 minutes, 22 seconds. He finished 2 minutes, 32 seconds behind McMillin.
Menzies has finished on the podium in every 2026 championship round, taking third at the San Felipe 250 and Baja 500 before climbing one position at the Baja 400.
The latest published Trophy Truck standings provided with the event coverage extend only through the San Felipe 250 and do not include a current post-Baja 400 championship total. That table had McMillin at 225 points, Menzies at 205, Ampudia and Justin Lofton at 199, and Kevin Thompson at 192.
No updated post-race points margin has been confirmed.
Lopez breaks through in Trophy Truck Spec
Carlos Apdaly Lopez won Trophy Truck Spec following a close fight in the 29-team class. Driving the No. 273 Brenthel Chevrolet Silverado, Lopez completed the race in 9 hours, 20 minutes, 22 seconds.
Mike Marsal finished second in the No. 236 Brenthel Chevrolet with a time of 9 hours, 21 minutes, 13 seconds. The 51-second difference ranked among the event’s tightest major-class margins and gave Marsal his first podium of the SCORE season. Justin Davis took third in the No. 285 Green Army Motorsports TSCO-Ford.
Lopez arrived as the only Mexican racer to have won three SCORE Trophy Truck championships, claiming them in 2015, 2016 and 2017.
New winners emerge across Baja 400 classes
Maverick Gaunt and Chasen Gaunt scored their first SCORE Trophy Truck 2WD class win in the No. 42T Geiser Bros Chevrolet Silverado, posting an official time of 9 hours, 52 minutes, 19 seconds. Mike Perez and Jonathan Faulkner finished next in 11 hours, 30 minutes, 16 seconds in the No. 95T Brenthel Chevrolet Silverado.
Gustavo Vildosola Sr. and Ricky Johnson stretched their own streak to five consecutive Baja 400 victories. They drove the No. 1L Vildosola Racing Ford Raptor Mason AWD to the finish in 9 hours, 15 minutes, 48 seconds, securing their second straight SCORE win this season.
Wayne Matlock won Pro UTV Open and the overall UTV classification in the No. 1871 Matlock Racing Polaris RZR Pro R Factory. His time of 9 hours, 54 minutes, 28 seconds earned him a first Baja 400 victory and the $50,000 Polaris SCORE Challenge prize against 18 other Pro UTV Open racers.
The Baja 1000 comes next
The Baja 400 drew 164 starters, and 102 reached the official finish for a 62-percent finishing rate. Competitors represented 23 U. S. states, Puerto Rico and several countries including Mexico, Argentina, Australia and Canada.
McMillin is joined by Kaden Wells in Pro UTV FI and Jesse Astorga in Class 5 as the drivers with three wins from three rounds. Wells and Astorga also remain eligible for the SCORE Rod Hall Milestone Award.
The season ends with the 59th SCORE Baja 1000 from November 9 through 15 in San Jose del Cabo. For the first time, the race will take place entirely within Baja California Sur, with more than 220 teams from 18 countries expected to compete.
