| Important Class Designations |
| Trophy Truck: | Unlimited |
| trucks, up to 36 |
| inches of wheel |
| travel and over |
| 700 hp. |
| Class 1: | Exotic open- |
| wheel race cars |
| that often take |
| the overall win. |
| Class 7: | Unlimited ver- |
| sions of your |
| favorite mini- |
| trucks. |
| Class 8: | Historic truck |
| class with big |
| suspensions, |
| stock frames. |
| SCORE Lites: | Older style open |
| wheel cars with |
| 1,835 VW |
| engines. Great |
| starter class. |
| Stock Classes: | Both Full and |
| Mini designa- |
| tions for true |
| production |
| classes. |
Score International Off-Road RacingWe've got to hand it to Sal Fish and SCORE International. Despite increased competition from other sanctioning bodies and a growing concern over desert usage (yes, even in an ever-growing Baja, Mexico), SCORE International has managed to maintain its status as the premier four-wheel desert racing sanctioning body in North America. In an age where too many desert sanctioning groups are overlapping race weekends and consequently diluting their entry base, SCORE is still the place to compete at the top level of the sport, and the series where participants still can enjoy the buzz that comes from being part of major events that average 150 entries in the U.S. and 225 in Mexico.
Much of this strength comes from Fish's years of experience (see sidebar) and his willingness to mix the sport's most traditional and important events like the Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 and Baja 500 with new, more spectator-friendly venues like Laughlin, Primm, and now Henderson, Nevada. Although the race courses may change, the fact that some of SCORE's events are now in their third decade of existence can only serve to bolster the group's heritage and traditions.
For 2003, the SCORE calendar remains similar in content and dates to last year's, with the season once again kicking off at the SCORE Laughlin Desert Challenge with its 12-mile course and a two-day racing format. Grandstands, concession booths, pit stop competition, the Laughlin Leap, and the huge SCOREvision infield screen have made this a very popular event. The series next moves to the sunny shores of the Sea of Cortez in San Felipe for the very popular Tecate SCORE San Felipe 250, followed in June by the classic Tecate SCORE Baja 500. The hot desert of Henderson, Nevada, is next for the second running of the Henderson's Terrible 250, followed by a trip to the Nevada border resort at Stateline and the Primm 300.
As always, the year is capped off by the ever-popular SCORE Tecate Baja 1000-still considered by many to be the pinnacle event in off-road motorsports.