LV driver Laughlin champion

Monday, Oct. 7, 1996 | 11:59 a.m.

Ford factory driver Rob MacCachren came into the Laughlin Desert Challenge weekend not sure if SCORE International's concept of running the Trophy Truck division over two separate days was very appealing -- although he understood the desire to provide the event with greater spectator appeal.

After two days of hard running in his Ford F-150 in the rugged desert around the Colorado River resort town, MacCachren now really likes the idea. Winning has that effect.

Building on a lead he accumulated in Saturday's first heat, the Las Vegas driver kept a steady pace Sunday to best the field by just over 10 minutes. He drove the 200-mile race at an average speed of 42.402 mph.

MacCachren's team mate, Paul Simon of Fallbrook, Calif., survived a first-heat rollover to finish second, followed by the Chevrolet of defending Baja 1000 champion Larry Ragland.

MacCachren's victory moves the season points championship to November's SCORE Tecate Baja 1000, as current leader Robby Gordon was only able to compete in Saturday's heat because of a conflicting NASCAR race. Dan Smith drove Gordon's Ford F-150 on Sunday, overcoming a steep learning curve to give the duo a combined fourth-place finish.

"This race format really worked out well for everyone, especially for our Venable Racing team," MacCachren said. "At first I wasn't sure about it, because yesterday I won and just wanted it to be over. But it gave everyone we compete with the chance to regroup, change setups and fix what they might have broken in the first heat.

"Our game plan going in was to get out really hard and build a lead, because we could fix anything on the truck overnight. Luckily, it worked out perfectly."

* GORDON'S LEAD CUT: Between them, Terry Labonte and Jeff Gordon have raced 19,600 miles this season. After all that time, they're back at square one. Labonte won the UAW-GM Quality 500 on Sunday at Charlotte Motor Speedway, cutting Gordon's lead in the driver standings to a single point with three races left on the 1996 Winston Cup calendar. Gordon, bidding to win his second consecutive Winston Cup title, came to Charlotte with a 111-point edge but fell off the pace with a cracked cylinder head just past the halfway mark of the 334-lap event. He wound up 31st, his worst showing in more than two months.