Columnist Brian Hilderbrand: Pflueger to challenge for Protruck title

Friday, Jan. 25, 2002 | 9:12 a.m.

Brian Hilderbrand covers motor sports for the Las Vegas Sun. His motor sports notebook appears Friday. He can be reached at bh@lasvegassun.com or (702) 259-4089.

When Alan Pflueger takes the green flag for this weekend's eighth annual SCORE Laughlin Desert Challenge, it will mark the realization of a dream for the 35-year-old native of Hawaii.

Pflueger is beginning his first full season driving a Chevy Protruck for Las Vegas-based Collins Motorsports after a 15-year career as an off-road motorcycle racer. Being associated with a top-notch team like the one owned by Brian Collins is what Pflueger has dreamed about for years. But the pairing only came about after a bizarre series of events.

"I'm not one to believe in 'things are meant to be' or anything like that, but this is one of those things that makes you kind of scratch your head and think," Pflueger said. Had it not been for one of Pflueger's motorcycle teammates running out of gas during a prerun for last summer's Baja 500, Collins and Pflueger may never have crossed paths.

"One of my teammates was prerunning a long section so they had taken extra gas," Pflueger said. "They used the extra gas and ran out of gas in the middle of the desert. Along comes this prerunner truck so they're literally on their hands and knees begging them to stop.

"Brian stopped and he's having a good time with them about how much it's going to cost them for some gas. The long and short of it is that Brian gave them the gas and they tried to give Brian money and he wouldn't take it. They found out (Collins) was staying at the same hotel as we were, so they tell him they'll buy him a beer later."

After finishing the prerun, Pflueger and his teammates ran into Collins at the hotel and made good on buying him a beer. Pflueger was telling Collins' co-driver, Larry Ragland, how he wanted to get into off-road. Collins, who was listening in on the conversation, offered to put Pflueger in one of his SCORE Protrucks.

"I was really taken back by the offer," Pflueger said, "but I thought he would think about it and come back later and tell me I had better go start my own deal."

Instead, Collins had his shop start preparing a Protruck and Pflueger was driving for Collins Motorsports three months later in the Las Vegas Primm 300. Pflueger made an immediate impression on Collins by racing from last to first on the opening lap. Pflueger was leading the race when his truck suffered a pair of mechanical failures, but he managed to finish the race.

Pflueger drove in two more races last year for Collins Motorsports and now is ready to challenge for the SCORE Protruck championship this season.

"My goal this year is to ultimately win the Protruck class and take as many wins along the way as possible," he said. "I'm not here for second place.

"I can't say enough about the Collins team and how they have welcomed me into their program -- not only Brian, but every single guy who works there. They didn't know how I could drive ... but they have been so good to me and they have worked so hard for me."

The two-day Laughlin Desert Challenge will run from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. both Saturday and Sunday. The finishing order, by class, will be based on the combined two-day elapsed time of each vehicle.

NASCAR Winston Cup driver Robby Gordon will return to his off-road roots and is scheduled to compete in the unlimited class. Former SCORE champions Bekki Freeman of Henderson and Pat Dean of Las Vegas also are entered in the unlimited class and Las Vegas' Rob MacCachren in entered in the 1600 class.

Gaughan, who will be running a full NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series schedule this year, said he will not attempt to qualify for the March 3 UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 Winston Cup race at LVMS because his Orleans Racing team is concentrating on the truck program.

See the chart at the right for the updated Winston Cup and Busch Series test schedule at LVMS.