SCORE drivers to be honored at banquet

Friday, Dec. 12, 2003 | 10:18 a.m.

Las Vegas racing brothers Tim and Ed Herbst and Southern California drivers Dale Ebberts and Ernie Castro Jr. will be among the drivers feted Saturday night during the annual SCORE Awards Night at the Gold Coast hotel-casino.

Consistency was the standard this season for veteran desert racers Ebberts and Castro, who will be honored as the unlimited Class 1 and overall points champions in the 2003 SCORE Desert Series. By winning the class championship, Ebberts and Castro stopped the unprecedented six-year run of Class 1 points titles won by Las Vegas' Troy Herbst.

Ebberts, the driver of record, finished on the Class 1 podium at all six SCORE races this season. Ebberts won the season opener in Laughlin in a solo effort and then split the driving duties with Castro the remainder of the season. The team won in San Felipe, Mexico, finished third in Ensenada, Mexico, second in both of the last two Nevada races, in Henderson and Primm, and ended the season with a third-place finish at the Tecate SCORE Baja 1000.

For Ebberts, it is his third SCORE class championship and his second overall crown. Before Troy Herbst began his six-year streak in 1997, Ebberts teamed with Brent Grizzle to win Class 1 and the 1996 SCORE overall points title.

Tim and Ed Herbst won the featured SCORE Trophy Truck division for a record fourth time in the 10-year history of the class and finished fourth in overall points. With two victories this season, the Herbst brothers have won a record 11 of 62 races in the class for high-tech, 750-horsepower, unlimited production trucks.

The annual SCORE Awards Night will start with a reception at 6 p.m., followed by the awards dinner at 7:30.