4WHEELOFFROAD.COM 4-WHEEL & OFF-ROADOCTOBER 2019 11THIS
JUST IN
- THIRD-GENERATION DESERT^
racing champion Andy McMillin
claimed the overall and SCORE
Trophy Truck race victories at the
51st SCORE Baja 500 by starting
first, never losing the physical
lead, and finishing first in the
elapsed-time race. McMillin cov-
ered the 485.02-mile course in
9 hours 49 minutes 12 seconds,
averaging 49.39 mph in his Red
Bull McMillin Racing Chevy Silvera-
do built by Mason Motorsports. - ACCORDING TO SEMA’S 2018^
Market Report, American consum-
ers spent more money than ever
modifying their vehicles, pushing
retail spending on specialty equip-
ment parts to $44.6 billion. SEMA
projects this growth to continue
in 2019, despite ongoing trade
uncertainty. More interesting
takeaways from the report: 27
percent of all dollars was spent
modifying and upgrading pickup
trucks, and a third of vehicle
accessorizers are under the age
of 30. - PHOTOS PUBLISHED BY SEMA^
showed a Wrangler powered by
a 3.0L EcoDiesel V-6 being tested
in Auburn Hills, Michigan. Accord-
ing to Jeep, only the Unlimited
models will offer the EcoDiesel as
a powertrain option. The updated
version of the 3.0L EcoDiesel will
be rated at around 260 hp and 442
lb-ft of torque and will have engine
stop-start to improve fuel econo-
my. The diesel will be backed by a
ZF-sourced eight-speed automatic
transmission. - NEVADA GOVERNOR STEVE^
Sisolak signed into law legislation
(S.B. 356) that will allow for the
titling and registration of retired
military vehicles. The new law
will also authorize the design and
production of a specialty license
plate for these vehicles. According
to SEMA, retired military vehicles
were not able to be titled or reg -
istered for use on highways in the
state prior to the new law’s pas-
sage. By approving this proposal,
the state recognizes important
historical and patriotic purpose of
government surplus (former mili-
tary) vehicles.
Trail Boss is the most affordable 400hp truck on the market
”
N
exen Tire America is collaborating with
car builder Kenny Pfitzer of Zero to 60
Designs in Corona, California, to modify a
Jeep Gladiator pickup that will be awarded to a
deserving Purple Heart recipient as part of the
Nexen Hero Program.
The Gladiator Sport S rolls on 35-inch Nexen
Roadian MTX Xtreme Off-Road Mud Terrain tires
paired with Grid GD5 of f- road w heel s. Several
Jeep and Mopar accessory items were added to
the truck, such as a 2-inch lift with Fox racing
shocks; steel-tube doors; a Rubicon three-piece
front bumper, grille, and winch guard; 7-inch
off-road LED lights; grab handles; and a map kit.
Katzkin supplied the leather seats.
Through this same program last year Nexen
gave a customized Dodge Challenger to retired
Marine Corporal Steven Diaz, who was woundedin Iraq. This year’s winner is being selected by
members of the Purple Heart Foundation, with
the announcement of the winner held on August
7, National Purple Heart Day.NEXEN TO AWARD GLADIATOR TO PURPLE HEART RECIPIENT
ANOTHER NORRA WIN
FOR CABALLO DEL DIABLOD
rivers Brian Godfrey and Boyd Janes, along
with the whole Caballo del Diablo team,
went into the 2019 NORRA Mexican 1000 with
six previous NORRA Pioneer 4x4 class wins in
their 1968 Bronco, whose name means theDevil Horse in Spanish. For their 10th running of
the rally they made some changes to the Bronc,
including the addition of a new, more power-
ful Ford Performance 347 stroker motor that
was so much lighter than the 351 Cleveland
it replaced that they had to revise the front
springs and revalve the Fox racing shocks.
By the time the dust settled—literally—the
Yokohama-, Ford Performance–, and 4WP-
sponsored Bronco earned its seventh class win,
finishing the rally in 22 hours 57 minutes 41 sec-
onds, some three hours ahead of Second Place
finisher Andrew Norton (also in a Bronco). The
rally was nearly flawless for the experienced
Caballo pilotos, save for some transmission
issues on the third day that had them down for
an hour rebuilding the trans. But a “furious run”
by Godfrey put them not only back in contention
but scored them the eventual win of that day’s
stage. Read day- by- day coverage of the team’s
adventures on Instagram @CaballoDelDiablo.