Prerunning With Pros - McMillin Realty Racing

Mcmillin Prerunning With Pros Andy Mcmillins Ford F150

Mcmillin Prerunning With Pros San Felipe Waters

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I arrived at the Gillespie Airfield in El Cajon, California, to meet pilots Bill Allen and Robert Arce and board the McMillins’ private twin-prop plane, “Beagle.” Here was an entire family who figured out how to combine their work and passion with sponsors including McMilllin Realty, BFGoodrich, and Fox Racing Shox, with deeper roots in racing heritage than any I’d ever had a chance to travel with. The McMillin pride wasn’t the first family team to start racing off-road, but together they definitely have more competitive racers than any before them. Two brothers, Scott and Mark, are the patriarchs of the family. Both successful racers in the Trophy Truck class, they are united as a whole but with their own definite way of doing things. While the entire family races under the McMillin flag, Scott has his own race shop in National City, where he, his son, Andy—who won the Baja 1000 in 2006 with Robby Gordon and 2009 with his his father, Scott—and his daughter, Jessica, all call home base for their race trucks. The other half of the family is headed by Mark who has his shop in El Cajon, where he and his two sons, Luke and Daniel, race Trophy Truck, Class 1, and Class 1/2 1600 cars.

Mcmillin Prerunning With Pros Mcmillin Morning Meeting

The morning meeting at base camp prior to prerunning. Scott delivers the game plan for the McMillin Realty team, quoting his father and reiterating the three all-important Ps that Corky had taught him: Plan, prepare, and practice. Scott is just who you’d expect him to be. He’s quick to take charge of a situation should he see the need, but understands that a delegation of authority allows the most to be done and maximizes the race effort.

The morning meeting at base camp prior to prerunning. Scott delivers the game plan for the

I hadn’t met any of the family before, and starting the trip on a private plane definitely set the mood in one general direction. I had gotten there only minutes before we were supposed to take off (a sure way to miss a flight) and was feeling the about-to-miss-a-flight anxiety. Bill and Robert casually strolled up as I ran into the airfield’s waiting room. “Hey, you must be Jerrod. Nice to meet you.”

“Good to meet you guys! ‘Really sorry I’m late. Is everyone already on the plane and ready to go?”

“Nope, you’re the first one here.”

“Really?! I thought we supposed to take off in a few minutes?”

“Well, we sort of take off whenever everyone gets here and is ready to go.”

I was in a different world now. So this is what having the ultimate support and chase crew is like? I could easily get used to this, and it was going to be a good few days.

We arrived in San Felipe’s tiny airport with three overbuilt Super Duty chase trucks waiting out front. They were our escorts and ride from the airport where we would meet up with the rest of the McMillin clan for a few days of prerunning before the next race.

Mcmillin Prerunning With Pros Mcmillin Off Roading

On the calm waters of San Felipe at the El Cortez Hotel, we arrived to a mobile race shop set up in the middle of the hotel’s sprawl. The entire team (both Scott’s and Mark’s teams) stays together in the hotel. Scott and Mark have been doing this for years and both have custom RVs that they bring and park right along with the shop trucks, chase trucks, prerunners, and race trucks at the hotel. Though they are two separate teams, both McMillin teams stay together in the same location, lend parts and help to each other if needed, and will often trade pit help during race day.

Their comradery in racing and in business was taught to them by their late father, Corky, who really was the one that got everyone started in racing. A long-time team member who originally worked with Corky on his first race vehicle let me in on a bit of the family history. “If it were not for him, we wouldn’t be here. Corky made all this.”

Mcmillin Prerunning With Pros Scott Mcmillin Passenger View

Scott is very obviously proud of all his kids, and makes sure that they always enjoy what they’re doing, all while the race effort is taken seriously. Well, not too seriously, as you can see by Rhiannon’s bunny ears on Scott from the back seat.

Scott is very obviously proud of all his kids, and makes sure that they always enjoy what

You could feel the huge amount of respect that every member of the McMillins’ teams—most who have been part of their race efforts for years—felt for Corky whenever he was mentioned. He was definitely the one who injected racing into the McMillin veins. Now, Scott and Mark have taken lead positions and inspire the family’s race efforts. Since I never had a chance to meet Corky, I can only imagine how proud he’d be watching how well his two sons stepped in to fill the big racing boots and lead their families to multiple off-road race wins.

During the prerun in San Felipe, I was witness to some of the most professional efforts I’d ever taken part of and was privileged to ride in the fastest truck (hands down) I had ever been in. But for me, the most impressive part of the trip was the passion and the unity of the entire team. Everyone there was there because they wanted to be.

Through thick and thin, the McMillin teams work together to make up two winning, championship race efforts.

Bill Allen and Robert Arce make up the aerial wing of the chase team. Flying the McMillins’ Beechcraft King Air, “Beagle,” they provide air support and an extra safety blanket should something go wrong. The McMillins specifically acquired a twin-prop plane that could land on dirt roads if necessary.
Bill Allen and Robert Arce make up the aerial wing of the chase team. Flying the McMillins
Morning prerunning started with Scott leading the way into Zoo Road at more than 70mph. He was followed by Andy and his friend, “AK,” in his F-150, and Jessica and PCI’s Rhiannon Freiley in her F-150. Going 85 mph through whoops with father, daughter, and son all within a few feet of each other in three different trucks is a family past time that I was not familiar with.
Morning prerunning started with Scott leading the way into Zoo Road at more than 70mph. He
Andy’s F-150.

With this big of a race effort, everything is planned and well thought out. Race support manager, Tim Sanchez, sets up pit with the pit crew of Jim “Mr. Easy” Evans fueling up the prerunner, Ron James—Jess and Andy’s brother—shooting web video, and EMT Mike Groscup turning on the fuel to transfer into the prerunners. When Scott, Andy, or Jess pull in, there is fuel ready to go, snacks and liquids for rehydration, and an assortment of parts and tools should anything be wrong with one of the prerunners or race trucks.
With this big of a race effort, everything is planned and well thought out. Race support m
McMillin Realty Racing runs two identical black Super Duty chase trucks with tools, welders, two BFGoodrich spares, fuel, and Baja Designs worklights that turn these trucks into mobile shops. They’re so nice that other teams actually contract the McMillins’ shop to built chase trucks for them!
McMillin Realty Racing runs two identical black Super Duty chase trucks with tools, welder
Andy’s grinning because of all that black duct tape where a rear window used to be on his truck. I immediately liked Andy, or “Bebo” as his family as close friends know him. Here was a kid who had won the Baja 1000 before his 20th birthday, yet was still a fairly humble guy. Though Andy would probably tell you that they are as different as can be, you can see the same gleam in the eye of both father and son.
Andy’s grinning because of all that black duct tape where a rear window used to be on his

At only 24 years old, Andy is already a legend in Baja and someone who a lot of the local kids look up to. When word got out that he was in town to prerun the upcoming race, kids raced from school after class to get a pic with racer Andy McMillin.
At only 24 years old, Andy is already a legend in Baja and someone who a lot of the local
McMillin’s prep team works late into the night to make sure the trucks are ready for a full day of prerunning the next morning. Their jobs start when the trucks stop, and they’ll work until the trucks are finished, no matter what time it is.
McMillin’s prep team works late into the night to make sure the trucks are ready for a ful
Mark Fagan and Hector work as quickly as they can to get one of the prerunners up and running after a part was flown in overnight from Santee, California.
Mark Fagan and Hector work as quickly as they can to get one of the prerunners up and runn

To say this truck was impressive would be an understatement. This was Scott’s first time in his newly-acquired Stewart Raceworks F-150 that he recently purchased from Guns N Roses guitarist Izzy Stradlin. I rode in this truck through Zoo Road, closing in on 100mph with Scott behind the wheel. I’m not really sure how to properly express the feeling of being in a half-million dollar truck going faster than you ever thought possible over some of the worst terrain in the world.
To say this truck was impressive would be an understatement. This was Scott’s first time i