WELCOME, N.C. (Fri., Jan. 16) – Before getting behind the wheel of the No. 31 Cingular Wireless Chevrolet for this year’s Daytona 500, Richard Childress Racing’s (RCR) Robby Gordon is going to get behind the wheel of his No. 31 Chevrolet Trophy Truck to compete in this weekend’s 10th annual SCORE Laughlin Desert Challenge.

Gordon will be running an RCR engine in his No. 31 Red Bull Chevy CK1500 truck to compete in the Trophy Truck division in Laughlin, Nev. He will compete Saturday and Sunday in short, off-road races that will span about 40 miles each in the desert. The two-day SCORE Laughlin Desert Challenge will be from 6:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 17 and Sunday, Jan. 18. The truck was built at his race shop in Anaheim, Calif.

“I have raced there before, but the last time was probably about seven or eight years ago, so we will see what happens," Gordon said. "It is a new truck that I am racing, so we are still trying to sort it all out and make sure we got it working good, but I think we have a good shot at winning. I am running my truck with Richard’s engine, so we already have a winning combination.”

The 10th Annual Laughlin Desert Challenge SCORE Off-Road Race kicks off the series’ 2004 schedule, which concludes with the BAJA 1000 in Mexico. Gordon earned his career-first SCORE Off-road Trophy Truck class championship in 1986. A two-time winner of the SCORE Baja 1000, Gordon attempted to make it three last November but mechanical problems forced Gordon to park his truck with a little over 100 miles remaining.

The course for the Laughlin Desert Challenge includes the event-area track and an additional 11 miles of rough desert terrain, on which more than 170 drivers from 12 states, Japan and Mexico have registered to compete. Last year, 135 vehicles started the race.