Steve Millen Scores First Win of Season

Steve Millen, driving a Toyota, passed a pair of Mazda drivers on the next-to-last lap to score his first victory of the season in the Grand Sport truck division in Saturday night’s Off-Road Gran Prix races at the Rose Bowl before an estimated 41,000 fans.

Millen, the 1986 champion in the truck class from Santa Ana, got past Glenn Harris of Camarillo on Lap 9 of the 10-lap main event and then edged passed his brother, Rod, for the victory by one length.

Roger Mears, driving a 5-year-old Nissan, finished third ahead of Jeff Huber in a third Mazda and Steve Millen’s Toyota teammate Ivan Stewart.

The victory ended a three-race win streak by Harris, who led most of the event until fading with mechanical trouble in the last two laps. The win also moved Steve Millen past Harris in the season’s point standings after five of the nine races, 226-222.

In the other featured class, Frank Arciero Jr. of Laguna Hills won both his heat race and the main event for Super 1600cc buggies after a close battle with Mitch Mustard (cq) of Denver.

A heavy downpour just before the start of the races left the course built in the floor of the stadium slippery for the first few heat races.