Straight off of their victory at the legendary Best In The Desert Mint 400, La Paz Racing sought out to take on some of Nevada’s most grueling desert at the Best In The Desert Silver State 300. The 2012 Best In The Desert (BITD) Silver State 300 was held just north of Alamo, Nevada in some of the most desolate deserts that Nevada has to offer. The Silver State 300 racecourse is like none-other in the BITD series. Competitors will battle through some of the worst silt beds ever seen by desert racers, followed by some of the most beautiful pine-topped forest that one could imagine. With an elevation change of about 5,000 feet, the high-speed technical course is sure to take its toll on race vehicles.
Driver Tim Casey and Co-driver Bill Rante drew the second starting position for this years BITD Silver State 300, starting just behind truck number 8111 of Steve Erdelyi. The La Paz Racing crew knew that in order to finish on top of the podium that they would have to put in some work in order to make their way past Erdelyi. As the duo of Casey and Rante left the line it was all business. Fighting dust the minute the La Paz Racing team left the line; they had no choice but to charge as hard as they could without breaking. It was a game of cat and mouse for nearly the first fifty miles of the grueling racecourse.
Casey and Rante were able to reel in the 8111 truck one last time around mile fifty, and this time they were going to make sure to make it stick in order to ensure that the La Paz Stock Full would reign supreme. Heading through the wash, Casey knew this was his chance to give the Stock Full all it had in order to pass Steve Erdelyi early on. Knowing this race course and all of it’s unexpected surprises, just feet from the rear bumper of Erdelyi, Casey and Rante knew a hard right turn was fast approaching causing them to use their better judgment and let off the gas. Intuition couldn’t have came into play at a better time as the La Paz Racing team saw the FABTECH Stock Full of Steve Erdelyi take the corner at full race speed, sending Erdelyi and co-rider, Matt Coates, end over end.
Tim Casey is a racer at heart and even in the heat of a race, he knew he had to pull over to check on his competitor to make sure they were safe and uninjured. “We pulled over and got out of truck to check on them and made sure they were okay. They were beat up a bit but they were okay. Bill and I weren’t sure if that truck could continue but we hooked up a strap and pulled the truck over,” Tim Casey explained the events as he had seen them in the rear view mirror. Casey and Rante would hear on the radio a short time later that indeed they were able to get their truck back into the race.
Just after Pit 3 an issue with the power steering suddenly hit the truck causing the La Paz Racing Stock Full to run full speed into what seemed to be a wall of dirt in the middle of the desert. The duo thought for sure that they were going to have to do some quick tire changes in order to stay on pace. Fortunately for the La Paz Racing team, all four of their BFGoodrich tires would withstand the violent impact.
Upon reaching Pit 4 (mile marker 148) the La Paz pit crew had the power steering issue fixed and they were back to new again. With clean air ahead of them, the La Paz Racing team knew they had a good chance at winning the Silver State 300.
Just as it would be, the La Paz Racing team went on to finish first in class winning yet another Best In The Desert race this season. This win makes it win number three out of three for the 2012 BITD season. Tim Casey commented, “Vegas to Reno is fast approaching. Vegas to Reno is a 540 mile double points race. Everything leading up to this race doesn’t mean anything, it’s a make or break race. You can throw away your worst race at the end of season but can’t throw away a double points race.” Casey is determined to make this season one of the best yet.
With a couple months of down time between now and Vegas to Reno, the La Paz Racing Team is going to use it to their advantage and put the Stock Full through its paces in order to prep the truck appropriately for the rigorous race ahead. With the outside temperatures reaching well into the triple digits at Vegas to Reno, the La Paz Racing crew knows they have to come to battle with the best products possible. Focusing most of their attention on keeping the truck running cool in the Nevada heat, La Paz Racing has called on Lucas Oil and King Shocks in order to continue the domination among the Stock Full class.
“Truck ran great. We have been testing some new Lucas Oil suspension fluid in our King Shocks and the results have been fabulous, they had the lowest temperatures they have ever had. We couldn’t be happier,” said Tim Casey.
When it’s all said and done, La Paz Racing is prepared for anything and everything that comes its way, and this time, the Nevada desert was no match.
La Paz Racing would like to thank the following sponsors:

La Paz Products • Lucas Oil Products • BFGoodrich Tires • KC HiLites • King Racing Shocks • Signpros Custom Lettering • Community Tire Pros of Brea • McCoy Mills Ford • Deaver Springs • Magnaflow Exhaust • Unitrax Performance Differentials • F/S Cellars• Auto Max

About La Paz Products:

Since 1968, La Paz has become a household name in the cocktail mix industry. Our commitment to quality ingredients, innovative marketing, and American-made products have given La Paz a competitive advantage. The key to a good cocktail is to offer a smooth taste with no bitter after taste. La Paz remains dedicated to producing only the best tasting cocktail mixes.

We are constantly striving to maintain being the best quality flavor available. Our retailers, restaurateurs, and consumers all enjoy the suburb quality and excellent value offered by this attention to detail. Over the last 42 years we have become a full service company offering an entire line of cocktail mixes, Tequila, Agave Wine, Triple Sec, Ready-to-Drink cocktails and bar condiments.

You can find our La Paz and QuickWay cocktail mixes at Smart & Final, Ralph’s, Food 4 Less, Jon’s Marketplace, Top Value, Vallarta Supermarkets, El Super, Superior Market, Super A Foods, Northgate Markets, and many other independent grocery chains. If you are traveling abroad, look for us in Southeast Asia and the British Virgin Islands. For recipe ideas and more visit www.lapazproducts.com.

*All photos and info provided by Mad Media.