The Ultimate Duel: McFayden Fastest at Stateline Shootout
Michael McFayden and Garrick Lastra Scuffle for Championship at Legacy Racing Association Season Finale
Words: Heather Wilson
Photos: Logan Gallagher
The season finale of Legacy Racing Association’s series brought brisk temperatures to start, glare from the sun, a little dust and a whole lot of fierce competition in Jean, Nevada. It truly became a duel at the FX Construction Stateline Shootout, with just two points separating Can-Am pilots Michael McFayden (T838) and Garrick Lastra (T924) headed into the last round. Teams navigated a 72-mile loop (most classes for three laps) on December 2.
Lastra opened the season with three straight wins, while McFayden ended the season in the same fashion. Ultimately, 17-year-old McFayden was crowned the 2023 series champion after he drove his 2021 Can-Am Maverick X3 XRS RR across the finish line in a four-hour, one-minute and four-second battle.
“We came into this last race knowing we had to win it,” McFayden said. “The Stateline Shootout was a rough and fast course. Jeremy Gray and I were first off the line with Garrick Lastra [second in points] right next to us. With a two-wide start, we knew we had to get up front. We started the race and got into first place. We stayed up front the whole race. Our 2021 Can-Am Maverick X3 was on rails all day!”
McFayden said with zero issues and a clean race, they got to the finish first.
“We took first in UTV Turbo, first Overall UTV and the class championship for the 2023 season,” he said. “I am thankful for the awesome season we had with Legacy. Throughout the season, we took three first-places, two second-places, and one third-place.”
The Californian also thanked his sponsors: KWI Clutching, Raceline Wheels, Alltech Motorsports, Rodend Supply, Alsup RD, Can-Am, RCV Axles, Evo Powersports, Factory UTV, ZRP and Pro-Craft Construction.
Las Vegas resident Wes Miller (U989) finished just 13 minutes behind McFayden to earn second overall and also snatched the UTV Stock2 win.
“One of the things that’s unique about my car is that it’s a relatively stock car,” said Miller. “My strategy was to get through the first two laps clean and try to put in a really good lap on the third lap.”
Miller said they had a clean race but lost their comms and fresh air towards the beginning. What added to the challenge was no communication with the pit crew or co-driver and his shield fogged up due to a lack of fresh air. To make matters worse, it had to be cracked for ventilation, which allowed dust to make its way in.
“The first lap, we passed about five guys,” he said. “It was fairly easy to make passes on the course. The only issue we had on the first lap was that the sun was just brutal. We were head-on into the sun as it rose, and I had to stop a couple of times because I couldn’t see. Once the sun rose a little bit, it wasn’t as bad. In the second lap, we had already moved into the third physical on the course. We diced with Jeremiah Scott a bit before we let him by but stayed right with him. We passed him back at the beginning of the third lap, and I pushed as hard as I could.”
With Miller’s stock car weighing likely 1,000 pounds more than McFayden’s purpose-built race car, Miller said that it was pretty cool for them to finish where they did.
“Our [Polaris RZR} Pro R worked awesome out there,” Miller said. “In the rougher sections, we were able to make up a lot of time with our King Shocks giving us a big advantage. Our Maxxis Tires had no flats the whole race. We stopped in the pits and took fuel once, and that was it.”
UTV Turbo driver Jeremiah Scott (T916) finished third overall.
While Lastra had his sights set on securing the championship, he would find himself in fourth overall at the Stateline Shootout after encountering an electrical issue that lost him nearly an hour.
“We had a good year with lots of great battles with team Mcfayden,” Lastra said. “It came down to the last race, and we had an electrical issue that put us down 50 minutes. We needed a win, and we came up short. I want to say congratulations to our friends — the Mcfayden family and team — for a hard-charging season of battling all the way to the end.”
Lastra also thanked Randy and Carolyn Raschein for putting him in the driver’s seat for the Riverland Racing team. He expressed gratitude for his sponsors: Can-Am, Tensor Tires, Method Wheels, Lonestar Racing, King Shocks, Podium Suspension, Icebox Performance, Modquad and Evolution Powersports.”
Turning to the UTV Unlimited class, Tim Fitzpatrick (2906) of California put his C&J Equipment Polaris machine across the finish line with an elapsed time of 04:55:42.373, followed by fellow Polaris driver Tortoise Supply Racing’s Tyler Stewart (2973). Joe Bolton (2905) rounded out the class.
“We started side-by-side and had a good jump off the start,” Fitzpatrick said. “We got pulled coming out of turn two, tucked in behind Chase and ended up making contact with their car. The left upper ball joint broke. We were close to the pits, so we were able to limp back in. It took us about 40 minutes to make the repairs. The rest of the race was pretty uneventful except for two flat tires. Everyone else had a lot of problems. In the end, it worked in our favor as we came away with the win.”
Nicholas Gurries (S983) claimed the UTV Stock Modified win with a time of 03:02:11.454 after two laps. Taking second in class was James Summer (S911), while Bryan Houghton (S923) claimed third.
“The race was fun,” Gurries said. “It was a good course, fairly technical and well organized. The car felt great and was fast. We had an axle break during the last 20 miles of the race, and that slowed us down a bit, but we kept going. I enjoyed the side-by-side start and look forward to hopefully doing that again next season.”
Gurries only competed in three rounds this year but says his team is very focused and looks forward to much more success next season in the Pro Turbo class.
“If the other teams haven’t taken notice yet, watch out — we are coming for a series championship,” Gurries added.
“Becker the Wrecker” as he was affectionately dubbed by his parents, grabbed the UTV Naturally Aspirated class win. Twelve-year-old Becker Chase (1950) finished in just under five hours, with a time of 04:53:46.659. Angie Mitchell (1907) was runner-up, while another young gun – 12-year-old Ian Torfi (1912) – captured third.
UTV Stock1 saw Derek Morse (U903) seize the win with a time of 03:35:16.065.
“The start of the race was a brisk 36 degrees leaving the start line at 6:45 a.m.,” Morse said. “The sun played a huge factor as it was rising later in the morning, making it extremely difficult to see in the dust.”
He said it was a fun battle with everyone in the class for the first 25 miles — leap-frogging back and forth.
“After about mile 25, we had regained the lead in class and never looked back,” Morse said. “The course was a mix of fast and technical…from fast whoops to technical rocks. My Raceline Wheels and Arisun tires did amazing ALL YEAR, with no flats all season! They play a huge role in our race program. My shocks kept me planted in the whoops with complete control thanks to Vital Motion Co.”
He added a huge thanks to D&D Pool and Spa Services and Battle Born Offroad for always dialing him in with any lighting needs.
“Thanks to Rugged Radios and HPR SoCal for my communications. KCB Offroad for all my gusseting kits and parts — all of which were made in the USA. Arrow Alignment for keeping me pointed straight and Iron Born Offroad for all my builds. Last but not least, my family and wife Sofia for all the support I need.”
The conclusion of the six-round series gave way to the celebration of a great season for some, while it left other teams with dashed hopes. For those seeking redemption, the start of next year’s season is merely two and a half months away. There’s no rest for the wicked. The time to tear down and rebuild, starts now.
The 2024 series schedule will feature seven events:
- Parker Dam 500: Feb. 21-15, 2024
- Frontier 500: April 18-21, 2024
- Baja Nevada: June 26-30, 2024
- Dirt Rebelution: Aug. 2-3, 2024
- UTV Freedom Ride: Sept. 19-21, 2024
- Gold Rush: Oct. 10-13, 2024 (co-sanctioned with VORRA)
- Desert Showdown: Dec. 5-8, 2024
TOP FINISHERS
All results posted are unofficial. View full event results at https://legacyracing.net/race-schedule/stateline-shootout/
UTV Turbo
- Michael McFayden (T838), 04:01:04.520
- Jeremiah Scott (T916), 04:22:07.427
- Cody Schafer (T824), 04:28:41.021
- Garrick Lastra (T924), 04:48:11.475
- Barry Schafer (T842), 05:07:00.217
UTV Unlimited
- Tim Fitzpatrick (2906), 04:55:42.373
- Tyler Stewart (2973), 05:16:38.916
- Joe Bolton (2905), 05:58:42.389
- Travis Sallee (2999), 03:08:09.530 (2 laps)
- Kelly Rossberg (2928), 03:23:03.607 (2 laps)
UTV Stock Modified
- Nicholas Gurries (S983), 03:02:11.454 (2 laps)
- James Summer (S911), 03:35:36.480 (2 laps)
- Bryan Houghton (S923), 06:44:41.960 (2 laps)
- Craig MacIntosh (S915), 02:08:20.774 (1 lap)
UTV Naturally Aspirated
- Becker Chase (1950), 04:53:46.659
- Angie Mitchell (1907), 05:38:34.084
- Ian Torfi (1912), 06:35:42.450
- Dan Phillips (1967), 01:39:47.675 (1 lap)
UTV Stock2
- Wes Miller (U989), 04:14:08.794
- Lanse Chournos (U999), 05:06:52.300
UTV Stock1
- Derek Morse (U903), 03:35:16.065 (2 laps)