Center Line, Mich. - Mopar, Chrysler LLC's original equipment parts manufacturer, extends its motorsports presence from the circle tracks and drag strips with its return to off-road racing competition at the 40th Annual Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 race. Collins Motorsports will field a Mopar-sponsored Dodge Ram Off-Road Trophy Truck in the world's longest, biggest and most-famous desert race that takes place Nov. 10-16, 2007.

The 1,296.39-mile race course traverses the Mexico Baja California peninsula's rough and unforgiving terrain. Mopar's off-road heritage includes legendary names and champions such as Rod Hall and Walker Evans who competed under the Mopar and Dodge banners in the 1980s. Mopar's entry in the Baja 1000 launches the brand's new "Trail" initiative that was announced at the recent 2007 Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) show in Las Vegas.

"Mopar's new Trail initiative launches our new line of durable and reliable Jeep Performance and Dodge Off-road parts for off-road enthuasiasts," said Jon Clark, Mopar Performance Parts Manager Chrysler LLC. He added, "Mopar's return to off-road competition lets our product engineers continue to develop and test these parts in the most rigorous race conditions."

Modified beyond factory specifications, the initial line up of Jeep Performance and Dodge Off-road parts includes: long-arm suspension kit for the Jeep Wrangler, two-wheel-drive low-range kits for Jeep and Dodge transfer cases, lowering kit for the Dodge Ram 1500 and Dana 44 Axle Assemblies.

Collins Motorsports will field a Mopar Dodge Ram Off-Road Trophy Truck
The Collins Motorsports trio of veterans, Brian Collins, Larry Ragland and Chuck Hovey, will share piloting duties on Mopar's No. 12 Mopar Dodge Ram Off-Road Trophy Truck in the Baja 1000.

Ragland is a five-time Baja 1000 and Baja 500 winner. With 10 career wins, the Cave Creek, Ariz. resident is the second most-winning driver in the history of SCORE Trophy Truck competition.

Collins, a five-time Baja 500 winner, is also no stranger to the top podium spot. A Las Vegas resident, Collins also claimed overall Baja 500 championships in 2006 and 2007. In 2005, he won the Nevada 1000, the Primm 300 and the Terrible Town 250.

An Escondido, Calif. native, Hovey is a seven-time winner of the Superstition series. In 2004, he took the ProDirt championship and was overall points champion in Best in the Desert. This year, Hovey took home the win in the Terrible Town 250.

The new additions to Team Mopar's star-studded roster of drivers have gotten plenty of seat time in the Mopar Dodge Ram Off-Road Trophy Truck over the last few weeks. All remaining tweaks and changes have been completed in rapid time by Collins Motorsports team manager Robbie Goerke and crew chief Billy Goerke. Mopar's off-road trio is focused to secure a class and overall 4-wheel win in the maiden venture.

"We're very excited to have Mopar come on board," said Collins. "I was at the Mopar press conference at SEMA for the reveal of the Mopar Dodge Ram Trophy Truck. The media response was overwhelming. There has been so much enthusiasm in the off-road community over our partnership with Mopar. We have even had people trying to take spy photos of the truck when we were testing. Larry, Chuck and I are going to do our best to bring home a win, and set the stage for our full-season SCORE campaign next year under the Mopar banner."

40th Annual Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 race event details
The 40th annual Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 is scheduled for Nov. 10 - 16. The course travels down the Baja California peninsula starting in Ensenada, Baja California and finishing in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California, Sur. The season finale of the six-race 2007 SCORE Desert Series will see 450 entries from 43 states and 16 countries, competing in 28 Pro and six Sportsman classes for cars, trucks, motorcycles and ATVs.

The Baja 1000 will be broadcast as a one-hour NBC Sports special starting at 3:30 p.m. (ET) on Dec. 30 on the NBC Television Network. For more info on the SCORE Desert Series, visit www.score-international.com.

70 Years of Mopar
When Chrysler bought Dodge in 1928, the need for a dedicated parts manufacturer, supplier and distribution system to support the growing enterprise led to the formation of the Chrysler Motor Parts Corporation (CMPC) in 1929.

Originally used in the 1920s, Mopar (a simple contraction of the words MOtor and PARts) was trademarked for a line of antifreeze products in 1937. It was also widely used as a moniker for the CMPC. The Mopar brand made its mark in the 1960s, the muscle car era. The Chrysler Corporation built race-ready Dodge and Plymouth "package cars" equipped with special high-performance parts. Mopar carried a line of "Special Parts" for super stock drag racers and developed its racing parts division called Mopar Performance Parts to enhance speed and handling for both road and racing use.

Today, Chrysler LLC's Global Service & Parts division is responsible for the manufacturing and distribution of nearly 250,000 authentic Mopar replacement parts, components and accessories for Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge vehicles sold around the world. To assure quality, reliability and durability, all Mopar parts and accessories are designed in strict adherence to Chrysler engineering standards.