Heavy though the heat may be here in Southern California, we find all sorts of ways to distract ourselves and still have fun. Yes, you can go to the beach, and it’s practically synonymous with the culture of nearby San Diego; but why do that when you can stay semi-indoors and get your annual dose of truck-thrashing therapy?

That’s the appeal of heading out and seeing WGAS Tuff Trucks events when they come to town. We had the good fortune to once again check out the short-course action at the Del Mar Fairgrounds for our second year in a row, and we’re happy to report that the contestants did not disappoint.

Whether it was some “beater” Ford Ranger or a fully-modded Trophy Truck, drivers were up against each other – as well as the clock – to bomb through the arena in as little time as possible and still make it across the finish line in one piece. The latter part of that was optional, really, since attendees were there to see some ridiculous, reckless treatment of trucks, and that’s just what they received.

More than a dozen vehicles made runs across two races at 1 and 5 p.m. on the day we went – June 28 – but we found five that really spoke to us as all-out, no-excuses off-road units. Let’s kick things off by looking at Kelton Glaszczak’s Yoter.

No. 5 Kelton’s Glaszczak’s 1988 Toyota 4Runner

Kelton’s 4Runner was one of a very few SUVs that made it out to the event, which was all the more reason for us to give it the spotlight. Upon closer examination, we noticed that the front end of the vehicle was not at all what it should look like; Kelton hacked it off and swapped it for a fiberglass unit modeled after a 2000-07 Toyota Tundra.

It was quite the departure from what we see on a lot of these first-generation Toyota 4Runners, so we took the opportunity to speak with Kelton. “I’ve been into off-roading since my childhood, my father passed it on to me,” he said. “This vehicle was just a little toy that I started messing around with and throwing parts on it, and next thing you know, this is where it’s at.”

Having owned the 4Runner for three years, Kelton has given the SUV plenty of upgrades. “It has a long-travel front end, Deavers in the back with a Ford 9-inch full-floater, turbocharged 22R-E, and 35-inch tires,” he said.

No. 4 Vince Ruiz’s 1994 Ford Ranger

For a combination of factors, we had to give this 1990s-odd Ford Ranger a mention in our Top Five. One reason was due to the rambunctiousness of the driver, Jared Shaffer, who gave the Blue Oval a much-needed beating out on the track during Round One.

“This is Vince’s truck right here, it was started at my house, but he didn’t want to take it to Tuff Trucks,” explained Jared. “So, without him knowing, I got it running and fixed up and got it out here this morning, about an hour before the first run.”

The slapdash appearance, hard-charging speed, and hilarious backstory made this Ranger too good to pass up. Air in the tires and gas in the tank was all it took to get it prepped for destruction – just the way Tuff Trucks should be.

“Yeah, the truck did decent for blown shocks, and with 3.00:1 gears on an open diff,” Vince joked. “It still placed sixth for street class and I believe 12th or 14th for open.”

No. 3 Jeff Musgrave’s 1994 Ford F-150

Jeff Musgrave was another individual with a Ford that was aching for action. Having raced in multiple events for about a decade, Tuff Trucks was just one more opportunity to venture out and get some track time under the belt.

“I’m from Orange, California, and we love coming down here to Del Mar and WGAS Motorsports,” said Jeff. “This is our seventh time coming to Tuff Trucks.”

Jeff’s noble steed is a 1994 Ford F-150, which he attained through some curious means. “It was 2004 and I was out at Ocotillo Wells in a piece of junk Volkswagen, and I got it about 18 inches off of the ground, but it looked like 10 feet,” he laughed. “My wife wanted me to be safer so she found a prerunner on Race-Dezert. That was how it started.”

The truck was assembled and ready for racing as early as 2007, participating in regional events in Lake Elsinore and San Bernardino here in Southern California. In that time, it’s had plenty of modifications done to it, as Jeff explained.

The truck has been raced by Jeff since 2007, participating in events put on by MDR, Lucas Oil, and others.

“This is its second front end, recently I hooked up with Sick Nick out of Stanton and he’s been putting parts together for me,” said Jeff. “Initially, though, it was a leaf-sprung truck, and it just kept breaking those spring packs race after race. We had it totally rebuilt after an accident at a regional race in 2012, and now she rides smooth and gushy. That’s why I call her ‘Marshmallow!'”

No. 2 Mark McNeil’s 1993 Ford Ranger/2001 Explorer Sport Trac

The McNeils always enjoy coming out to Tuff Trucks, and the same can be said for the opposite. The family is one of the most famous off-road clans in the SoCal region, and they made noise last year after they crumpled a Ford Explorer that still managed to drive away.

This year, the McNeils brought along their Fiberwerx Trophy Truck which was appropriately awesome and loud; but they also brought along this yellow, half-built creature that we were dying to discover more about. We caught up with Mark McNeil in between races to do a quick interview.

The first thing that surprised us was the Frankenstein-ish nature of the truck. “It’s a 2001 Ford Explorer Sport Trac cab that we ripped off and put onto a 1993 Ford Ranger,” he said. “We kept the I-beam front suspension, as we like it better for off-road than A-arms. Everything else was built from the ground up.”

Fox shocks, including 2.5-inch bump stops and 3.5-inch coilovers on all fours, keep the ride stability in check, and seating for four was kept because “it’s just a better time having four people in here,” said Mark. But we still couldn’t get over how the Sport Trac body came to be mounted onto a Ranger chassis, and pressed further for answers.

“We just recently got back from a race in Baja where we ran into another racer in a silt cloud doing 40 mph and we smashed the whole front up,” said driver Mark McNeil. “That’s why the body is missing there.”

“The Ranger is a little bit shorter, obviously, since it’s an extended cab with a short bed,” said Mark. “So we had to do some modifications to the cab itself to allow for the tires to clear. She’s been through hell and back since we built her back in 2006.”

No. 1 Chris Brissey’s 2009 Toyota Tacoma

Another truck that took inspiration from looking unlike its normal incarnation was Chris Brissey’s 2009 Toyota Tacoma. An Oklahoma-born off-roader, Chris had made the leap from mud bogging that is popular in the Midwest to the desert prerunning here on the West Coast. “Adapting just took time and practice and having fun,” he stated.

Interestingly enough, the truck was actually located in Florida when Chris purchased it. Thanks to his military background, he was able to move it from place to place without hassle when he was restationed.

“I went with a full cage front to back, racing seats and five-point harnesses, and it’s been through about five different suspension setups in the time I’ve owned it,” said Chris. “The suspension setups were all variations on mid-travel kits with King, OEM, Bilstein, and other shocks.”

One thing that really captured our curiosity was the amount of abuse this Tacoma had seen under Chris’ possession, which included breaking wheels out in Ocotillo Wells. “Nothing is invincible when it comes to me,” said Chris. “I can break anything. When we unbolted the core support for the headlights to do the cage, the core support crumbled and fell to pieces on the ground. The only thing that was holding it together was the radiator and headlights.”

Nevertheless, the truck managed to hold together for its final run at 5 p.m. that day, and made an impression on the crowd as it bombed through obstacle after obstacle with ease.

That did it for this year’s Tuff Trucks! We hope to check out the event again next year. In the meantime, see our gallery below for more shots of the Tuff Trucks madness.