EDDIE TAFOYA JR. 2024 USAC/CRA SERIES OPENING NIGHT RESULTS
2024-03-03 13:55
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(Chino, CA, March 1, 2024) Eddie Tafoya Jr's promising opening night in the Avanti Windows and Doors USAC/CRA Sprint Car Series at Perris Auto Speedway came to an end when he was clobbered from behind in the 30-lap main event. One of the favorites for the series title in 2024, his #51T will be repaired and ready for round #2 at the same Riverside County half-mile clay oval on March 16th.
Twenty-seven cars showed up for the 2024 season opener on a chilly Southern California night. Tafoya's popular sprint car, adorned with red foil trim, was one of the 27 on hand and he first showed the speed of the flashy machine when he was seventh fastest in hot laps with a best lap of 17.343. That was followed up with a 16.889 time in qualifying, which was 10th fastest in the talent-laden field.
Tafoya, 26, started third in the series' first 10-lap heat race of the campaign and advanced up to second by race end. The finish earned him a ticket straight into the 30-lap main event.
For the A, the 2018 PAS Young Guns Champion and 2019 USAC/CRA Rookie of the Year started on the outside of row four in eighth. Working his way forward, the talented driver was attempting to break into the top five. However, at the end of lap nine, he was clobbered from behind on the front straightaway. The hit triggered a multi-car crash that sent Tafoya hard into the inside wall. The wallop tore the front end out of the car and left him with an annoying 21st-place finish.
Tafoya was set to debut in the new Ultimate Sprint Car Series Presented By Inland Rigging this Saturday at the Ventura Raceway. However, on Thursday morning track officials canceled the race due to incoming rain. The race has been rescheduled for April 13th. The veteran racer will now debut in the USCS when it visits Kevin Harvick's Kern Raceway on March 30th.
While the Chino Hills, California driver saw this weekend get washed out, he will still have a busy month of on-track activities. This coming Friday and Saturday, March 8th and 9th, Tafoya and Inland Rigging teammates Tommy Dunkel and Austin Williams will be racing during the California Mid-Winter Fair at the Imperial Valley Raceway. Both nights will be complete shows. He will make his first of two 2023 trips to Arizona's Cocopah Speedway on March 23rd. Those races will be joined by the aforementioned March 16th and 30th dates at Perris and Kern.
Tafoya's busy schedule will continue in April when he will be racing every Saturday during the month. On April 6th and 27, he will be contesting USAC/CRA races at Mohave Valley Raceway and Perris. Sandwiched in between will be USCS shows at Ventura and the Bakersfield Speedway.
If you would like to hear the friendly driver on his 2023 Dirt Tracks and Rib Racks Podcast, please visit the following link https://open.spotify.com/episode/1Hox9dg0iRGXo0szabeqDy
Fans can follow Tafoya on Instagram @eddietafoya51.
Tafoya and the #51T team would like to thank Specialty Fasteners, Inland Rigging, BR Motorsports, King Racing Products, Gasper Transportation, CMI Precision Machining, Owen's Insurance Services, Keen Concrete, DRC Chassis, and Rider Racing Engines for supporting its racing program.
Eddie Tafoya Jr. 2024 USAC National Results
January 11 Tulsa Expo Raceway Chili Bowl Midget Nationals 22nd A Main
January 14 Tulsa Expo Raceway Chili Bowl Midget Nationals 7th D Main
February 9 Perris Auto Speedway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars 21st A Main
This release was produced by Scott Daloisio. (909) 226-7768 or E-mail mailto:sdaloisiosports@gmail.com