• dirt track racing news

AFTER A WEEK OFF, SEXTON GATLIN RACING IS AT MOHAVE VALLEY RACEWAY THIS SATURDAY

2024-04-02 14:52

(Lakeside, CA, March 31, 2024) After a week off, Sexton Gatlin Racing team drivers Brent Sexton and his 19-year-old son Grant will be back in action this Saturday night, April 6th, when the Avanti Windows and Doors USAC/CRA Sprint Car Series races at Arizona's Mohave Valley Raceway. The race will be the first of two in 2024 at the track that is located minutes from the Colorado River.

Going into the race on the high-speed all-action banked 1/3 mile oval, 50-year-old Brent, sits 14th in the series championship standings. In addition, he is second in the Rookie of the Year chase driving his Triple X chassis powered by a past Rico Abreu 360 Shaver Racing Engine. In three USAC/CRA races this season, his best finish was a 13th on March 16th at Perris Auto Speedway. In addition to competing in USAC/CRA's 20th season, the Tennessee native contested two open comp sprint car races and two So Cal Lightning Sprint Car events during the California Mid-Winter at the Imperial Valley Raceway. A three-time lightning sprint car champion (1999 & 2008 California Lightning Series and 2022 POWRi Southwest Lightning Series), he placed second and fourth at the two lightning races at Imperial. A week later he was 14th and 16th in the open comp sprints.

Grant, who won the coveted USAC/CRA Rookie of the Year award in 2023, has been the victim of bad luck in the first three series races of the year. At the season opener at Perris on March 24th, the 2021 POWRi Lightning Sprint champion was forced out of the action early with overheating issues. Three weeks later after turning a career-best third fastest time in qualifying, he was battling in the top five in the main event when contact with another car sent him catapulting wildly into the catch fence. The frightening crash left the competitive driver with a destroyed race car and a not-so-happy disposition.

Last week on the Lakeside, California team's first 2024 trip to Arizona to compete at the Cocopah Speedway, Grant turned in another good qualifying effort being seventh fastest of the 17 cars on hand. Brent qualified 14th.

The father and son were matched up in the first 10-lap heat race at the track known as "The Diamond in the Desert." Grant earned the family bragging rights in that one placing sixth with Brent one spot behind in seventh.

For the main event, Grant started in eighth and was hoping the prevalent heavy winds would blow away the bad luck he was plagued by in the first two USAC/CRA races of the year. Unfortunately, that was not to be. When the green flag waved he immediately went to the high side to fight with the Cocopah cushion. The talented teen got as far up as seventh before racing bad luck struck again. His pretty #22 car overheated and he wisely pulled it off the track to try and limit the possibility of damage to it. The culprit of the problem was a faulty water pump and the early departure saddled him with a very frustrating 15th-place finish.

Brent started the main in 14th and was in the same spot when rain took over the track on lap 20 forcing a premature end to the race.

This Saturday night the action swings to the racy Mohave Valley Raceway and both SGR drivers are familiar with the facility. Brent has enjoyed tremendous success on the speedy oval while racing lightning sprints taking three wins on the Meyer family-owned track since 2021. Saturday will be his first time attacking the track in a full-size sprint car.

Grant's best outing at Mohave Valley came when he placed third in a POWRi Southwest Lightning main early in his championship season of 2021. Last year he ran three 410 races on the Arizona clay with USAC/CRA and made the A main at two of the three appearances. His best outing of the three happened when he came home sixth on May 6th.

Gates at the popular track, which is located less than a half hour from downtown Laughlin, will open at 5:00 p.m. The first green flag of the night will wave at 7:00. Adult tickets are $25.00. For active military with proper id, it is $20.00. Kids 6-12 get in for just $15.00 and children five and under are free. It is cash only for tickets (no ATMs on site). Concessions, souvenirs, and the beer garden take cash or cards. For more information, the track website is https://www.mohavevalleyraceway.com/ and the office phone is (928) 346-6000.

Sexton Gatlin Racing would like to thank the following companies for making the 2024 season possible. East County Electric Works, Keys Brothers, BR Motorsports, Maxima Oil, Automated Interiors, Sexton Fire Protection, BK Wings, Troy Dirt.

If you or your company are interested in becoming a marketing partner with Sexton Gatlin Racing in 2024, please call (619) 454-6945 or E-mail mailto:sextonfire@cox.net or mailto:sextonfire@gmail.com.

Brent Sexton 2024 Results

2/24/24 Perris Auto Speedway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars 15th A Main

3/1/24 Imperial Valley Raceway SoCal Lightning Sprints 4th A Main

3/2/24 Imperial Valley Raceway SoCal Lightning Sprints 2nd A Main

3/8/24 Imperial Valley Raceway Imperial Valley 360/410 Sprint Cars 12th A Main

3/9/24 Imperial Valley Raceway Imperial Valley 360/410 Sprint Cars 16th A Main

3/16/24 Perris Auto Speedway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars 13th A Main

3/23/24 Cocopah Speedway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars 14th A Main

Grant Sexton 2024 Results

2/24/24 Perris Auto Speedway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars 18th A Main

3/8/24 Imperial Valley Raceway Imperial Valley 360/410 Sprint Cars 9th A Main

3/9/24 Imperial Valley Raceway Imperial Valley 360/410 Sprint Cars 5th A Main

3/16/24 Perris Auto Speedway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars 21st A Main

3/23/24 Cocopah Speedway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars 16th A Main

This release was produced by Scott Daloisio. Contact (909) 226-7768 mailto:sdaloisiosports@gmail.com