• dirt track racing news

BRODY ROA BOUNCED OUT OF ACTION BEFORE QUALIFYING AT MOHAVE VALLEY RACEWAY

2024-04-15 23:10

(Cypress, CA, April 11, 2024) When Brody Roa first got started in racing, his father Brett told him to not get attached to a race car. Last Saturday night at the Avanti Windows and Doors USAC/CRA Sprint Car race at Mojave Valley Raceway, he found out exactly why. In qualifying, he sailed it into turn three and the car did not turn. Unfortunately, it did not stop either. It ended up clobbering the tractor tires that protect the pits. It signaled an end to his night before it had really started.

When it comes to luck, Brody Roa, the champion of the 2023 USAC/CRA Sprint Car Series, has had a lot of it in the two series races staged in Arizona this year. Unfortunately, all of that luck has been bad. For the second race in a row, the popular driver never saw a green flag in heat race action. A couple of weeks early at the Cocopah Speedway, which is about 190 miles south of Mohave, he gassed up the "Cactus Jack" Yeley #2 before his heat race and the drive shaft sheared off. Thus, two times in a row he made a long drive to get to the races only to be done before the heats.

Last Saturday, Roa was back in the seat of a beautiful, brand new Jayson May #8M. It was the first time the duo had teamed up in a year and a half. The venue was the fast 3/8 mile banked Mohave Valley oval that is located near the Colorado River where Roa has starred in the past. However, on this journey, he had no time to shine.

Heading into turn three in qualifying, the Garden Grove, California veteran's steering wheel came off. In the blink of an eye, he went from being a race car driver to being a passenger about to embark on a wild ride. Roa shot across the track, and then over the large runoff area on the top of the corner. However, he did not stop there. He went on to violently clobber the tractor tires that protect the pit area. The car tipped over upon impact. Fortunately, Roa climbed out unhurt but the car was thrashed.

"This year has not been working out too great," Roa confided about his two 2024 races in the "Grand Canyon State. " Usually, Arizona is pretty good to me. I pissed off the racing gods or something this year. I need to figure out what I did and make it right with them."

"We are not really sure yet on exactly what caused it," the veteran lamented. "Getting into three, I would not say the car bounced, but got in and took a set. I was putting some steering wheel into it. Something caused the steering wheel to come off. Once that happened, I was kind of along for the ride."

"That is the first time that has ever happened to me," he continued. "I am pretty much, in lack of better words, kind of a "crackhead" about the steering wheel before I go out. I sit in staging and smack the thing up five seconds before I push off. We kind of have theories on what happened but not really sure. We know for sure it was not something coming loose or breaking or anything like that. I hope it is one of those one-in-a-million things."

To make things even tougher to swallow is the fact that it was the first time the car was on the track.

"He kind of put together two DRCs over the off season," Roa said of car owner May. "I know it had good speed before it happened. It completely destroyed it. Chassis is done and the front end is done. It broke the rear end and driveline. It hit so hard, it ripped the motor out of it. When I talked to Jayson yesterday, he was pulling the motor out and was going to look at it. Hopefully, the motor is fine. We will be ready again in two weeks."

Roa will be in an identical car when he returns to action on April 20th at Bakersfield, April 27th at Perris, and at Kevin Harvick's Kern County Raceway on May 4th.

"I really appreciate getting to drive for the May family," Roa said. "They are a great group. Going through that after putting a nice, brand new car together and junking it with not even five laps on it is not easy on the heart."

Roa's next race will be in the three-time rained-out inaugural race of the Ultimate Sprint Car Series presented by Inland Rigging at the Bakersfield Speedway on April 20th. Spectator gates for the race on the famous track will open at 4:00 p.m. with racing at 6.00. Adult tickets are $20.00. Seniors 65+ and military get in for $18.00. For kids 6-12 it is $15.00 and children 5 and under are free. Parking is free. The track is located at 5001 North Chester Ext. Ave., Bakersfield (93308). The track website is http://www.bakersfieldspeedway.com/ and the office phone number is (661) 393-3373.

The May Motorsports entry is sponsored by Winfield's Racing Engines, RDM Mechanics, Cooper's Propane, TJM Distribution, TJM Distribution, Ten West Towing, Arctic Sea Mining, Wesco International, Elite Signs and Fastenal.

Roa would like to thank his own sponsors, "Biker" Bruce Fischer, ALR Virtual Services, Burris Racing, Caltrol, Competition Suspension, Simpson Race Gear, Rod End Supply, Driven Racing Oil, Baldwin Filters, and NGK Spark Plugs. If you would like to be a marketing partner in 2024, contact Roa using the information at the top of this release.

@inlandrigging, @dunkelfarms @roygamityanauctioneer @burris_racing_usa @mikeburrisoc @csishocks @theoriginalloosebruce @alrvirtualservices @simpsonracegear @moleculesports @rodendsupply @baldwinfilters @ngkracing @originalngksparkplugs @usacnation @usac_cra @perrisautospeedway @b_roa91 @tai_xoxo_roa @zacboz35 @joegibb83, @caltrolinc @narc410 @drivenracingoil

Brody Roa's 2024 Racing Results

03/16/24 Perris Auto Speedway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars 4th A Main

03/23/24 Cocopah Speedway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars DNS - Broke

04/06/24 Mohave Valley Raceway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars DNS - Broke

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