Eddie Tafoya Jr. Takes Third at Mohave Valley in His 2026 Debut
2026-03-07 17:51
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Chino Hills, CA — March 2, 2026 — A gritty performance earned Eddie Tafoya Jr. a hard-fought for third-place finish when the Avanti Windows and Doors USAC/CRA Sprint Cars visited Arizona's Mohave Valley Raceway last Saturday night. It was the veteran driver's first race since closing out the 2025 season last November at Perris Auto Speedway.
With a large, enthusiastic crowd packed into the grandstands and thousands more watching live on Flo Racing, Tafoya turned in the sixth-fastest qualifying time among the 22 cars on hand, stopping the clock at 14.228 seconds. The effort placed him on the inside of row three for the start of the third 10-lap heat race.
Tafoya, who resides in Chino Hills, California, wasted no time charging toward the front in the heat. On the opening lap, he quickly picked off three cars to move into second. After a yellow flag flew at the end of the first circuit, Tafoya seized the lead entering turn three on the restart and paced the field for the final nine laps.
For Tafoya, the 2019 Perris Auto Speedway Young Guns Champion and 2019 USAC/CRA Rookie of the Year, the impressive heat race win, combined with his strong qualifying effort, earned him the pole position for the 30-lap main event.
When the green flag dropped, Tafoya rocketed into the lead and set the early pace. He led the first eight laps before surrendering the top spot. By the midway point, he had slipped back to fourth, but the battle was far from over. Running the bottom groove to perfection, he sliced past two competitors to climb back into second.
In the war that unfolded over the final 10 laps, Tafoya slipped back to third. From there, he fended off repeated challenges to secure a podium finish that equaled his best-ever performance on the lightning-fast Arizona clay oval.
"I was leading and trying to find some grip," Tafoya told the crowd after the race. "It is kind of hard there leading with K.T. (Kevin Thomas Jr.) back there. He runs the bottom and Ricky (Lewis) is going to pound the top. It is kind of difficult figuring where to go. Two or three of them got around me. I had to regather myself, pull back together, make good decisions and get back up on the wheel."
"I think everyone from California wanted to get that one for Bill Perkins," he emotionally told the crowd. "He put a lot of us in these racecars."
"Big thanks to Specialty Fastener, my mom and my dad, to Rowdy coming out to help, my girlfriend Amanda, and to my grandparents watching back home. It is good to be on Flo."
Tafoya will take this weekend off before returning to action with the Ultimate Sprint Car Series at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway on the 12th and 13th of this month. One week later, he will be back in USAC/CRA competition at the track closest to his Chino Hills home, Perris Auto Speedway.
Tafoya can be followed on Instagram at eddietafoya51.
Team Tafoya Racing would like to thank Specialty Fasteners, BR Motorsports, King Racing Products, Gasper Transportation, CMI Precision Machining, Owen's Insurance Services, Keen Concrete, DRC Chassis, and Rider Racing Engines for their continued support of the 2025 season. If you would like to join forces with the team for another fun and exciting year of racing in 2026, please contact Tafoya at Eddie Tafoya Jr. at (909) 393-3999 or mailto:teamtafoya@aol.com
Eddie Tafoya's 2026 Results
2/28/26 Mohave Valley Raceway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars 3rd A Main
This release was produced by Scott Daloisio. (909) 226-7768 or E-mail mailto:sdaloisiosports@gmail.com