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After Fifth and Sixth Place Finishes in Arizona, Eddie Tafoya Returns to SoCal for Salute to Indy at Perris

2026-05-23 04:22

Chino Hills, CA — May 20, 2026 — Making his first starts since undergoing hand surgery three weeks earlier, Eddie Tafoya Jr. came away from Central Arizona Speedway with fifth- and sixth-place finishes in the Avanti Windows and Doors USAC/CRA Sprint Car Series. This week, the veteran driver returns closer to home when he competes in the 73rd Salute to Indy at Perris Auto Speedway.

Tafoya's surgery sidelined him for the May 2 race at the Ventura Raceway. However, he looked comfortable and fully healed throughout the weekend in Arizona. After focusing on improving his qualifying efforts heading into the event, he did exactly that on Friday by steering the handsome #51T to the fourth-fastest time in the 22-car field with a lap of 16.257. He followed that up with a fourth-place finish in his heat race, earning a favorable starting spot near the front for the 30-lap main event.

Fortunately for Tafoya, who resides in Chino Hills, California, he stayed near the front throughout the feature because, behind the lead pack, the race often resembled a demolition derby. The event was plagued by crashes along with numerous yellow and red flags, eventually forcing officials to shorten the race to 20 laps. Tafoya started third and ran in fourth for most of the contest. Following a tremendous battle that earned praise from third-place finisher Austin Williams, who complimented Tafoya for "driving him clean," Tafoya crossed the line in fifth, just a car length behind the third- and fourth-place finishers.

Saturday at the track, located not far from the USA/Mexico border, brought typical Arizona scorcher conditions. Blustery winds throughout the day created even more challenging track conditions than the previous night.

Tafoya, 28, turned in a qualifying lap of 16.628, good enough for seventh fastest in the 26-car field. He advanced from fourth to second in his heat race and rolled off ninth in the 30-lap main event. Due to the weather conditions, the track was anything but easy to navigate. Even so, Tafoya steadily worked his way forward and climbed to fifth by the midway point of the race. While he had the speed to continue advancing, the bottom groove became the only viable racing line in the second half of the event. Tafoya stayed committed to the low line and ultimately brought home a sixth-place finish. The result gave him seven top-six finishes in seven starts in 2026.

"One month out of surgery and back in the top five," Tafoya told his Facebook followers. "Solid weekend with USAC/CRA. The 51T had podium speed this weekend, just needed a little more down the stretch. Ready for more this weekend at Perris Auto Speedway."

Saturday will mark Tafoya's sixth appearance in the Salute to Indy, one of the longest-running sprint car races in the country. Last season, he finished ninth in the prestigious event, which was first staged in 1948. His best finishes in the race came in 2022 and 2024, when he placed eighth.

Spectator gates will open at 5:00 p.m. with racing at 7:00 on Saturday at Perris. Adult tickets are $30. Seniors 65 and over are $25. Students ages 13-17 with a school ID are $15. Kids ages 6-12 are $10, and children 5 and under are free. Active military members with proper ID will be admitted for just $5. Parking is $20, and parking payments are by card only. Advance tickets available at tix.com. For fans who do not wish to purchase advance tickets, plenty of tickets will be available at the ticket windows on race night. The track is located on the Lake Perris Fairgrounds at 18700 Lake Perris Drive in Perris, California. The track website is perrisautospeedway.com and the office phone is 951-940-0134.

Eddie 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

3/12/26 The Dirt Track at Las Vegas Ultimate Sprint Cars 6th A Main

3/13/26 The Dirt Track at Las Vegas Ultimate Sprint Cars 6th A Main

3/21/26 Perris Auto Speedway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars 5th A Main

4/18/26 Central Arizona Speedway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars 5th A Main

5/15/26 Central Arizona Speedway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars 5th A Main

5/16/26 Central Arizona Speedway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars 6th A Main

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