Chino Hills, CA — October 8, 2026 — With his Midwest racing campaign in the rearview mirror, Southern California Sprint Car standout Eddie Tafoya Jr. returns to one of his most successful tracks, Mohave Valley Raceway, this Saturday night, October 10th. The race will mark his first appearance in the West since a fifth-place finish at Perris Auto Speedway on August 15th.
In eight previous appearances with the USAC/CRA Sprint cars at the banked, one-third-mile oval, located just five minutes from the Colorado River and approximately 20 miles from downtown Laughlin, Nevada, Tafoya has recorded six top-10 finishes. That impressive record includes a pair of third-place results, the most recent coming in this year's season opener on February 28th.
On that occasion, Tafoya kicked things off by qualifying sixth fastest in the 22-car field. He then charged from fifth to capture his heat race, earning the pole position for the night's main event.
When the green flag waved, the personable 29-year-old from Chino Hills wasted no time flexing his muscles. Tafoya blasted into the lead, set a torrid pace, and controlled the first eight laps. However, the competition was fierce, and he eventually found himself shuffled back to fourth.
But Tafoya was far from finished! The 2018 Perris Auto Speedway Young Guns champion and 2019 USAC/CRA Rookie of the Year dug deep, went back on the attack, and sliced and diced his way through the competition to reclaim second place.
The closing laps turned into an all-out war. Tafoya slipped back to third but refused to surrender another position. With challengers breathing down his neck, he delivered a yeoman's effort, fending off repeated attacks to secure a hard-earned podium finish in his first start of the season.
"I was leading and trying to find some grip," Tafoya told the crowd after that 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."
Before turning his attention back to racing in the West, Tafoya wrapped up his Midwest campaign in the prestigious USAC 4-Crown Nationals at Ohio's legendary Eldora Speedway. On the first night, he finished second in the C Main before placing 11th in the B Main. Two nights later, he recorded seventh-place finishes in both his heat race and the B Main at the famed half-mile oval affectionately known throughout the racing world as the "Big E."
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
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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
5/23/26 Perris Auto Speedway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars 3rd A Main
6/20/26 Perris Auto Speedway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars 7th A Main
7/11/26 Perris Auto Speedway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars 3rd A Main
8/15/26 Perris Auto Speedway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars 5th A Main
8/27/26 Kokomo Speedway USAC National Sprint Cars 5th C Main
8/28/26 Kokomo Speedway USAC National Sprint Cars 11th B Main
8/29/26 Kokomo Speedway USAC National Sprint Cars 13th B Main
9/11/26 Lernerville Speedway USAC National Sprint Cars 21st A Main
9/12/26 Lernerville Speedway USAC National Sprint Cars Rained Out
9/24/26 Eldora Speedway USAC National Sprint Cars 11th B Main
9/26/26 Eldora Speedway USAC National Sprint Cars 7th B Main
This release was produced by Scott Daloisio. (909) 226-7768 or E-mail mailto:sdaloisiosports@gmail.com
