Ventura Raceway Race Track in Ventura, California, USA

• dirt tracks
• USA
• California

Ventura Raceway Dirt Track Logo

"The Best Little Dirt Track In America!"

Ventura Raceway races VRA Sprint Cars, Senior Sprints, IMCA Modifieds, Dwarf Cars, Ford Focus, Mini Dwarf, Junior Midgets, Sport Compacts, Go-Karts, Mod Lites, and Hobby Stocks.

• Website
• Facebook
• Email: venturaracewaysales@gmail.com
• Phone: 805-648-7223
• Surface: 1/5 mile dirt oval

• 10 West Harbor Blvd
  Ventura, California, 93001 USA
• lat: 34.274631, lng: -119.302876
• Link to Google Map
• Link to Apple Map

Ventura Raceway Dirt Track Racing Schedule

Schedules are known to change without warning, double check with race track before heading out.

Ventura Raceway Dirt Track News

• 
  EDDIE TAFOYA JR. FINISHES SEASON-BEST SIXTH IN MOHAVE VALLEY RACEWAY USAC/CRA SPRINT CAR RACE

  (Chino, CA, April 11, 2024) After a rough start to his season in the Avanti Windows and Doors USAC/CRA Sprint Car Series, things finally went Eddie Tafoya Jr.'s way when he placed sixth in the main event at the Mohave Valley Raceway. It was the first time this season that the past series Rookie of the Year placed in the top 10. Tafoya put his early season string of bad luck in the rearview mirror when he qualified second fastest in the tough 28-car field with a lap of 14.525. That was just .034 off the night's fast time. A sixth to fourth-place run in his ten-lap heat race sent him straight into the A-main. For the main, Tafoya started inside the third row in fifth and stayed around the top five all race long. When the checkers ended the 30-lapper, the Chino Hills, California driver flew past the flagstand in sixth. The finish was his best at the track since he recorded a third there on April 24th, 2022. All told, he has now competed at the racy little joint located near the Colorado River five times and he has three top-10 finishes. The results in Arizona saw Tafoya leapfrog from 15th in the USAC/CRA championship standings all the way up to 12th. Going into the next series race at Perris Auto Speedway, he could take another leap on the points table as he is only three points out of 11th and 15 points from 10th. Tafoya's woes in the 2024 USAC/CRA Series began at the season opener at Perris on February 24th. While running in the lead pack, he was clobbered from behind and sent careening into the infield crash wall. The impact destroyed the front end and he finished 21st. On March 16th at Perris, he was lightning quick and was running in the top 10 when his steering box failed with only three laps to go. That resulted in a 16th-place finish. Two weeks before the Mohave race, he ended up 12th at the Cocopah Speedway on a wind-blistered track that saw the main end 10-laps early when rain moved in. Tafoya's next appearance in the USAC/CRA Series will come at Perris on April 27th. Unfortunately for Tafoya and the other So Cal sprint car teams, the inaugural Ultimate Sprint Car Series race slated for this Saturday at the Ventura Raceway was canceled due to rain. However, good news is on the horizon. The series, which is presented by Inland Rigging, will kick off its schedule next Saturday, April 20th, at the Bakersfield Speedway. Tafoya will be in the Tom and Christy Dunkel owned Inland Rigging #17T for the historic first race for the new club. Spectator gates for the race on the famous Bakersfield oval 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. Tafoya is always happy to meet the fans in the pits after every race. He will be signing autographs, posing for photos, and will also have his beautiful 2024 team shirts for sale. For fans who cannot attend the races, the team shirts are available at www.specialty-fasteners.com. Fans can follow Tafoya on Instagram @eddietafoya51. Tafoya and the #51T team would like to thank Specialty Fasteners, Inland Rigging, BR Motorsports, King Racing Products, Gasper Transportation, CMI Precision Machining, Owen's Insurance Services, Keen Concrete, DRC Chassis, and Rider Racing Engines for supporting its racing program. Eddie Tafoya Jr. 2024 USAC National Results January 11 Tulsa Expo Raceway Chili Bowl Midget Nationals 22nd A Main January 14 Tulsa Expo Raceway Chili Bowl Midget Nationals 7th D Main February 24 Perris Auto Speedway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars 21st A Main March 9 Imperial Valley Raceway Imperial Valley 360/410 Sprint Cars 13th A Main March 10 Imperial Valley Raceway Imperial Valley 360/410 Sprint Cars 17th A Main March 16 Perris Auto Speedway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars 16th A Main March 23 Cocopah Speedway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars 12th A Main April 6 Mohave Valley Raceway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars 6th A Main This release was produced by Scott Daloisio. (909) 226-7768 or E-mail mailto:sdaloisiosports@gmail.com

• 
  EDDIE TAFOYA JR. BACK ON TRACK THIS SATURDAY AT MOHAVE VALLEY RACEWAY

  (Chino, CA, April 5, 2024) For only the fifth time in his career, Eddie Tafoya Jr. will be competing at the Mohave Valley Raceway this Saturday, April 6th, when the Avanti Windows and Doors USAC/CRA Sprint Car Series visits the fast 3/8 of a mile banked oval. It will be the first of two series appearances at the track that is located five minutes from the Colorado River and 20 minutes from downtown Laughlin, Nevada. Saturday's race will be the sixth for the series at the track promoted by second-generation racers Ron & Bill Meyer along with their families. Tafoya, who lives 240 miles southwest of the facility in Chino Hills, California, has competed there four times. The only series race he missed at MVR was 11 months ago when he was away competing at Ohio's Eldora Speedway. His best finish of the four came in his initial outing at the track when he placed third on April 23rd, 2022. Six months later he came back to "Arizona's Baddest Bull Ring," and finished eighth. In 2023 when Tafoya was back and forth between the Midwest and West Coast and was competing with the USAC National Sprint Car Series and USAC/CRA, he raced at the track on April 1st and October 13th. The now-veteran racer finished 12th and 13th. Neither finish was indicative of how the nights went. At the April 1st race, the 2019 USAC/CRA Rookie of the Year turned in the third fastest time in qualifying in the 30-car field. He started sixth in his 10-lap heat and finished third. For the main, the pretty #51T started on the inside of row three and stayed in the top five in the early laps of the race. However, he slid to a stop in turn one and had to restart at the back. After going to the rear for causing the yellow, Tafoya put on a show. Over the final 25 laps he passed more cars than any other driver in the race and ended up 12th. When he returned last October he was quick again. After qualifying 10th fastest, he steered his eye-catching car to the win in his heat race. In the main, Tafoya drove to second three separate times. However, each time a yellow came out, the scoring reverted to the last completed lap and he went back to third. He was still third when a red flag halted the action. When the race restarted, Tafoya's engine started to lay down and he wisely rolled it back to the pits to avoid damaging the bullet. He was credited with a 13th-place finish. Tafoya looks to get his season righted this week at Mohave. Through the first three series races of 2024, he has been plagued by bad luck and his best finish has been a 12th. Thus, he is ranked 15th in points. Despite that, he has an excellent chance to climb several spots in the standings at this week's race. 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. After Saturday's race, Tafoya will be in one of the Inland Rigging Cars for the season opener for the Ultimate Sprint Car Series presented by Inland Rigging at the Ventura Raceway on April 13th. He will follow that up with a USCS race the following week at the Bakersfield Speedway and will close the month in the USAC/CRA race at Perris Auto Speedway on April 27th. Tafoya is always happy to meet the fans in the pits after every race. He will be signing autographs, posing for photos, and will also have his beautiful 2024 team shirts for sale. For fans who cannot attend the races, the team shirts are available at www.specialty-fasteners.com. Fans can follow Tafoya on Instagram @eddietafoya51. Tafoya and the #51T team would like to thank Specialty Fasteners, Inland Rigging, BR Motorsports, King Racing Products, Gasper Transportation, CMI Precision Machining, Owen's Insurance Services, Keen Concrete, DRC Chassis, and Rider Racing Engines for supporting its racing program. Eddie Tafoya Jr. 2024 USAC National Results January 11 Tulsa Expo Raceway Chili Bowl Midget Nationals 22nd A Main January 14 Tulsa Expo Raceway Chili Bowl Midget Nationals 7th D Main February 24 Perris Auto Speedway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars 21st A Main March 9 Imperial Valley Raceway Imperial Valley 360/410 Sprint Cars 13th A Main March 10 Imperial Valley Raceway Imperial Valley 360/410 Sprint Cars 17th A Main March 16 Perris Auto Speedway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars 16th A Main March 23 Cocopah Speedway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars 12th A Main This release was produced by Scott Daloisio. (909) 226-7768 or E-mail mailto:sdaloisiosports@gmail.com

• 
  JEFF DYER EXPERIENCED MIXED RESULTS IN LAST TWO RACES - WEATHER MAY AFFECT WHERE HE RACES SATURDAY

  (Yucca Valley, CA, March 20, 2024) For veteran open-wheel racer Jeff Dyer, the past two weeks have produced vastly different results in two separate disciplines of open-wheel competition. On March 9th, the racing California Highway Patrol Officer finished second in the California Lightning Sprint Car Series main event at the Bakersfield Speedway. One week later, he ended up 19th in the Avanti Windows and Doors USAC/CRA Sprint Car Series main event at Perris Auto Speedway. Dyer, who turned 41 last week, hopped into his son Seth's car for the impressive performance at Bakersfield. The unselfish teen offered Dyer the ride after the latter lost an engine during the California Mid-Winter Fair races at the Imperial Valley Raceway. The CLS has a throwaway rule where each driver throws out a race throughout the year. The elder Dyer used his throwaway when mechanical ills plagued him at the season-opening race. Thus, he could not afford to sit out the Bakersfield event. However, he was prepared to do so until Seth approached him with an idea. The teen would sit out and use his throwaway and his father would not lose a race. The move paid great dividends for both. Jeff got to race and in doing so, he got seat time in Seth's car and adjusted it for the teen's future races. After qualifying fourth fastest in the 14-car field with a lap of 13.062, the Yucca Valley, California racer placed fourth in his eight-lap heat race. For the main at Bakersfield, Dyer, who won a main event at the track last June, was starting on the inside of row three. After initially slipping back to sixth, the veteran racer moved back to fifth on lap four. Two laps later he executed a daring pass going into turn one. He passed two cars at one time and found himself in third. From laps six through 19, Dyer became mixed up in one of the best scraps for position the CLS has seen in quite some time. It was initially a seesaw battle with Aiden Lange that had them fighting for third place. Simultaneously, they sandwiched the second-place car and suddenly the battle between the two was for the number two spot. Dyer finally took control of that position on lap 19. He set his sights on the race-long leader, but victory was not his to be and he raced home second. When the CLS next hits the track in April, Dyer will be sixth in points. While things went well at Bakersfield, the same could not be said for the March 16th race in the USAC/CRA Series at Perris Auto Speedway. After qualifying with a lap of 17.117, things spiraled downhill in a hurry. In his heat race, lap seven contact with another car knocked him out of the 10-lapper. The tangle destroyed the front shocks, a wheel, and a few other bolt-on parts. Dyer and his crew got the car repaired for the main event and he started the 30-lapper in 19th. Things were going better until lap 22 when disaster struck. As Dyer sped into turn four, a car was stopped on the cushion. With no time to miss the car, Dyer threw it sideways and hit it. The contact saw Dyer get airborne and head back across the track where he landed on top of another car before settling right side up. This time the yellow #39 sustained too much damage and was towed back to the pit area to be loaded back into the trailer. "We hit sideways," he commented about the main event tangle. "It was no man's land at that point in time as I had already committed. We hit Ricky Lewis bounced down the track and then Cody Williams hit us. We were ready to flip and when Cody hit us it brought us back down to earth. Cody had nowhere to go. It (the crash) ripped the rear end out of the car and it destroyed the header and some other bolt-on pieces. Actually, it was not as bad as we thought. The chassis is okay. I thought it was going to be bent for sure. It is all fixable. Unfortunately, I was gone last week and we could not get it fixed for Cocopah." "I really did not expect the track to be that good and I completely missed the setup in qualifying," the CHP Officer nicknamed "Ponch" lamented. "We were way too tight. In the heat, we were doing pretty good and then we got in that tangle. We were pretty good in the main, too. We need to do a little bit more to the car. I called Spike ( the Spike Chassis company) and got some notes from them. Actually, the notes they gave me, we were quite a bit off from where we should be. With the changes they told us, we should be a lot better." Last week Dyer was doing some training at the CHP facility in Sacramento, California. Being there for the week meant he did not have time to fix his car for last Saturday's USAC/CRA race at Arizona's Cocopah Speedway. Weather permitting, he will return to the track for the first race in the new Ultimate Sprint Car Series presented by Inland Rigging at the Kevin Harvick Kern Raceway this Saturday, March 30th. In case of inclement weather, Dyer and his teenage son will head south to the Barona Raceway for the So Cal Lightning Sprint Car race. If the race happens at Kern, hot laps will begin at 4:45 p.m. and opening ceremonies will be at approximately 6:30. Adult tickets are $25.00. Kids five and under are free. The track is located at 13500 Raceway Boulevard Interstate 5 and South Enos Lane in Bakersfield. The track website is https://www.kernraceway.com/ and the office phone is (661) 835-1264. If the weather gets the best of Kern and Dyer heads to Barona, the track is located at 1754 Wildcat Canyon Road, in Lakeside, California. Gates will open at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday with racing at 6:00. Adult tickets are $20.00. For kids 7 to 17, admission is $10.00. Seniors, Military, and EMTs also get in for $10.00. Children 6 and under and parking are free. Family packs of two adults and two kids are $50.00. The track website https://baronaspeedway.com/ and the phone number is (619) 994-6560. Upcoming on Dyer's schedule is a date at Arizona's Mohave Valley Raceway on April 6 for round #4 of the USAC/CRA Series. On April 13th he and Seth will make the long drive north to the Merced Speedway for the opening battle in the annual California Lightning Sprint Cars vs Bay Cities Racing Association Civil War Series. In 2024, the following marketing partners will help keep the Dyers on track. Dependable Machine Inc., Haircuts By Susie, Jobu Racing, LBA Investigations, Straight Time Stirrups, Justice Brothers, Fonseca Racing, Specialty Fasteners, and Blud Racing Lubricants. If you would like to be a part of Dyer Motorsports in 2024, call (760) 550-7237 or send an email to mailto:dyermotorsports4@gmail.com. Jeff is racing in memory of his grandparents, Glenn, and Beverly Sels, throughout the 2024 season. Jeff Dyer's 2024 Racing Results 2/24/24 Perris Auto Speedway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars 14th A Main 3/1/24 Imperial Valley Raceway California Lightning Sprints DNS 3/2/24 Imperial Valley Raceway California Lightning Sprints 7th A Main 3/9/24 Ventura Raceway California Lightning Sprints 2nd A Main 3/16/24 Perris Auto Speedway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars 19th A Main Seth Dyer's 2024 Racing Results 3/1/24 Imperial Valley Raceway California Lightning Sprints 7th A Main 3/2/24 Imperial Valley Raceway California Lightning Sprints 13th A Main Scott Daloisio produced this release. For more information: phone (909) 226-7768 or E-mail mailto:sdaloisiosports@gmail.com.

• 
  ROA'S APPEARANCE AT PERRIS SURPRISED EVERYONE LAST SATURDAY - THIS WEEK ON TO COCOPAH

  (Cypress, CA, March 19, 2024) In 1986, the band Timex Social Club had a hit top-10 single named "Rumors." Last Saturday night when the Avanti Windows and Doors USAC/CRA Sprint Car Series visited Perris Auto Speedway, drivers were hoping that reports of defending series champion Brody Roa being in the house were rumors. Much to their chagrin, the rumors proved to be true and Roa was back on the track where he scored two of his eight series victories in 2023. Last year Roa teamed with Tom & Christy Dunkel and drove their immaculate Inland Rigging #17R to the series championship. In January of this year, he announced that he was stepping out of the car to spend more time with his wife Tailor, and their two young daughters. That was great news for the competition as Roa had a 40.9 win percentage in 2023. That was the best 410 non-wing win percentage in the nation. Needless to say, hearing he was at the track, the competition knew they would have to step up their game. They are going to have to do that again this coming Saturday night when the series heads to Arizona's Cocopah Speedway. Roa has stated all along that he was not retiring from racing, but he wanted to step aside from working on a race car every night. Last week, he started looking for a car to drive at Perris. Initially, he hunted in Southern California. When he did not turn anything up, he decided to shift his effort east to Arizona, and that is where he struck gold. "I had been reaching out to a few people throughout the week," Roa said while watching his daughters play on Tuesday night. "I saw a replay of a race from last year and saw Chris Bonneau racing and was wondering what he was doing last week. I sent him a message and he was originally planning on coming over himself to race. I got a text from him about 3:30 on Friday asking if I wanted to drive his car." Roa's wife asked the veteran driver if he knew Bonneau. He told her he had said, "Hi," to him before, but they never really talked and he had never really looked at Bonneau's race car. He did know that some good drivers had driven it before and Bonneau had done good in it as well. "Every time I see him at the track, he really looks good," the Garden Grove, California racer said. "It (the car) runs and he never looks like he is fighting any issues. That was kind of the deciding factor on a hard "YES" once he asked me if I wanted to run it. Seeing how nice it was, was really comforting walking into it." The race was Roa's first in nearly four months since last season's Turkey Night Grand Prix at the Ventura Raceway. Anyone who had notions that there could be some rust on the friendly driver had those thoughts quickly expunged in qualifying. He turned a sizzling 16.482 lap on the brightly lit oval. That was the seventh fastest time in the talent-laden 24-car field. On what turned out to be an extremely fierce night of competition, Roa started fourth in his 10-lap heat race. He slipped one spot back and finished fifth. That knocked him out of the possibility of getting into the inversion for a top-six start in the 30-lap main. When the 22-car field rolled onto the track for the A main on the windy, and cold Southern California night, Roa was starting on the outside of the fifth row in 10th. Needless to say, he faced a difficult task if he wanted to get to the front. Undeterred and up for the challenge, he got his elbows up and started driving his way towards the head of the pack. It was a night when getting there was going to be tough. Not only due to the stiff competition starting in front of him but also avoiding multiple wild crashes that saw cars sustain heavy damage or flat out being destroyed. Roa's persistence paid dividends. Much to the delight of the crowd, he raced Boneau's Priced Right Auto Sales/Triple X Racing Components/Competition Suspension Incorporated/Fisher Engines/DRC #15, into the lead on lap 24. As soon as he got there, he started moving away from the competition. However, his time at the point of the field was limited to a pair of laps as he slowed on lap 26. "I can't exactly tell you how it happened, but I can tell you what did happen," Roa said reflecting back on the race. "On the bleeders, there are two hoses that go in the wheel. The two plastic fittings that snap into the wheel were snapped off. Some how a rock got through the inside of the wheel or something. I have no idea how it ever could have happened. But when my dad pulled the wheel cover off in the work area, the bleeder hoses were sticking straight out and the bases were still in the wheel. Kind of a freak deal." "It (the right rear tire) just went flat. I passed for the lead and after a couple of laps, I went down the back straightaway and felt it getting low. I went into three and the car just kept wanting to go straight. I immediately slowed up and it brought out a caution. I was just hoping we could get back by as many cars as we could." On the restart, Roa had some fast cars and some not-so-fast cars starting in front of him. So once again, he had his work cut out to try and go forward. He masterfully worked his way past cars over the final four circuits. When the Steve Russell checkered flag ended the exciting 30-lapper that featured seven official lead changes, Roa was fourth. Needless to say, "The Pride of Garden Grove" was happy with Bonneau's car and the team was happy with him. The driver and owner both left the window open and he may get other shots in the car as Bonneau wants his car to win a main at Perris. If anybody is interested in having Roa drive for them this year, he will gladly take the call. That is the case this weekend when he jumps into one of the Avanti Windows and Doors/Glen Styres Racing/Apache Scapes/CK Electric cars owned by Jack Yeley Racing at the Cocopah Speedway. The race will be on the same track that Roa swept the weekend with two victories in January of 2023. "It just came together," Roa said. "I talked to him ("Cactus" Jack Yeley) Saturday a little bit. He was giving me crap for sitting on the couch for the first Perris race. I told him I was looking for rides. I told him he had my number if he wanted me to race for him this weekend and he called me last night to come drive one of his cars." The front gate will open at 4:00 p.m. on Saturday at Cocopah with the first race at 7:00. Adult tickets are $20.00. Seniors and military with id get in for $18.00. For students 13-17 it is only $10.00 and children 12 & under are free. The track is located at 3450 W. County 15th Street in Somerton, Arizona (85350). The track website is http://www.racecocopahspeedway.com/ and the office phone number is 602-292-7607. On Saturday, March 30th, Roa will return to longtime friend and car owner Jayson May's #8M for the inaugural race in the Ultimate Sprint Car Series Presented by Inland Rigging at Kevin Harvick's Kern Raceway. 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, K-1 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 @k1racegear @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 This release was produced by Scott Daloisio Sports (909) 226-7768 mailto:sdaloisiosports@gmail.com

• 
  ANTHONY BRUNO EARNS FIRST CAREER WMR WIN AT VENTURA RACEWAY

  San Jose's Anthony Bruno opened the 2024 Western Midget Racing season with his first career trip to victory lane in a Midget, winning the 20-lap feature on Saturday night at Ventura Raceway.

• 
  Western Midget Racing 2024 Season Races Into Ventura Raceway This Saturday

  Western Midget Racing kicks off a busy season full of marquee events and competitive dirt midget racing this Saturday night at Ventura Raceway. The Ventura round fires off a 2024 schedule with 19 ...

• 
  BRENT SEXTON GETS TWO TOP-FOUR FINISHES AT THE IMPERIAL VALLEY RACEWAY

  (Lakeside, CA, March 5, 2024) Three-time lightning sprint car champion Brent Sexton turned in two top-four finishes when the SoCal Lightning Sprint Car Series opened its 2024 season last Friday and Saturday at the Imperial Valley Raceway. The 50-year-old star placed fourth in Friday night's 20-lap main event. He bested that outcome by two spots when he came home second on Saturday. This Friday and Saturday, Sexton and his 19-year-old son Grant will be at the same track to contest two nights of open class sprint car racing during the historic California Mid-Winter Fair. Last week Brent had planned to race his lightning sprint on Friday in the SCLS show and then head to the Ventura Raceway to compete with Grant in the inaugural Ultimate Sprint Car Series event on Saturday. However, heavy rains doused the beach-side track and forced a cancellation. So, Brent stayed at Imperial and ran the lightning sprint on the racy track located in the Southeast corner of California both nights. Brent, who lives in Lakeside, California with Grant, and his other son Dalton, turned in impressive performances both nights last week. On Friday he qualified eighth fastest in the 21-car field with a lap of 12.508. He placed second in a stacked eight-lap heat race. In the main, he began in the fifth-place spot and moved one position forward to finish fourth. Twenty-four hours later, the Tennessee-born star qualified sixth fastest when he stopped the clocks in a near identical 12.520. He then proceeded to win his heat race. On Saturday night, which was very chilly and windy, Brent started the main in third. He took second on lap six and then fended off pursuers over the final 14 laps for his first podium finish of the year. The impressive results left Sexton, a three-time lightning sprint car champion, only seven points out of first in the CLS standings. However, he is focusing on the full-size sprint car this season including the races at Imperial this Friday and Saturday. Sexton Gatlin Racing has had a lot of success at Imperial over the past three seasons. In addition to Brent's fourth and fifth-place finishes there last weekend, he competed there four times in a lightning sprint car last year and posted a win, a second, a third, and a fourth-place finish. USAC/CRA star AJ Bender drove a different SGR car to a lightning sprint win at Imperial on March 3, 2023. Grant drove his full-size sprint car at the track one time last season and finished fifth. In 2022, Brent and his oldest offspring Dalton swept the POWRi Southwest Lightning Sprint Car Series opening main events in March. Brent grabbed another win there in October and Grant had a third in his 360 sprint car there late in the season. March is a busy month for Sexton Gatlin Racing. Following the two races last week at Imperial, they will be back there this Friday with Brent and Grant both competing in the open comp. sprint car show. Next week, the father and son duo will be in action in the Avanti Windows and Doors USAC/CRA Series at Perris. The plan now is to close the month at the USCS inaugural race at Kevin Harvick's Kern Raceway in Bakersfield on the 30th. For fans who want to attend this week's races at Imperial, wheel packing will start at 5:30 with hot laps and single-car qualifying to follow on Friday. The first race of the night will begin at 7:00. On Saturday, wheel packing will be at 4:30 and again will be followed by hot laps and single car qualifying. The first race will start at 6:30. 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 Grant Sexton 2024 Results 2/24/24 Perris Auto Speedway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars 18th A Main This release was produced by Scott Daloisio. Contact (909) 226-7768 mailto:sdaloisiosports@gmail.com

• 
  EDDIE TAFOYA JR. 2024 USAC/CRA SERIES OPENING NIGHT RESULTS

  (Chino, CA, March 1, 2024) Eddie Tafoya Jr's promising opening night in the Avanti Windows and Doors USAC/CRA Sprint Car Series at Perris Auto Speedway came to an end when he was clobbered from behind in the 30-lap main event. One of the favorites for the series title in 2024, his #51T will be repaired and ready for round #2 at the same Riverside County half-mile clay oval on March 16th. Twenty-seven cars showed up for the 2024 season opener on a chilly Southern California night. Tafoya's popular sprint car, adorned with red foil trim, was one of the 27 on hand and he first showed the speed of the flashy machine when he was seventh fastest in hot laps with a best lap of 17.343. That was followed up with a 16.889 time in qualifying, which was 10th fastest in the talent-laden field. Tafoya, 26, started third in the series' first 10-lap heat race of the campaign and advanced up to second by race end. The finish earned him a ticket straight into the 30-lap main event. For the A, the 2018 PAS Young Guns Champion and 2019 USAC/CRA Rookie of the Year started on the outside of row four in eighth. Working his way forward, the talented driver was attempting to break into the top five. However, at the end of lap nine, he was clobbered from behind on the front straightaway. The hit triggered a multi-car crash that sent Tafoya hard into the inside wall. The wallop tore the front end out of the car and left him with an annoying 21st-place finish. Tafoya was set to debut in the new Ultimate Sprint Car Series Presented By Inland Rigging this Saturday at the Ventura Raceway. However, on Thursday morning track officials canceled the race due to incoming rain. The race has been rescheduled for April 13th. The veteran racer will now debut in the USCS when it visits Kevin Harvick's Kern Raceway on March 30th. While the Chino Hills, California driver saw this weekend get washed out, he will still have a busy month of on-track activities. This coming Friday and Saturday, March 8th and 9th, Tafoya and Inland Rigging teammates Tommy Dunkel and Austin Williams will be racing during the California Mid-Winter Fair at the Imperial Valley Raceway. Both nights will be complete shows. He will make his first of two 2023 trips to Arizona's Cocopah Speedway on March 23rd. Those races will be joined by the aforementioned March 16th and 30th dates at Perris and Kern. Tafoya's busy schedule will continue in April when he will be racing every Saturday during the month. On April 6th and 27, he will be contesting USAC/CRA races at Mohave Valley Raceway and Perris. Sandwiched in between will be USCS shows at Ventura and the Bakersfield Speedway. If you would like to hear the friendly driver on his 2023 Dirt Tracks and Rib Racks Podcast, please visit the following link https://open.spotify.com/episode/1Hox9dg0iRGXo0szabeqDy Fans can follow Tafoya on Instagram @eddietafoya51. Tafoya and the #51T team would like to thank Specialty Fasteners, Inland Rigging, BR Motorsports, King Racing Products, Gasper Transportation, CMI Precision Machining, Owen's Insurance Services, Keen Concrete, DRC Chassis, and Rider Racing Engines for supporting its racing program. Eddie Tafoya Jr. 2024 USAC National Results January 11 Tulsa Expo Raceway Chili Bowl Midget Nationals 22nd A Main January 14 Tulsa Expo Raceway Chili Bowl Midget Nationals 7th D Main February 9 Perris Auto Speedway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars 21st A Main This release was produced by Scott Daloisio. (909) 226-7768 or E-mail mailto:sdaloisiosports@gmail.com

• 
  CHAMPION CAR OWNERS IMPRESSED WITH AUSTIN WILLIAMS DEBUT

  (Menifee, CA, February 29, 2024) When it comes to creating a positive impression, veteran driver Austin Williams had some big shoes to fill when the Avanti Windows and Doors USAC/CRA Sprint Car Series opened the 2024 campaign last Saturday at Perris Auto Speedway. After all, he was the new driver for 2023 champion car owners Tom and Christy Dunkel. When all was said and done, the owners were ecstatic with the veteran driver's initial outing in their ultra-clean #17W. Williams, the son of National Sprint Car Hall of Famer Rip Williams, picked up the Inland Rigging ride when 2023 champion Brody Roa stepped out of the car in January to spend more time with his family. When Williams got the ride, there was a marriage of the two teams. The result is a car, driver, and crew that is one of the favorites to win the 2023 championship. The owners began the campaign brimming with hope and they were quickly rewarded with a great qualifying effort from the Corona, California driver. He turned in a lap of 16.658. That proved to be the third quickest of the 27 cars on hand. Needless to say, everyone in the #17W camp was very happy. In his 10-lap heat race, the driver who will be walking down the aisle on May 18th, ended up second. That was despite an issue developing with the car. "We were extremely thrilled with what we were able to salvage," Tom Dunkel said a couple of days after the race. " Unfortunately, we developed some brake issues. With two laps to go in the heat race, he lost all brakes. So, we scrambled between the heat race and the main and we got brakes for him. We replaced a bunch of stuff. We got it to where he was real happy with the pedal, but as he pushed off for the main he hollered at us that he had no brakes." No brakes or not, Williams, who is affectionately known as "The Big Game Hunter" to all of his fans, was off to a good start. Much to the delight of the team, he was going to be a contender for the victory. "He was doing extremely well and was trying to run the bottom, the top, and moving around," Dunkel exclaimed. "I could not have been any more happy with him for his will to drive that thing with no brakes. It was absolutely impressive with what he was able to do." Things were looking good early on as Williams masterfully kept the car in contention. Then disaster struck on lap 10. Cars in front of him tangled and he had nowhere to go and got involved. Two other cars who got collected and came to a stop in the shunt with Williams were his older brother Cody and Inland Rigging sponsored Eddie Tafoya Jr. While the other two were done for the night, Williams made a quick trip to the work area where the Inland Rigging crew jumped into action. "Unfortunately, he got tangled up there, with Tafoya and Cody," Dunkel commented. "It ended up knocking the front end out. It was good enough to keep rolling, but with no brakes and a bent front end, to come from the back to 11th it was absolutely impressive. I could not have been any happier." "It was 100% a racing deal," Dunkel stressed. "It was just one of those things where we were in the wrong spot at the wrong time. Everybody was going for a limited amount of real estate. Thankfully, we were able to restart so we had the opportunity to kind of help salvage our night." Williams started at the back in the wounded car and masterfully drove forward for an extremely hard-fought 11th-place finish. He recorded a lap of 17.230 during the race. Amazingly, that came on lap 24 after the car was damaged in the tangle. Only six other drivers recorded faster times. Dunkel was very happy with the way the driver and the new and old crew members meshed together. Everybody's work and dedication promise some wins and a championship run in 2024. "He has his driving style and he knows what he likes," Dunkel happily stated. "It was actually super flawless. It was kind of unfortunate our results really didn't show how good we were all night and how well we worked together on and off the track. I was extremely happy working with him and his entire crew. Rich Rustin, Paul Dean, and Joe, were there and my son Aiden was out there as well." "Unfortunately, Zac (team manager Zac Bozanich) had some plans and was not able to make it but he was on the phone all night long," Dunkel said of Brody Roa's longtime crew chief. "I cannot say enough about him. There is so much to say about his effort leading up to this race that really helped us all night." This week Dunkel and Tafoya were scheduled to contest the inaugural race of the Ultimate Sprint Car Series Presented By Inland Rigging at the Ventura Raceway. However, due to the impending rain, the race was postponed until April 13th. Next for the Inland Rigging team will be two nights of racing, Friday, March 8th, and Saturday, March 9th, at the Imperial Valley Raceway during the California Mid-Winter Fair. Williams will be joined by Dunkel and Tafoya for the late winter show. Dunkel would like to thank the following 2024 season sprint car sponsors. Inland Rigging, Dunkel Farms, Specialty Fasteners, BR Motorsports, King Racing Products, Osborne Speed & Machine, Maverick Transport, and HBC. If you would like to join this championship team for another title run this year, please contact Dunkel using the information at the top of this release. Tom Dunkel's 2024 Racing Results 1/11/24 SageNet Center Chili Bowl Midget Nationals 8th C Feature 1/13/24 SageNet Center Chili Bowl Midget Nationals 11th L Feature Austin Williams 2024 Race Results 2/24/24 Perris Auto Speedway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars 11th A Main This release was produced by Scott Daloisio Sports (909) 226-7768 mailto:sdaloisiosports@gmail.com

• 
  FATHER AND SON BRENT AND GRANT SEXTON BOTH MAKE USAC/CRA MAIN AT PERRIS

  (Lakeside, CA, February 29, 2024) The Sexton Gatling Racing Team combo of father and son Brent and Grant Sexton, made its 2024 debut when the Avanti Windows and Doors USAC/CRA Sprint Car Series opened its season last Saturday at Perris Auto Speedway. Both team drivers made the night's main event. This Friday and Saturday, Brent will be racing in the 30th anniversary season openers for the California Lightning Sprint Car Series at the Imperial Valley Raceway. Grant, who was the 2023 USAC/CRA Rookie of the Year, was the fastest qualifier of the family duo with a lap of 17.500. That was 20th in the stellar field of 27 cars that showed up with top drivers from California, Indiana, Arizona, and Ohio. Brent was four spots behind his youngest offspring with a time of 18.212. Heat race action saw Grant on the track first in the second 10-lapper of the night. Starting seventh, his car was suffering from overheating issues. Unfortunately, he finished in the same spot that he started. That meant a trip to the 12-lap B main. A few minutes later, 50-year-old Brent was in the third heat. Like Grant, he also started and finished seventh. That meant both would be fighting for one of the 10 sought-after transfer spots in the B main. The B main featured 13 cars. Grant was again starting seventh, while Brent began in the 10th and final transfer spot. In the race, Grant caught a piece of someone else's mess and bent his front axle. Despite that, he was still eighth when the Steve Russell checkered flag signaled an end to the 12-lapper. Brent held off the drivers behind him and also earned a ticket into the A by placing 10th. For the start of the 30-lap finale, both Sexton's were mired deep in the pack. Grant started 18th and Brent was inside row 11 in the 21st position. Grant was babying his engine in the 30-lapper due to the overheating problem earlier in the night. However, when it sprayed him with hot water, he pulled off the track to avoid damaging the power plant. That happened 10 laps before the checkers and he placed 18th. Brent, who is trying to follow up Grant's 2023 Rookie of the Year award by taking the crown in 2024, was still slicing and dicing at the end and placed 15th. "I was excited for how I did," Brent said afterward. "I did exactly what I wanted to do. Just make the main and finish it. There were 27-cars there and I did that, so I was pretty stoked." Earlier in the night after his heat race, he was not so sure he was doing well. The reason was, he was being pranked by his crew. "The crew was giving me a hard time after the heat race telling me I sucked," Sexton said with a laugh. "I told Bezio (crew chief David Bezio) I was going to drive it in so hard in the B main. Then he told me they were just kidding and I was doing fine." This weekend's conundrum regarding who was going to race where, was canceled early on Thursday when the inaugural event for the Ultimate Sprint Car Series at the Ventura Raceway was postponed until April 13th due to this weekend's incoming rain. Brent's initial plan was to race on Friday at Imperial and then race with Grant at Ventura. AJ Bender would take his place at Imperial on Saturday. With the rainout, Brent will be in the lightning sprint for both races at Imperial. For fans who want to attend this week's races at Imperial, wheel packing will start at 5:00 with hot laps and single-car qualifying to follow on Friday. The first race of the night will begin at 7:00. On Saturday, wheel packing will be at 4:30 and again will be followed by hot laps and single car qualifying. The first race will start at 6:30. 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. 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. Brent Sexton 2024 Results 2/24/24 Perris Auto Speedway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars 15th A Main Grant Sexton 2024 Results 2/24/24 Perris Auto Speedway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars 18th A Main Photo courtesy of Anthony Hernandez This release was produced by Scott Daloisio. Contact (909) 226-7768 mailto:sdaloisiosports@gmail.com

• 
  AFTER AN IMPRESSIVE USAC/CRA SERIES PERFORMANCE AT PERRIS AUTO SPEEDWAY, BRADEN CHIARAMONTE HAS A AND B OPTIONS THIS WEEKEND

  (El Cajon, CA, February 28, 2024) Following an impressive 16th to 8th showing in the 20th anniversary season opening USAC/CRA Sprint Car Series main event last weekend, Braden Chiaramonte has a couple of options for this Saturday night. Weather permitting, he will be contesting the inaugural USCS race at the Ventura Raceway. However, rainy weather conditions may throw a wrench into those plans. If weather indeed intervenes, the #73B team will load up its 600cc micro and head to Arizona's Adobe Mountain Speedway. Last week Chiaramonte, who turned 17-years-old on Sunday, shined in the 30-lap main event at Perris. Competing in a powerful 410 sprint for only the third time and the first time on the lightning fast ½ mile clay oval, he began the main event in 16th and raced forward to an eighth-place finish. That gives the talented teen three top 10s (two of them being top five) in his first three 410 starts. In qualifying, the El Cajon, California rising star ended up 17th with a lap of 17.343. A new setup for the heat did not deliver the goods as hoped. Needing a fourth-place finish to qualify for the A main, Chiaramonte ended up seventh. That meant he would have to race in the B main and finish in the top 10 of the 13 car field to make the A. He did so with no problem and recorded the fastest lap in the race with a dazzling 16.810. The main not only featured the best traditional 410 sprint car drivers on the West Coast but also top drivers from Arizona, Indiana, and Ohio. Chiaramonte went nothing but forward in the main event. He smoothly and methodically passed eight cars to finish eighth. Only one other driver passed more cars - nine - than Chiaramonte. Just as impressive as his passing job was his fastest lap in the race. His 17.072 was faster than the best lap of the main event winner. In fact, only one other driver had a quicker lap in the main than the handsome rookie. Chiaramonte, who will be competing regularly in the Sprint Car Challenge Tour and USAC/CRA Series this season, will next see action at Perris on March 16th. As of now, the plan is still in place to race at Ventura with the USCS on Saturday. Over the past two seasons, Chiaramonte has made two appearances at the track located at the beach. His best finish was a seventh with the USAC Western Midgets in May of 2022. His last appearance came at the track three months ago when he placed 13th in the B main at the Turkey Night Grand Prix. The racers at Ventura are hoping for clear skies so they can race. The racers at Adobe Mountain are also hoping for clear skies at Ventura so Chiaramonte will race there, rather than battle with them in the "Copper State." In three appearances at Adobe last season, Chiaramonte posted two wins and a sixth-place finish. To keep updated on the weather at Ventura or for ticket prices and times visit http://venturaraceway.com/ or call (805) 648- RACE. The track is located on the Ventura County Fairgrounds at 10 W. Harbor Boulevard (93001). If Ventura is rained, instead of heading north, Chiaramonte will head east to Adobe The track is located at just south of Pinnacle Peak Road on 43rd Avenue in Glendale, Arizona. Wheel packing will begin at 4:30 with racing to follow. General admission tickets for those 13 and over are $10.00. For kids 5-12 it is only $5.00 and children 4 and under are free. The track website is at https://www.adobemountainspeedway.com/ and the office phone is (207) 977-6520. Chiaramonte would like to thank all his sponsors who have made his racing efforts possible. RTL Traffic Control, AM Ortega, Hyper Racing, Chop Design, Adams Motors, Hacienda Casa Blanca Fine Mexican Dining, Evil Plus Injection, King Racing Products, Tyner, and Keizer Wheels. Braden Chiaramonte's 2024 Results 2/24/24 Perris Auto Speedway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars 8th A Main This release was produced by Scott Daloisio. You can contact him online at mailto:sdaloisiosports@gmail.com or by calling (909) 226-7768.

• 
  EDDIE TAFOYA JR. BEGINS THE MOST IMPORTANT SEASON OF HIS RACING CAREER

  (Chino, CA, February 23, 2024) Chino Hills, California resident Eddie Tafoya Jr. will begin the most important season of his career when the Avanti Doors and Windows USAC/CRA Sprint Cars Series kicks off its historic 20th anniversary season on Saturday night at Perris Auto Speedway. For the first time in his sprint car career, Tafoya is a bona fide contender for the series title. This year marks Tafoya's fifth full season running a 410 sprinter. After winning the 2018 Perris Auto Speedway Young Guns championship, he jumped to the USAC/CRA Series in 2019 and captured the Rookie of the Year award. Unfortunately, in 2020 Covid stepped in and like almost everyone else, the year was a wash for the young driver. When racing returned in 2021, Tafoya, whose father Eddie Sr. was the 2016 Perris Senior Sprint Car Champion, really began to hone his craft. In 16 stand-alone USAC/CRA races that year, he only finished out of the top 10 three times. He had 13 top 10s and placed in the top five six times. His best finish of the campaign came when he placed second at the Cocopah Speedway in late January. When the dust settled on the 2022 season, the handsome racer ended up third in the championship standings and he was only 21 points out of second. A July trip to Huset's Speedway in South Dakota to contest three nights of racing in the USAC National Sprint Car Series saw Tafoya's star shine brighter. On a track he had never been on before and facing a star-laden field of competitors, he won a heat race and made the main event every night. Included was a 10th-place finish in the middle race. Last season Tafoya made a massive decision to spend a lot of time racing away from his California home. Instead, he decided to spend the majority of the year on the USAC National trail. All totaled, he entered 36 races in 2023. Twenty-six of those were racing against the best non-wing 410 drivers in the world in the USAC National Sprint Car Series. He is hoping those laps will help propel him to the 2024 USAC/CRA title. The trail to that championship begins Saturday in Perris. In addition to competing for the championship in the USAC/CRA Series in his family-owned #51T, Tafoya will also seek the crown in the brand-new Ultimate Sprint Car Series. In that competition, he will be steering an Inland Rigging team car owned by Tom and Christy Dunkel. The series will stage its inaugural race on March 2nd at the Ventura Raceway. On top of getting the cars ready for the year, Tafoya has a new hauler. He was thrashing on it on Thursday and Friday to have it ready for Saturday's season opener. The now veteran driver took delivery of his brand new, beautiful 2024 shirts and he will have them on sale for the first time at Perris on Saturday night. If you cannot make it to the track, they are available online at www.specialty-fasteners.com. Spectator gates to see Tafoya in action on Saturday will open at 5:00 p.m. with racing at 7:00. Adult tickets for Saturday's race are $30.00. Seniors 65 and over get in for $25.00. For kids 6-12 it is only $5.00 and children 5 and under are free. Advance tickets are available 24 hours a day online at https://www.tix.com/ticket-sales/pas/7 or by calling 1-800-595-4849. For those who do not want to purchase advance tickets, there will be plenty of tickets for everyone at the ticket window on Saturday. The fairgrounds charge $10.00 for parking. Perris Auto Speedway is located on the Lake Perris Fairgrounds at 18700 Lake Perris Drive in the City of Perris. The track website is http://www.perrisautospeedway.com/ and the office phone number is (951) 940-0134. If you would like to hear the friendly driver on his 2023 Dirt Tracks and Rib Racks Podcast, please visit the following link https://open.spotify.com/episode/1Hox9dg0iRGXo0szabeqDy Fans can follow Tafoya on Instagram @eddietafoya51. Tafoya and the #51T team would like to thank Specialty Fasteners, Inland Rigging, BR Motorsports, King Racing Products, Gasper Transportation, CMI Precision Machining, Owen's Insurance Services, Keen Concrete, DRC Chassis, and Rider Racing Engines for supporting its racing program. Eddie Tafoya Jr. 2024 USAC National Results January 11 Tulsa Expo Raceway Chili Bowl Midget Nationals 22nd A Main January 14 Tulsa Expo Raceway Chili Bowl Midget Nationals 7th D Main This release was produced by Scott Daloisio. (909) 226-7768 or E-mail mailto:sdaloisiosports@gmail.com

• 
  JEFF DYER OPENS A BUSY 2024 SEASON AT SATURDAY'S USAC/CRA RACE AT PERRIS AUTO SPEEDWAY

  (Yucca Valley, CA, February 18, 2024) Sprint car racing California Highway Patrol Officer Jeff Dyer will kick off a busy season when the Avanti Windows and Doors USAC/CRA Sprint Car Series opens its 20th campaign this Saturday night, February 24th, at Perris Auto Speedway. Dyer will be returning to the track for the first time since he closed his 2023 season last October. 2023 ended up being a triumphant year for the Dyer Motorsports team. Jeff Dyer captured the championship in the final season of the POWRi Southwest Lightning Sprint Car Series. In addition, his teenage son, Seth, whacked the field to notch his first win in a SWLS race at the Imperial Valley Raceway on October 21st. As well as that accomplishment, the personable young driver was named the series Rookie of the Year. Despite the triumphs, the season had tribulations. Most notable was Jeff suffering a torn Achilles tendon playing softball last August. Initial reports had "Ponch" done for the season. However, he believed that he could make it back before the year ended. Against the odds, he amazingly returned to action and dominated the competition in a Lightning Sprint Car race at the Mohave Valley Raceway on October 14th. Hard work since then has him nearly as good as new. "It is going well," the Yucca Valley, Californian commented on his rehab. "I am probably about 85% back to normal. It is getting better. In the morning when it is cold out, it is a little stiff until I get up and start walking around. I can pretty much do everything I was doing before." Getting his Achilles straightened out did take some time away from working on the cars for the 2024 season. However, the most important things were recovering from the injury and getting in better shape. Happily, he has achieved both. "First of all, I have been working on myself and my fitness," he said. " I have lost 30 pounds over the off-season. I have been working hard on that. On the cars, we kind of got off to a late start. Me and Seth were kind of burned out through the end of the year. We went through the holidays without touching the cars from the last race. After the new year, we really started getting on it. Now things are starting to get together and we are more excited about it." The plan for 2024 was for Jeff to run all of the Perris USAC/CRA races, a lot of CLS races, and when possible, a few races with the new Ultimate Sprint Car Series. After an impressive run at the end of last season, Seth's main focus this year is on the GAS Chassis Young Gun Sprint Cars at Perris Auto Speedway. However, he will miss the season opener this weekend as his engine is not ready. He will also run as many CLS races as possible. While Seth is out of action this Saturday, he will not have long to wait to get in his first laps of the year. Both he and Jeff will be at the Imperial Valley Raceway when the California Lightning Sprint Car Series starts its 30th season during the Midwinter Fair on March 1st and 2nd. "When we get to Imperial it will be pretty much what we did last year," Jeff said. "The same cars. Well, we built Seth a new car last year so it is ready to go. We made a couple of changes on mine that will hopefully work. I am not going to tell you what they are but we made some drastic changes to my car. We are excited to see what happens with that." Saturday's race, which will be the opener for Perris Auto Speedway's 28th season, will begin at 7:00 p.m. Spectator gates will open at 5:00. Adult tickets are $30.00. Seniors 65 and over get in for $25.00. For kids 6-12 it is only $5.00 and children 5 and under are admitted free. The fairgrounds charge $10.00 for parking. Advance tickets for Saturday's opener are available 24 hours a day at the following link https://www.tix.com/ticket-sales/pas/7. You can also order on the phone by calling 1-800-595-4849. If you do not wish to purchase advance tickets, there will be plenty available for everyone at the ticket window on Saturday. Perris Auto Speedway is conveniently located on the freeway close Lake Perris Fairgrounds at 18700 Lake Perris Drive in the City of Perris (92571). Take the 215 Freeway. Exit at the Ramona Expressway and head three miles east to the fairgrounds. In 2024, the following marketing partners are helping keep the Dyers on the track. Dependable Machine Inc., Haircuts By Susie, Jobu Racing, LBA Investigations, Straight Time Stirrups, Justice Brothers, Fonseca Racing, Specialty Fasteners, and Blud Racing Lubricants. If you would like to be a part of Dyer Motorsports in 2024, call (760) 550-7237 or send an email to mailto:dyermotorsports4@gmail.com. Jeff is racing in memory of his grandparents, Glenn, and Beverly Sels, throughout the 2024 season. Jeff Dyer 2023 Results 3-10-23 Imperial Valley Raceway Best of the West Lightning Sprints 10th A Main 3-11-23 Imperial Valley Raceway Best of the West Lightning Sprints 17th A Main 3-10-23 Imperial Valley Raceway Open Comp. Sprints 15th A Main 4-8-23 Bakersfield Speedway California Lightning Sprints 7th A Main 4-15-23 Perris Auto Speedway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars 16th A Main 5-5-23 Mohave Valley Raceway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars 15th A Main 5-13-23 Ventura Raceway California Lightning Sprints 11th A Main 5-20-23 Bakersfield Speedway California Lightning Sprints 3rd A Main 5-27-23 Perris Auto Speedway POWRi Southwest Lightning Sprints 1st A Main 5-27-23 Perris Auto Speedway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars 17th A Main 6-3-23 Bakersfield Speedway CLS/BCRA Civil War 1st A Main 6-10-23 Barona Speedway POWRi Southwest Lightning Sprints 12th A Main 6-17-23 Ventura Raceway California Lightning Sprints 2nd A Main 6-24-23 Bakersfield Speedway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars 10th A Main 7-8-23 Ventura Raceway California Lightning Sprints 2nd A Main 7-15-23 Perris Auto Speedway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars 14th A Main 8-5-23 Barona Speedway POWRi Southwest Lightning Sprints 1st A Main 10-14-23 Mohave Valley Raceway CLS vs SWLS Best of the West 1st A Main 10-20-23 Imperial Valley Raceway POWRi Southwest Lightning Sprints 3rd A Main 10-21-23 Imperial Valley Raceway POWRi Southwest Lightning Sprints 6th A Main 11-14-23 Bakersfield Speedway Lightning Sprint Western States Champ. 3rd A Main Seth Dyer 2023 Lightning Sprint Results 3-10-23 Imperial Valley Raceway Best of the West Lightning Sprints 12th A Main 3-11-23 Imperial Valley Raceway Best of the West Lightning Sprints 10th A Main 4-8-23 Bakersfield Speedway California Lightning Sprints DNS 5-13-23 Ventura Raceway California Lightning Sprints 8th A Main 5-20-23 Bakersfield Speedway California Lightning Sprints 11TH A Main 5-27-23 Perris Auto Speedway POWRi Southwest Lightning Sprints 3rd A Main 6-3-23 Bakersfield Speedway California Lightning Sprints 10th A Main 6-10-23 Barona Speedway POWRi Southwest Lightning 6th A Main 6-17-23 Ventura Raceway California Lightning Sprints 8th A Main 7-8-23 Ventura Raceway California Lightning Sprints 8th A Main 8-5-23 Barona Speedway POWRi Southwest Lightning Sprints 7th A Main 9-23-23 Perris Auto Speedway Young Gun Sprint Cars 5th A Main 9-30-23 Merced Speedway California Lightning Sprints 8th A Main 10-14-23 Mohave Valley Raceway California Lightning Sprints 8th A Main 10-20-23 Imperial Valley Raceway POWRi Southwest Lightning Sprints 9th A Main 10-21-23 Imperial Valley Raceway POWRi Southwest Lightning Sprints 1st A Main 11-14-23 Bakersfield Speedway Lightning Sprint Western States Champ. 14th A Main AJ Bender 2023 9-30-23 Merced Speedway California Lightning Sprints 2nd A Main Scott Daloisio produced this release. For more information: phone (909) 226-7768 or E-mail mailto:sdaloisiosports@gmail.com.

• 
  BRODY ROA TEAMS WITH CAR OWNER JAYSON MAY FOR THE 2024 RACING SEASON

  (Cypress, CA, February 6, 2024) Veteran Southern California sprint car racer Brody Roa is teaming up with Taft, California car owner Jayson May for the 2024 season. The team will launch its campaign on March 2nd at the Ventura Raceway in the inaugural race of the USCS Sprint Car Series. The combo first got together in September of 2020 and won the first time out in a CAS race at Central Arizona Speedway. Since that time, they have competed in several events collectively. However, the upcoming race at Ventura will be their first time teaming up since the 2022 Turkey Night Grand Prix on the same ocean-side oval. Roa, who resides in the shadows of Disneyland in Garden Grove, California, comes into 2024 after the best season of his career. Driving the Inland Rigging #17R owned by Tom and Christy Dunkel, they won the USAC/CRA championship. They took eight of the 18 main events in the series and Roa had a 40.9 win percentage on the year. That was the best victory percentage for any 410 non wing driver in the nation. His total of nine wins tied him for third-most in the nation amongst 410 non-wing drivers. On top of everything else, Roa and his wife Tailor welcomed their second daughter into the world in the middle of the racing season. It was a dream year. With stats like that, why did he leave the Inland Rigging team, how did he get re-connected with May and what does the future hold? Earlier this week, the "Pride of Garden Grove" took a few minutes to discuss the how's, why's and where's. S.D.: After having the best season of your career, why did you step out of the Inland Rigging deal? B.R.: To take a little bit of a step back with the family now. Having time to spend with my family is the biggest reason for my switch. Jayson and his family have such nice stuff and such a good maintenance prep program. That kind of allows me not to have to do that during the week. I want to spend some more time with my family and not being in the garage all week getting ready to go racing. S.D.: So just to alleviate the rumor mill before it starts, you were happy there and it is an amicable split, correct? B.R.: The change is nothing against them. We are still friends, obviously. There was nothing about the deal (driving for the Dunkel's) that made me want to do something else. It was the home life and the everyday during-the-week stuff (working on the car). When I talked to him, we left the door open on maybe doing a race together, here and there. Hopefully, that door is still open. That friendship we had is still there. We had a ton of fun last year. Lots of good memories. They deserve an endless thank you for what they did to jump on board as big as they did. They stepped in a big way to chase that championship. Tom wanted a championship and I wanted a championship. That was my only goal last year. Accomplishing that took a lot off of my plate, too. Tom and Christy and Inland Rigging supported me with sponsorship for four or five years before becoming my car owners last year. S.D.: How did you get reconnected with Jayson May? B.R.: We never stopped talking when I was not driving his stuff. Jayson and I became friends, too. We talked every now and then. I went to lunch with Tom a few weeks ago with no plan on what I was going to do, but I wanted to back down my schedule a bit. That is when I started talking to Jayson a little bit more. He just bought a new DRC from Scott Benic. He was putting that together and was trying to figure out what he was doing. He did not have anybody committed to run anything. He barely raced at all last year. He was just putting engines together. It all just kind of fell into place. He is going to figure out what he can afford to do and we will put a schedule together." S.D.: You and Jayson have a history. In fact, you won a CAS main event at the Central Arizona Speedway the first time you teamed up. So, each of you knows what to expect coming into this deal, correct? B.R.: The first time I ran for Jayson and the Mays was right after my oldest was born. So at the end of the 2020 season. Then I ran a couple of races with him in 2021 and a couple of races for him in 2022. Last year was the first time since that I did not drive his car all year. S.D.: No championship aspirations this season, correct? B.R.: Jayson and I are still working on the schedule of what we are going to do. We are going to do some hit-and-miss shows I guess you could call it. A part-time schedule. Nothing full-time for points. Won't be stressing on running a full season again this year. S.D.: Have you decided where you will be racing? B.R.: A little bit all over the place. I think mainly over the hill by him. So Bakersfield, Kern, Santa Maria. All of the CRA and USCS shows north of the Grapevine. Between the two schedules, I think you run like 14 races between Bakersfield, Kern, and Santa Maria. There is plenty of racing to do. He will probably come down to Perris maybe once or twice this year. It is so far for him to come down. S.D.: If something else came up on the nights when you are not driving Jayson's car, would you still take a ride in other CRA races or is that not in the plans this year? B.R.: If something comes up and it works out, yeah, I am pretty much open to do stuff in good equipment. It all comes to the help side, too. I am tired of wearing my dad into the dirt. This will kind of allow him to rest a little bit at the races. My schedule is kind of open but we are going to kind of play it by ear with the family. If we do not have a race that weekend or anything committed, we can go to the desert or the river or somewhere else. S.D.: You and your crew have been together for a long time. Are they all going with you to the Jayson May ride? B.R.: Pretty much the same with the exception of Zac (crew chief Zac Bozanich). Zac is planning on helping Tom this year. I do not know what the title would be, but he is doing a lot of the prep work and ordering what Tom needs to have a race-ready program. All of last year we took my stuff (spares). We had all of the spares. So they are slowly building up Tom's spare inventory. Making sure he is dialed in." S.D.: Before last year, you ran your own program for over a decade. Do you still have all of your stuff? B.R.: I do. I still have all of my stuff. We are hanging onto all of our stuff for now. Just because of this change, I am not going to sell all of my stuff. That is pretty committed. I will never be able to buy it all again. We will see what the future brings. Who knows what we end up doing? I may hit the lottery and put my full program together again. We will see. Jayson May and Roa want to thank the following marketing partners for being a part of the #8M racing endeavors in 2024. May Motorsports, 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. In addition, they thank Roa's sponsors. "Biker" Bruce Fischer, ALR Virtual Services, Burris Racing, Caltrol, Jambo Barbeque Pits, Competition Suspension, K-1 Race Gear, Molecule, 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 @k1racegear @moleculesports @rodendsupply @baldwinfilters @ngkracing @originalngksparkplugs @usacnation @usac_cra @perrisautospeedway @b_roa91 @tai_xoxo_roa @zacboz35 @joegibb83, @caltrolinc @narc410 @drivenracingoil This release was produced by Scott Daloisio Sports (909) 226-7768 mailto:sdaloisiosports@gmail.com

• 
  BRODY ROA TEAMS WITH CAR OWNER JAYSON MAY FOR THE 2024 RACING SEASON

  (Cypress, CA, February 6, 2024) Veteran Southern California sprint car racer Brody Roa is teaming up with Taft, California car owner Jayson May for the 2024 season. The team will launch its campaign on March 2nd at the Ventura Raceway in the inaugural race of the USCS Sprint Car Series. The combo first got together in September of 2020 and won the first time out in a CAS race at Central Arizona Speedway. Since that time, they have competed in several events collectively. However, the upcoming race at Ventura will be their first time teaming up since the 2022 Turkey Night Grand Prix on the same ocean-side oval. 176951984_10165147892615201_5363705704056184937_n.jpg Brody Roa and car owner Jayson May after a win at the Tulare Thunderbowl in 2021. Roa, who resides in the shadows of Disneyland in Garden Grove, California, comes into 2024 after the best season of his career. Driving the Inland Rigging #17R owned by Tom and Christy Dunkel, they won the USAC/CRA championship. They took eight of the 18 main events in the series and Roa had a 40.9 win percentage on the year. That was the best victory percentage for any 410 non wing driver in the nation. His total of nine wins tied him for third-most in the nation amongst 410 non-wing drivers. On top of everything else, Roa and his wife Tailor welcomed their second daughter into the world in the middle of the racing season. It was a dream year. With stats like that, why did he leave the Inland Rigging team, how did he get re-connected with May and what does the future hold? Earlier this week, the "Pride of Garden Grove" took a few minutes to discuss the how's, why's and where's. S.D.: After having the best season of your career, why did you step out of the Inland Rigging deal? B.R.: To take a little bit of a step back with the family now. Having time to spend with my family is the biggest reason for my switch. Jayson and his family have such nice stuff and such a good maintenance prep program. That kind of allows me not to have to do that during the week. I want to spend some more time with my family and not being in the garage all week getting ready to go racing. S.D.: So just to alleviate the rumor mill before it starts, you were happy there and it is an amicable split, correct? B.R.: The change is nothing against them. We are still friends, obviously. There was nothing about the deal (driving for the Dunkel's) that made me want to do something else. It was the home life and the everyday during-the-week stuff (working on the car). When I talked to him, we left the door open on maybe doing a race together, here and there. Hopefully, that door is still open. That friendship we had is still there. We had a ton of fun last year. Lots of good memories. They deserve an endless thank you for what they did to jump on board as big as they did. They stepped in a big way to chase that championship. Tom wanted a championship and I wanted a championship. That was my only goal last year. Accomplishing that took a lot off of my plate, too. Tom and Christy and Inland Rigging supported me with sponsorship for four or five years before becoming my car owners last year. S.D.: How did you get reconnected with Jayson May? B.R.: We never stopped talking when I was not driving his stuff. Jayson and I became friends, too. We talked every now and then. I went to lunch with Tom a few weeks ago with no plan on what I was going to do, but I wanted to back down my schedule a bit. That is when I started talking to Jayson a little bit more. He just bought a new DRC from Scott Benic. He was putting that together and was trying to figure out what he was doing. He did not have anybody committed to run anything. He barely raced at all last year. He was just putting engines together. It all just kind of fell into place. He is going to figure out what he can afford to do and we will put a schedule together." S.D.: You and Jayson have a history. In fact, you won a CAS main event at the Central Arizona Speedway the first time you teamed up. So, each of you knows what to expect coming into this deal, correct? B.R.: The first time I ran for Jayson and the Mays was right after my oldest was born. So at the end of the 2020 season. Then I ran a couple of races with him in 2021 and a couple of races for him in 2022. Last year was the first time since that I did not drive his car all year. S.D.: No championship aspirations this season, correct? B.R.: Jayson and I are still working on the schedule of what we are going to do. We are going to do some hit-and-miss shows I guess you could call it. A part-time schedule. Nothing full-time for points. Won't be stressing on running a full season again this year. S.D.: Have you decided where you will be racing? B.R.: A little bit all over the place. I think mainly over the hill by him. So Bakersfield, Kern, Santa Maria. All of the CRA and USCS shows north of the Grapevine. Between the two schedules, I think you run like 14 races between Bakersfield, Kern, and Santa Maria. There is plenty of racing to do. He will probably come down to Perris maybe once or twice this year. It is so far for him to come down. S.D.: If something else came up on the nights when you are not driving Jayson's car, would you still take a ride in other CRA races or is that not in the plans this year? B.R.: If something comes up and it works out, yeah, I am pretty much open to do stuff in good equipment. It all comes to the help side, too. I am tired of wearing my dad into the dirt. This will kind of allow him to rest a little bit at the races. My schedule is kind of open but we are going to kind of play it by ear with the family. If we do not have a race that weekend or anything committed, we can go to the desert or the river or somewhere else. S.D.: You and your crew have been together for a long time. Are they all going with you to the Jayson May ride? B.R.: Pretty much the same with the exception of Zac (crew chief Zac Bozanich). Zac is planning on helping Tom this year. I do not know what the title would be, but he is doing a lot of the prep work and ordering what Tom needs to have a race-ready program. All of last year we took my stuff (spares). We had all of the spares. So they are slowly building up Tom's spare inventory. Making sure he is dialed in." S.D.: Before last year, you ran your own program for over a decade. Do you still have all of your stuff? B.R.: I do. I still have all of my stuff. We are hanging onto all of our stuff for now. Just because of this change, I am not going to sell all of my stuff. That is pretty committed. I will never be able to buy it all again. We will see what the future brings. Who knows what we end up doing? I may hit the lottery and put my full program together again. We will see. Jayson May and Roa want to thank the following marketing partners for being a part of the #8M racing endeavors in 2024. May Motorsports, 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. In addition, they thank Roa's sponsors. "Biker" Bruce Fischer, ALR Virtual Services, Burris Racing, Caltrol, Jambo Barbeque Pits, Competition Suspension, K-1 Race Gear, Molecule, 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 @k1racegear @moleculesports @rodendsupply @baldwinfilters @ngkracing @originalngksparkplugs @usacnation @usac_cra @perrisautospeedway @b_roa91 @tai_xoxo_roa @zacboz35 @joegibb83, @caltrolinc @narc410 @drivenracingoil This release was produced by Scott Daloisio Sports (909) 226-7768 mailto:sdaloisiosports@gmail.com

• 
  TOMMY DUNKEL TALKS OF MIDGET CREW CHIEF AND MORE MIDGET RACES ON THE WAY

  (Cypress, CA, January 30, 2024) A little over a year ago, open-wheel racer Tommy Dunkel liked chili. However, after only three nights of racing in the Chili Bowl Midget Nationals inside the famous Sage Net Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma, he now loves the dish. So much so, that the Murrieta, California-based driver is already making plans to start racing midgets on the Left Coast this season so he can be ready for the 40th annual Chili Bowl 11 months from now. To many, Dunkel is a newcomer to racing. In reality, that is far from the truth. He had a brief foray into lightning sprints and 360 sprint cars a few years ago. More recently, his Inland Rigging company became familiar to fans as a sponsor of longtime Southern California star Brody Roa. However, Dunkel wanted more. He had an itch to get back into a sprint car. He finally did that at the end of the 2022 season, when he finished 13th in the prestigious Turkey Night Grand Prix at the Ventura Raceway. With the desires on fire, Dunkel entered the 2023 Chili Bowl. Things did not go as well as he had hoped. It was one night and done. He ran on his preliminary evening but called it a day before the Saturday finale. In no way did the disappointment of the Chili Bowl deter Dunkel's open-wheel ambitions. He was back in his sanitary white #17A in select 360 races on the West Coast and would add in his first 410 endeavors in 2023. In addition, he and his wife Christy owned the #17R that Roa drove to the 2023 USAC/CRA championship. In addition to Roa taking the title and posting numerous victories, Dunkel scored his first sprint car win at the Ventura Raceway on April 8th. Even though Dunkel met with success in the cockpit and as a car owner in 2023, the Chili Bowl was still boiling on his mind. He wanted another shot and he wanted to do it with a front-line car and team. Enter longtime crew chief Jimmy May and the Josh Ford Motorsports team. Known for fast cars and a top-notch crew led by May, they were just what Dunkel was looking for and a deal was set. "They have been in that building so many times and they have had good success," Dunkel enthused about May and his crew. "Having that kind of confidence (in the crew and the equipment) going in was great. That helped me a ton. I knew I could go out there and drive really hard and do my best because I knew I had good equipment underneath me. You give them feedback and what they do with the wrenches from there is pretty amazing. Those guys know how to tune for that joint." "Jimmy himself is such a natural," Dunkel continued. "He can watch the dust, he can watch the TVs there and he can gauge what the track is going to be like even if there are four or five races to go (before he got on the track). He knows what setup to put on by knowing what the track is going to do. It seemed like all of us were in sync in working with Jimmy and his crew guys. They are just spot on. Some of the hardest working crew guys that I have ever had wrenching for me. It was a pleasure working with them the whole weekend." January in Oklahoma in no way resembles Arizona in July. Cold can permeate throughout the month and that can wreak havoc on the cars in the Chili Bowl. Fans are used to pump fresh air into the building from outside. That makes it anything but bikini-wearing conditions inside the massive SageNet Center. It negatively affects the engines on the cars that were referred to as "doodlebugs" three-quarters of a century ago. "We were chasing the cold," Dunkel shivered recalling the temperatures in Oklahoma. "It was a really big factor. The temperature in the building was just shy of freezing. With how cold it was outside, the fans were pumping 10-degree air into the building." Compounding the issues with the air were some unfortunate incidents that delayed Dunkel getting on the track. "Unfortunately, every time before I went out something happened (on the track) in the race just prior," Dunkel laughed. "So I ended up sitting on the ramp a long time and the car was getting cold. That kind of factored into some of the issues we had but that is out of everybody's control. Everybody else was running into the problem with their cars getting cold, too. We were all dealt the same cards with the temperatures." "My guys did not skip a beat," offered Dunkel. "They were wrapping the car in blankets and putting the engine heaters on it in staging. They did everything they could possibly do for me to make the car better. I would have liked to have done a little better but I could not have been happier (with May and the crew)." With more laps at this year's Chili Bowl and the guidance of May and his crew, Dunkel is already making plans for 2025. He is teaming with May for four, five, or six midget races this year including the Turkey Night Grand Prix in November. Dunkel wants to thank his family, Jimmy May, crewmen Sam and Charlie, the Tafoya Family, Specialty Fasteners, Malyssa Perkins, and Inland Rigging for making his Chili Bowl racing endeavor possible. This Saturday, Roa and the Dunkel's will receive their just rewards for last year's CRA title at a banquet in Riverside, California. After that, it will be back in the shop getting the cars ready for the upcoming USAC/CRA and USCS seasons. Some exciting team news is on the horizon. Stay tuned. Dunkel would like to thank the following 2024 season sprint car sponsors. Inland Rigging, Dunkel Farms, Specialty Fasteners, BR Motorsports, King Racing Products, Osborne Speed & Machine, Maverick Transport, and HBC. If you would like to join this championship team for another title run this year, please contact Dunkel using the information at the top of this release. Tom Dunkel's 2024 Racing Results 1/11/24 SageNet Center Chili Bowl Midget Nationals 8th C Feature 1/13/24 SageNet Center Chili Bowl Midget Nationals 11th L Feature This release was produced by Scott Daloisio Sports (909) 226-7768 mailto:sdaloisiosports@gmail.com

• 
  EDDIE TAFOYA JR'S. BEST CHILI BOWL TO DATE

  (Chino, CA, January 24, 2025) After a late call with the offer of a ride, Chino Hills, California's Eddie Tafoya Jr. turned in his best Chili Bowl Midget Nationals performance to date. The 2019 USAC/CRA Rookie of the Year raced his way into the A main on his qualifying night and contested the E main at the event finale. Five days before his preliminary night, Tafoya was approached to drive one of the Josh Ford Motorsports entries in the 38th running of the prestigious Tulsa, Oklahoma event and he jumped at the opportunity. The leap was a no-brainer as the California-based operation has fared well at past events inside the world-famous Sage Center. Tafoya booked flights and quickly was on his way to midget racing's premiere event. When he got the call for the ride, Tafoya jumped into high gear to make plans. Not only plans for the trip but also plans on what he was going to have to do on the track. Despite the instantaneous shot of pressure, he was ready for the task ahead. Since he was last at the race in 2021, he has grown as a racecar driver by leaps and bounds. From his previous experiences at the "Bowl," he knew exactly what he had to do going into the event. That proved to help a lot. "Yeah, for sure, like I said in our pre-Chili Bowl interview, I needed to be up to speed a lot quicker than I have done before," Tafoya said. "I definitely did that. I felt comfortable right away. Jimmy May and all of his help had me really comfortable and they gave me a good car. It felt more natural to me than in prior years. More like I was driving a sprint car. We had Jimmy and two of his main helpers, Sam and Charlie. They know their stuff and have their ducks in a row when it comes to racing. They made my life a lot easier as a driver." On his qualifying night, the handsome driver started and finished second in his heat race. He followed that up finishing third in his qualifier. That placed him on the pole for the B main and he led it from green to checkers. The B main triumph catapulted him into the night's stacked A main that included racing superstar Kyle Larson. Tafoya started 18th and ended up 22nd in the night's feature event. While things did not go as well in the main, Tafoya was happy with the overall performance on the night and making it to the finale. "It was definitely a huge weight off of my shoulders," Tafoya said about making the main. "Everything came together quick that week and I did not know how I was going to do or what to expect after being out of a midget for three years. I think everyone was excited and pleased. Everyone who races at the Chili Bowl says your heat race is the most important race. I am glad we could stay towards the front there (the heat) and have a good shot. It put the whole night together. I think I only made one mistake the whole time so I was pretty happy." "Just had to deal with traffic," he continued about what happened in the main. "Being so deep, I am not used to racing these cars, these people, and not sure what people are going to do. So, I was not really comfortable putting myself up against the wall like when people are coming up the track and stuff like that. And being in other people's equipment, I took what I could get and looked to Saturday after that." In his previous two Chili Bowl trips, Tafoya began J and H mains on the final day. On a day when drivers are desperately trying to advance in the program, those mains at times become chaotic. With the less experienced drivers and some who only race one or two times a year, sometimes what can possibly happen, many times does. Crashing and wrecks are common. The farther up a driver rises in the main event ladder, the talent level rises as well and it makes it much easier to race with less worry about getting a car junked and suffering an injury. Tafoya found that out in the E main when he narrowly missed transferring to one of the Ds. "There is way more precision and thoughts going on rather than just having to try to stay out of the wrecks," he said after the Chili Bowl. "When you get to those higher mains, you are there racing. You are not trying so much to save yourself, and just finish. There are more quality guys and more pressure on you not to make mistakes. We missed transferring to the D main by two spots. We were right there in the hunt." "I especially want to thank my mom and dad, Tommy Dunkel, Specialty Fasteners, and Inland Rigging for letting me race cars around the country and go out and have some fun," the grateful driver said. "I do not have plans yet for next year (2025 Chili Bowl) but I hope to be there." Tafoya will be in his familiar #51T on Saturday, February 24th when the Avanti Windows and Doors USAC/CRA Sprint Car Series opens its 20th season at Perris Auto Speedway. One week later he will be in a Tommy and Christy Dunkel-owned Inland Rigging sprint car for the inaugural race in the Ultimate Sprint Car Series presented by Inland Rigging at the Ventura Raceway, If you would like to hear the friendly driver on his 2023 Dirt Tracks and Rib Racks Podcast, please visit the following link https://open.spotify.com/episode/1Hox9dg0iRGXo0szabeqDy Tafoya's great-looking shirts and hoodies are available online at www.specialty-fasteners.com. Fans can follow Tafoya on Instagram @eddietafoya51. Tafoya and the #51T team would like to thank Specialty Fasteners, DRC Chassis, Ryder Racing Engines, Simpson Safety Products, Bell, Benic Enterprises, BR Motorsports, PSC Powder Coating, Magik Graphics, Gasper Transportation, Owen's Insurance Services, and Weld Wheels for supporting its racing program. Eddie Tafoya Jr. 2024 USAC National Results January 11 Tulsa Expo Raceway Chili Bowl Midget Nationals 22nd A Main January 14 Tulsa Expo Raceway Chili Bowl Midget Nationals 7th D Main This release was produced by Scott Daloisio. (909) 226-7768 or E-mail mailto:sdaloisiosports@gmail.com

Ventura Raceway Dirt Track Videos

• Corey Day ONBOARD: Factory Kahne Shocks #4 Midget Turkey Night GP Qualifier Ventura Raceway
• A Main Turkey Night USAC West Coast 360 Sprint Car At Ventura Raceway November 25, 2023
• 82nd Turkey Night Grand Prix 98 Lap Special Ventura Raceway
• HIGHLIGHTS: USAC NOS Energy Drink National Midgets | Ventura Raceway | Turkey Night | Nov. 25, 2023
• Kyle Larson Pursues Fourth Turkey Night Win | 2023 USAC Turkey Night Grand Prix at Ventura Raceway
• Turkey Night Grand Prix Ventura Raceway (2022) #racing

Ventura Raceway Nearby Dirt Tracks

Distance information is direct (as the crow flies) - driving distance will differ due to road routes and things like lakes or mountains.

• 
  Kern Raceway Race Track70 miles away - Bakersfield, California, USA
• 
  Industry Speedway Race Track79 miles away - City of Industry, California, USA
• 
  Santa Maria Raceway Race Track81 miles away - Nipomo, California, USA
• 
  Bakersfield Speedway Race Track82 miles away - Bakersfield, California, USA
• 
  Costa Mesa Speedway Race Track90 miles away - Costa Mesa, California, USA

Ventura Raceway Dirt Track Racing Organizations

• 
  AFT - American Flat Track Dirt Track Racing Organization
• 
  CLS - California Lightning Sprints Dirt Track Racing Organization
• 
  NMRA - National Midget Racing Association Dirt Track Racing Organization
• 
  POWRi - Performance Open Wheel Racing Inc Dirt Track Racing Organization
• 
  USAC - United States Auto Club Dirt Track Racing Organization