Shaking off the disappointment of getting clobbered from behind on the first lap and suffering a flat tire the previous week, Eddie Tafoya Jr. finished eighth last Saturday night in the Avanti Windows and Doors USAC/CRA Sprint Car Series 71st Salute to Indy at Perris Auto Speedway. The finish allowed the likable driver to climb from 10th to eighth in the series championship standings. This Saturday, he will be competing with the Ultimate Sprint Car Series, presented by Inland Rigging, at the Ventura Raceway.
8A857D4F-3EC5-4928-9A91-8BAEC6276E77.jpg
Eddie Tafoya Jr. on his way to an eighth-place finish last Saturday at Perris.
AJ Johnson P1 Racing Images photo.
For Tafoya, who finished third in the USAC/CRA standings in 2022, things started off on the right foot at Perris. He was the seventh fastest driver on the premises in hot laps. Not long thereafter, he set the eighth-fastest time in qualifying with a lap of 16.922. That placed the Chino Hills, California resident on the outside of row two in the second heat race on the 28-year-old half-mile oval.
After the support divisions completed their preliminary races, the USAC/CRA cars and stars rolled onto the track for their heats. Tafoya, who will be 27 in a little over a month, scored an impressive win in the second 10-lapper of the night. His best lap in the heat was 17.571. While that was only the third-fastest time in the race, it was still an impressive performance in his first USAC/CRA heat win of the 2024 campaign.
Tafoya started and finished eighth in the 30-lap main on the pleasant Southern California night.
His third top 10 in the series this season propelled Tafoya up to eighth in the championship standings. Going into the next scheduled race at Kevin Harvick’s Kern Raceway on June 8th, he is only 13 points out of seventh.
This Saturday night, June 1st, Tafoya will head to the Ventura Raceway for the third race in the Ultimate Sprint Car Series presented by Inland Rigging. Driving the Tom and Christy Dunkel Inland Rigging #17T 360, Tafoya is ninth in the USCS standings. He is only four points behind the eighth-place driver, 10 points behind the driver in seventh, and only 13 points out of sixth. A good night could see him leapfrog all three.
Tafoya, the 2018 Perris Auto Speedway Young Guns Champion and 2019 USAC/CRA Rookie of the Year, scored the first fast time of his career at Ventura in May of 2022. On the same night, he finished fifth in the main event. Last November at Ventura, he made his first appearance in an Inland Rigging car at the annual Turkey Night Grand Prix. A flat tire on the opening night handcuffed him for the weekend, and he missed transferring to Saturday’s finale by two spots.
Spectator gates for the first USCS race at Ventura will open at 3:00 p.m., with racing at 5:30. Adult tickets are $22.00. Seniors 60 and over, military with ID, and students with an ID get in for $18.00. Children 12 and under are free when they are accompanied by an adult. The track is located on the Ventura County Fairgrounds at 10 W. Harbor Boulevard (93001). The website is http://venturaraceway.com/, and the office phone number is (805) 648-RACE.
Friendly Tafoya is always happy to meet the fans in the pits after every race. He will sign autographs, pose for photos, and sell his beautiful 2024 team shirts. 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 PR
- New Hampshire Weekend Schedule - June 16, 2024
- Tafoya Jumps Two Spots in Usac/Cra Standings – Heads to Ventura for Uscs Race Saturday - June 1, 2024
- NASCAR Transcripts: Noah Gragson – Frontstretch Interview – 05.19.24 - May 19, 2024