Alert Driving Saw Tafoya Extend Usac/Cra Top 10 Finish Streak to Nine at Perris

Eddie Tafoya Jr. survived most of the chaos in last Saturday’s Avanti Windows and Doors USAC/CRA Sprint Car race and came home sixth at Perris Auto Speedway. The finish was his ninth straight top-10 result in the series.

The last time Tafoya, 27, did not place in the top 10 was in a USAC/CRA race over six months ago. That came when he finished 12th in a rain-shortened event at Arizona’s Cocopah Speedway on March 23rd. His best outing in the nine-race streak came on June 8th when he placed fourth at Kevin Harvick’s Kern Raceway.

Last week on the famous Perris half-mile oval, Tafoya was strong through the preliminary part of the night. The Chino Hills, California-based racer qualified in the upper half of the field with the ninth-fastest time of 17.012. In his eight-lap heat race, he started and finished fourth.

If he looked strong in the prelims, he was more powerful in the 30-lap main. Tafoya performed well on a night where self-preservation meant as much as anything else in the feature. In a race that looked a lot like the track’s popular Night of Destruction with several cars destroyed, he mostly steered through the chaos. After starting ninth, his only encounter came on a restart when several cars in front of him got into a tangle

“Yeah, I saw a couple people get sideways in front of me and everyone started checking up, and I checked up,” Tafoya said. “I got hit from behind. I did like a full 360 pirouette in the air. I thought I was going over. Luckily it landed back on all four, and everything was still bolted together. I got lucky there.”

Tafoya had to take the eye-catching #51T to the back for the restart. From there, he moved forward. Deftly avoiding some more questionable maneuvers, he drove all the way back through the pack to finish sixth. It was his best Perris finish thus far in 2024.

One of the keys to finishing in the top 10 for Tafoya is staying out of trouble. He certainly knows that you cannot do well if you do not finish the race. He has done well with that throughout his career.

“I am pretty aware of what is going on around me and looking ahead,” the 2019 USAC/CRA Rookie of the Year said when asked about his string of top 10s. “I don’t know if it comes from dirt bikes or all the other racing I have done. Seems like a lot of these guys are just racing the guys right in front of them when there is a whole other race going on. It definitely helps me out being able to avoid stuff.”

Tafoya is pleased with his runs in the top, but like most racers, he wants more.

“It is nice being in the top 10,” Tafoya said. “I would just like to qualify a little better and be up in the mix. It seems like I can qualify really close to the top everywhere but Perris. I definitely need to figure something out there. I felt good Saturday (in qualifying). I got a little loose on my fast lap, the second lap. There was a hole down the straightaway that I got into, and it got me a little light. That is probably the best I felt in a long time. It just sucks that I could not put it together.”

In addition to his nine top 10s in USAC/CRA competition, Tafoya has a pair of top 10s in the Ultimate Sprint Car Series presented by Inland Rigging. The first was his best overall finish of the year when he placed second at Santa Maria on June 15th. The other came two weeks ago when he drove to a seventh at the Ventura Raceway.

Next up for Tafoya will be a USCS race at Kern on October 5th.

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