Veteran sprint car racer Eddie Tafoya Jr of Chino Hills, California, is looking forward to getting some time off before he returns to the sprint car warfare in February. Plans right now call for him to make his 2025 debut in the family-owned #51T when the USAC National Sprint Car Series heads to Florida for its season openers. It will be the start of his sixth season racing 410 sprint cars.
466930511_28219922424265345_3924906077382997417_n.jpgEddie Tafoya at the last Avanti Windows and Door USAC/CRA race at Perris in 2024. Kenny Lonngren photo.
While not chasing any championships in 2024, Tafoya, who was the 2019 USAC/CRA Rookie of the Year, finished third in the championship standings of the first-year Ultimate Sprint Car Series. The talented racer also finished 11th in points in the USAC/CRA series. All told he started 27 sprint car main events during the season. He finished in the top ten 13 times with a season-best second-place finish in the USCS race at Santa Maria on June 15th. His best finish in the USAC/CRA Series came the week before when he placed fourth at Kevin Harvick’s Kern Raceway in Bakersfield.
Last Friday, on a day off from work and with no races on his schedule until 2025, the 27-year-old answered some questions about the 2024 season and what is on the horizon for next year.
S.D.: First, the obvious question: how happy were you with the way 2024 went?
Tafoya: I feel good. Always as a racer, I guess you always want more and want to do better. Definitely a solid year. About halfway through, we started picking and choosing what we wanted to do just to mellow out. We have been wide open for five years. We just wanted to give ourselves some time and make sure we were doing everything right and give ourselves the best shot going into the new year and see what we can do.
S.D.: After a tough start to the season at Perris when you got clobbered from behind, I think you rolled it into the trailer every night.
Tafoya: This year, I was really, really good on equipment. I really did not hurt much except maybe a bent axle or something minor like that.
S.D.: That has to feel good knowing you do not have to repair and replace a bunch of torn-up stuff.
Tafoya: Money wise it is always good. It is also good for your momentum. If you are tearing stuff up, you can kind of lose your way and get down. It can take too many races to get back to where you want to be. I like to keep pushing forward and not have too many setbacks. This year, we were really good about that stuff.
S.D.: Were you guys getting burned out?
Tafoya: It is not really the racing. It is all the stuff you have to do with a family team. Me and my dad are the only ones who do anything on our vehicles. We do have another guy, Curt, who helps me out a bunch. Other than that, when we break stuff or wreck stuff, it is just me and my dad in the shop late nights fixing stuff. It definitely takes a toll on you. Last year we were on the road traveling for eight weeks. It is just a big task to do when you both have full-time jobs. Between the both of us, we just kind of decided not to overwork ourselves this year.
S.D. What does the equipment situation look like for 2025?
Tafoya: We built a whole new car last year. Now I have three really, really good cars. So, we will just tear them down and rebuild them just to make sure we do not have any parts failures and stuff. As far as the package goes and our stuff, we are definitely happy with it. We are just going to make it nice and brand new again for next year.
S.D. Will you run the same type of schedule in 2025 as you did this year, or will you try chasing points?
Tafoya: I definitely want to do good in points, and a lot of cards have to fall in place. The last two years, we’ve had some freak stuff kind of go on that put us out of the points. Instead of banging our heads against the wall and scratch and claw for every point, we just kind of go to have fun and do the best we can do. That is usually when I am driving my best.
S.D.: So, you have some time to get away from the race cars right now. What are you going to do?
Tafoya: Yeah, for a little while. Off-season is not a full-time break for three months for sure. We will definitely go through our entire program and rebuild a lot of stuff and make sure we are all squared away and our ready to put our best foot forward in February.
S.D.: A couple of weeks ago, you told me you wanted to open the season in February in Florida with the USAC National Sprint Cars. Is it the same plan now?
Tafoya: The talk right now is to start in Florida in February, but that is about as far as it has gotten. We have our eyes set on that. See where it goes from there and just try to be in contention.
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
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