Two years ago when Eddie Tafoya Jr. was wrapping up the “Rookie of the Year Awards” in both the USAC/CRA and USAC Southwest Sprint Car Series, he caught the eye of fans and competitors at the nation’s premiere traditional sprint car race, the “Oval Nationals” at Perris Auto Speedway. This Thursday, Friday and Saturday, the Chino Hills, California driver will take his second shot at the race, and he hopes that his experience on the track in 2021 will propel him to a top finish.
On Thursday, November 17th, 2019, Tafoya started out his first “Oval Nationals” by qualifying 33rd fastest in the 42-car field. He followed that up by placing seventh in his heat race, 12th in the B Main and going from 28th on the start to 26th in the A Main. It was nothing special to steal anyone’s focus for sure, but the next night, early in the show he grabbed everyone’s attention by the jugular. With the same 42 cars on hand, he turned in a near flawless lap of 17.136 in qualifying. That was good for the sixth fastest time against a field of the best traditional sprint car drivers in North America. Later in the night he placed fifth in his heat, seventh in the B Main and went from the 26th starting spot to finish 19th in the A. The final night he was 27th quick, seventh in his heat, eighth in the B and 24th in the A Main after starting 26th.
This weekend Tafoya returns to the “Ovals” as a much more seasoned driver who has sparkled at Perris Auto Speedway all season long. The past PAS “Young Guns” champion has been one of the track’s most consistent drivers this year. In six starts at the facility that is only 35 miles from his home, the handsome racer has only finished out of the top five two times in 2021! His best result of the campaign was a third-place effort in July. Two weeks ago, he started 15th in the main and earned the race “Hard Charger Award” by finishing fifth. He also has two fourth place finishes at The PAS this year along with an eighth and an 18th in May’s annual “Salute to Indy.” However, that 18th-place finish is a bit deceiving. It was a race that had a plethora of yellow flags. Tafoya had stayed out of the chaos and late in the race he had second place sewed up. But the inordinate number of yellows bit him hard when he ran out of fuel with less than five laps to go.
Tafoya’s prowess at Perris bodes well for him this weekend. This year he missed four of the races in the series. The aforementioned performances at Perris made up a lot of ground for the missed events and at present, he has climbed all the way up to eighth in the championship standings.
In addition to his performances at Perris, Tafoya has picked up valuable experience racing out of state in 2021. He has journeyed to Indiana three separate times to race against the best traditional drivers in the nation. The treks across the country to the “Hoosier” State saw him race 12 times on eight different tracks.
Fans who want to watch Tafoya in action this weekend can get a triple dose of the affable driver as all three nights will be complete shows with qualifying, heats and main events. The gates at Perris Auto Speedway will open at 5:00 p.m. all three nights and the first green flag will wave at 7:00. There will be plenty of tickets for everyone at the ticket window. This race will not sell out. For those who wish, advance tickets are available 24-hours a day by calling 1-800-595-4849 or online at https://www.tix.com/ticket-sales/pas/7. The track is located on the Lake Perris Fairgrounds at 18700 Lake Perris Drive in Perris (92571). The track’s office phone is (951) 940-0134.
After this weekend’s Perris racing extravaganza, Tafoya and the Specialty Fasteners team will close the 2021 season by competing in the “54th Annual Western World Championships” on November 12th and 13th at the Arizona Speedway.
Fans can follow Tafoya on Instagram @eddietafoya51. The same contact point can be used to purchase his great looking shirts via mail.
Tafoya and his team would like to thank the following sponsors for being a part of the 2021 racing campaign. Specialty Fasteners, BR Performance, DRC Chassis, Ryder Racing Engines, Benic Enterprises, Simpson, and Bell. If you or your company would like to become a part of the team in 2021, please give them a call or send an Email to the contact information at the top of this press release.
Eddie Tafoya PR
