For the second time in the 2022 racing season, Eddie Tafoya Jr. will be headed to Arizona to compete in the USAC/CRA Sprint Car Series at a track he has never seen before. This week’s race will be at the Mohave Valley Raceway, which is located just minutes across the Arizona/California border.
Tafoya opened the 2022 campaign in the “Copper State” at the end of January with three nights of racing at the Cocopah Speedway, which is 161 miles south of Mohave. In those three nights, the Chino Hills, California driver recorded his three best finishes of the year thus far. He started his first Arizona trip since last November with a seventh-place finish. On night two he placed ninth and followed that up with a career-best USAC/CRA second-place finish before heading back to SoCal.
The three top-10 finishes saw Tafoya return to Southern California fourth in the USAC/CRA championship standings.
While his three finishes since his January sojourn to Arizona have not been to his usual standards – including one at Perris where he got clobbered and his car was destroyed – he is still sixth in the championship standings heading into Saturday’s race.
Saturday’s event will be the first sprint car race at the Mohave Valley Raceway since 1998. Past racers Ron and Bill Meyer took over the facility in 2021 and have made many improvements to the track including new lighting, a new sound system, a new catch fence, and a scoreboard that is on the way.
Saturday’s race will be the start of a busy stretch for Tafoya with four races in the next six weeks. On April 30th, he will be back at Perris Auto Speedway for the annual “Sokola Shootout.” After a Saturday off on May 7th, the #51T team will head to the Bakersfield Speedway for the first of two appearances in 2022. On May 28th, the team will be back on its home turf for the annual “Salute to Indy.”
For fans wanting to head to Mohave Valley for this week’s race, the track is located just a few miles from the Colorado River and is only 20 minutes from downtown Laughlin. The address for the track is 2750 East Laguna Road in Mohave Valley, AZ (86440). The track website is https://www.mohavevalleyraceway.com/ and the office phone is (928) 346-3000.
Spectator gates for Saturday’s race will open at 6:00 p.m. with racing at 7:00. Adult tickets are $20.00. The cost for seniors 60 and over and military with id is $18.00. It is only $5.00 for kids 6-10 and children 5 and under are free.
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 making the 2022 season possible.
If you or your company would like to be a part of the Specialty Fastener team’s 2022 season effort, please contact Eddie Tafoya Jr. via phone at (909) 393-3999 or by e-mail at [email protected]. He will be happy to talk to you and lay out the team’s 2022 plans.
Fans can follow Tafoya on Instagram @eddietafoya51. The same contact point can be used to purchase his great-looking shirts via mail.
Eddie Tafoya PR
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