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Chino Hills, CA — March 25, 2026 — Eddie Tafoya Jr. kept his strong 2026 campaign rolling with a hard-fought for fifth-place finish in last Saturday night’s 30-lap Avanti Windows and Doors USAC/CRA Sprint Car Series main event at Perris Auto Speedway. Through four starts this season, Tafoya has yet to finish outside the top six.

On a night that felt more like mid-summer than early spring, Tafoya stopped the clocks at 17.312, good for the seventh-fastest time on the fast, half-mile clay oval.

After a third-place run in his eight-lap heat race, Tafoya lined up seventh for the feature. When the green flag dropped, the 2019 USAC/CRA Rookie of the Year wasted no time electrifying the crowd, slicing through the field, and quickly surging into second.

Under the bright lights surrounding the famous track, the Chino Hills driver stayed glued to the leader through the first half of the race. With the frontrunner hugging the bottom groove, Tafoya made multiple bids for the lead, nearly pulling off a pass on more than one occasion exiting turn two before the leader was able to shut the door.

Refusing to fade, Tafoya remained in the thick of the fight to the checkered flag, guiding the beautiful #51T home in fifth. The finish gives the veteran racer four top-six results in four starts this year, with his best performance being a third-place finish at Arizona’s Mohave Valley Raceway on February 28.

Tafoya, 28, will return to Perris on April 11, the same track where he captured the 2018 Perris Auto Speedway Young Guns track championship. He will be chasing his best-ever PAS finish — a third on July 17, 2021 — while also aiming to top his career-best USAC/CRA result, a second-place finish at Cocopah Speedway on January 29, 2022. Given his early-season speed and consistent presence near the front, both marks are well within reach.

Spectator gates for the April 11 race will open at 5:00 p.m., with racing at 7:00. Adult tickets are $30.00. Seniors (65 and over) are $25.00. Students (ages 13–17 with school ID) are $15.00, and children (ages 6–12) are $10.00. Active military with proper ID are admitted for $5.00, and children five and under are free. Fairgrounds parking is $20 (card only). Advance tickets are available now at https://www.tix.com/search/.

Perris Auto Speedway is located on the Lake Perris Fairgrounds at 18700 Lake Perris Drive in the City of Perris. For more information, visit perrisautospeedway.com or call 951-940-0134.

Eddie Tafoya can be followed on Instagram at eddietafoya51.

Team Tafoya Racing would like to thank Specialty Fasteners, BR Motorsports, King Racing Products, Gasper Transportation, CMI Precision Machining, Owen’s Insurance Services, Keen Concrete, DRC Chassis, and Rider Racing Engines for their continued support of the 2025 season. If you would like to join forces with the team for another fun and exciting year of racing in 2026, please contact Tafoya at Eddie Tafoya Jr. at (909) 393-3999 or mailto:teamtafoya@aol.com