Fresh off a trip to the Midwest for Indiana Sprint Week, California sprint car racer Brody Roa did what only six other drivers have done in 23 years of USAC/CRA Series racing. The veteran driver steered a 360 cubic inch car to victory when he bested the field before a sellout crowd at the Santa Maria Raceway last Saturday night.
Roa jumped into the Jayson May #8M for only the third time in 2022. The Garden Grove, Californian did admirably all night long against a field that was filled with the fastest non-wing 410 sprint cars on the West Coast. To start the night, he qualified seventh fastest in the 31-car field with a lap of 14.498.
That qualifying time placed the 31-year-old Roa in the third heat race. Starting on the inside of the next to the last row, the “Pride of Garden Grove” bobbed and weaved his way forward to finish third.
When the 30-lap main event rolled onto the 1/3-mile semi-banked oval that first hosted racing in 1964, Roa was on the pole in the white, bright orange, and blue #8M. However, the veteran racer had more to battle than just the other 21 cars in the field. Turns one and two had deteriorated by the time the main event rolled off and would add an extra challenge to all the drivers. In addition, the racing groove was very narrow and around the bottom in turns three and four. To say the least, it was a very technical track that was going to test the skills of all the drivers.
After the original start was botched due to several cars near the back getting together, Roa raced into the lead on the restart. He slowly but surely pulled out to about a five-car length advantage by the time lap five rolled around. He maintained that buffer until a red flag halted the action on lap nine.
When the race resumed, things had changed. The five-car length lead dissipated and the new second place driver, Tommy “Thunder” Malcolm, applied the heat to Roa. The race-long leader managed to fend off Malcolm’s challenges until turn four on lap 15 when the pursuer suddenly became the leader with an inside pass.
Being relegated to second did not deter Roa. He kept the heat on the new front-runner and six laps later, on the worn-out turn two surface, drove around him and reclaimed the lead. From that point on, Roa hit all his marks and went on to win his second consecutive USAC/CRA Sprint Car Series main by a comfortable margin.
“We were back and forth (in the pit area) after the heat race wondering if we should set it up for three and four or one and two,” the happy winner explained to the crowd after the race. “On a track as technical as that, this end was night and day different from that end. This Tommy Malcolm (second place finisher) kid might be here to stay. That was two in a row that I was worried about him. Congrats to him and his guys and congrats to Daniel Whitley on finishing third. I cannot say enough about this May Motorsports team. This is a 360 that Winfield builds. It is a family operation. They are awesome to be associated with.”
While he is not racing for points in USAC/CRA in 2022, Roa has clearly been the hottest driver in the series since the end of May. In the four starts since May 28th, he has a third-place finish, a second, and has won the last two races. That gives him a dazzling 1.75 main event finishing average in those events.
After taking this weekend off, Roa will be participating in one of the most popular races on the USAC/CRA Series Schedule, the annual California Racer’s Hall of Fame night at Perris Auto Speedway. On the Thursday before last year’s edition of the race, Roa flew with his wife Tailor and their daughter Addi to start their family vacation in Montana. At 6:00 AM on Saturday morning, Roa flew back to Southern California for the race. It proved to be a very smart decision. To start the night, he was fast qualifier (really, that is not a joke). He then placed second in the dash. In the 30-lap main event, he took the lead on lap 28 and went on to the victory. In addition, he also received the “In The Spirit Bagley Family Award” which went to the highest finishing family-owned car. At 6:00 a.m. on Sunday, he was back at the airport heading to Montana to rejoin the family in “Big Sky Country.”
In 2022, Roa is racing in the USAC/CRA, USAC National, and other select events, in his #91R BR Performance/HD Industries Eagle. He will also drive the #8M for May Motorsports in select USAC West Coast events. The 2019 USAC Southwest and 2017 USAC West Coast champion is always open to discussing other driving opportunities.
Roa and the team want to thank the following sponsors for making the 2022 season possible. HD Industries, Burris Racing, Sander Engineering, Inland Rigging, Caltrol, “Biker” Bruce Fischer, Competition Suspension, ALR Virtual Services, K-1 Race Gear, Molecule, Rod End Supply, Driven Racing Oil, Baldwin Filters, and NGK Spark Plugs. In addition, the veteran driver offers thanks to RDM Mechanics, Fastenal, Coopers Propane, Ten West Towing, Ten West Environmental, TJM Distribution, and Westco International for sponsoring the #8M he will pilot for Jayson May on 10 occasions in 2022.
If you or your company would like to jump on board and receive recognition as a team partner throughout the 2022 racing season, please give the two-time USAC champion racer a phone call or drop him a note at the contact information on the top of this release.
Fans can learn more about Roa and the team at https://www.brodyroa.com/. Fans can also check out the team news at Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/
To keep up with May Motorsports, please check out and “like” its Facebook page. https://www.facebook.
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