Tommy Dunkel Joins Usac/Cra Point Leader Brody Roa Saturday at Mohave Valley Raceway

There will be a bunch of firsts happening for the Inland Rigging Racing Team when it rolls into Arizona’s Mohave Valley Raceway this Saturday, April 1st.  For Brody Roa, it will be the initial time he has been first in USAC/CRA points when competing at the track and the first time he has driven a DRC chassis there.  For teammate Tommy Dunkel it will not only be his initial time on the banked 1/3 mile oval but also his first-ever USAC/CRA start.

Garden Grove, California’s Roa is off to a flying start in the USAC/CRA Series in  2023.  In late January he drove to victory in both season-opening races at Arizona’s Cocopah Speedway.   A few weeks later, the 2016 USAC West Coast and 2019 USAC Southwest Sprint Car champion placed second when Perris Auto Speedway opened the doors for its 27th season. 

The veteran racer’s early season prowess sees him carrying a 22-point lead into the Mohave race.  He also has an amazing 1.33 main event finishing average through the first three races. 

This weekend’s race will only mark Roa’s second time racing at Mohave.  Last October he dazzled the Arizona crowd by winning the main after starting the 30-lapper deep in the field in 11th.  It was his third USAC/CRA win of 2023.

“I thought it was a lot of fun,” Roa said of his first visit to the track.  “One and two, there is one fast lane around it.  Three and four developed nice where it is right on the lip on the top. The bottom is really difficult to hit.   I felt like I had to drive it really hard to make speed down there.  It was pretty cool the way the track developed and I had fun.   It was kind of technical and fitted my style.”

With last week’s rainouts at Kings Speedway in Hanford and the Thunderbowl Raceway in Tulare, Roa has not competed in two weeks.  He is starting with the car the way he has all year long.  So far with two wins, a second and the point lead after three races, things have worked out well.

“I am showing up exactly the same way I started at Perris,” Roa said.  “That is what our game plan has been with it (the new DRC) from Cocopah, to Perris in the races we ran with it.  Both those tracks I feel are significantly different and both drove really well. My plan this year is to not over think car set up.   I am really good at sitting there and thinking about what I can change to fix things that are not broken.  I am trying to show up the same and let the car drive the same every week.  It obviously goes pretty fast so I am not trying to over think it.”

Dunkel was in the top 10 at the Imperial Valley Raceway’s So Cal Non-Wing Open Comp. show last month when a steering issue parked him in the waning laps.  He is anxiously waiting for his first shot at “Arizona’s Baddest Bullring.” 

“I have never laid eyes on it,” Dunkel said of the Arizona track.  “It looks fast and it looks racy.   Going into this deal with Brody Roa, saying I am going in blind would be a false statement.  With all of their knowledge and experience and Brody winning the last time there in October, that gives me some confidence going in.  With those guys I know I am going in with top-notch equipment, top-notch setup, and crew guys.  Everything else is there, the final piece of the puzzle is just getting me up to speed.”

“Oh, big time, yeah,” Dunkel laughed when queried about being nervous racing in the USAC/CRA Series.  “Going to run against all of the names you grew up watching and rooting for all these years.  You see how fast these guys really are.  The nerves are high.  But at the green flag, the jitters pretty much go away for me, thankfully.  I am nervous leading up and nervous in staging.  As soon as the car fires off I am pretty good and when the green drops, there is no time to think about anything but going forward.”

Roa will be in his DRC with a Shaver 410, at Mohave.  Dunkel will be in another DRC with a Shaver 360. 

“We kind of made that decision at the last minute,” Dunkel related.  “Honestly, with my caliber of driving and my experience, a 360 is plenty for me right now.  360s have done pretty well there in the past.  I think I am going to be okay running it.  It is a big power 360, it is no slouch.  I think if I start running some CRA stuff at Perris later in the year, we are definitely going to throw the 410 in it.  Until we get to that point, we will keep on running the 360.”

To see the point leader and his new teammate in action on Saturday, the Mohave Valley Raceway is located at 2750 E. Laguna Rd. in Mohave Valley, Arizona (86440).  Gates at the popular track which is located just minutes away from the Colorado River and less than a half hour from downtown Laughlin, will open at 5:00 p.m.  The first green flag of the night will wave at 7:00.  Adult tickets are $25.00.  For seniors 60 and over and active military with proper id, it is $20.00.  Kids 6-12 get in for just $5.00 and children five and under are free.  It is cash only for tickets (no ATMs on site).  Concessions, souvenirs, and the beer garden take cash or cards.  For more information, the track website is https://www.mohavevalleyraceway.com/ and the office phone is (928) 346-6000.

As always, Roa would be more than happy to jump in a race car on his weekends off from the #17R. His entire schedule is printed below.  If anybody wishes to contact him about open dates, they can do so at 714-932-7994 or mailto:[email protected]    

The team wants to thank the following sponsors for making the 2023 season possible. Inland Rigging, Dunkel Farms, United Asset Sales, Osborne Speed & Machine, Sander Engineering, “Biker” Bruce Fischer, ALR Virtual Services, Burris Racing, Caltrol, Competition Suspension, K-1 Race Gear, Molecule, Rod End Supply, Driven Racing Oil, Baldwin Filters, and NGK Spark Plugs. 

BRP PR