Ryan Truex finished in the sixth position in Saturday afternoon’s NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Texas Motor Speedway to claim the top-finished GR Supra position. Fellow Joe Gibbs Racing GR Supra drivers Ty Gibbs (12th) and Brandon Jones (14th) finished in the top-15 after sustaining damage in a caution-filled 250-mile event.

Toyota Racing Post-Race Recap

NASCAR Xfinity Series

Texas Motor Speedway

Race 12 of 33 – 250.5 miles, 167 laps

TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS

1st, Tyler Reddick*

2nd, William Byron*

3rd, Sam Mayer*

4th, Justin Allgaier*

5th, Austin Hill*

6th, RYAN TRUEX

12th, TY GIBBS

14th, BRANDON JONES

19th, JEFFREY EARNHARDT

27th, TIMMY HILL

*non-Toyota drive

TOYOTA QUOTES

RYAN TRUEX, No. 18 Toyota GR Supra, Joe Gibbs Racing

Finishing Position: 6th

How was your race today?

“I felt like stage two we really hit our stride and we were really fast. I feel like us and the 7 (Justin Allgaier) were the two strongest cars. I don’t know what happened that last stage, I don’t know if it was the set of tires or what, but we just gave up track position and never got it back. Sixth isn’t bad, but probably should have been top-two. It’s just tough to pass here and dirty air is really hard. The crew did really good. I really needed a green flag run and unfortunately everybody kept wrecking so we never really had those. I’ll take it, solid day.”

TY GIBBS, No. 54 Monster Energy Toyota GR Supra, Joe Gibbs Racing

Finishing Position: 12th

How was your race overall?

“We finished 12^th so not bad, but we got wrecked after the caution came out and got wrecked again. We never really got to show what we had it felt like. I felt like we were fast. Just with the traffic here. We made it to 17^th really quick, but then everyone was all stretched out and this track is just tough because you’re riding around and hoping for another caution to get back together. Never really got back to where we needed to be or where we should have been. Just a chaotic event and a wreckfest.”

How challenging was it to come from the back of the field at the start of the race?

“It was challenging, but when we got wrecked after that caution came out and wrecked again, just ruins your day. Have to keep going, but I never gave up and my guys never gave up. Came home with a 12^th place car and everyone around us looks better than us so that’s a good thing to say.”

BRANDON JONES, No. 19 Menards/Delta Faucets Toyota GR Supra, Joe Gibbs Racing

Finishing Position: 14th

How was your car in the race even with the significant damage to the nose?

“The GR Supra doesn’t look as pretty as it did to start. I hate that we got damage there. I had pretty good track position all day. We got back a little bit early on, but started to make gains in the right direction. All in all, we just missed it a little bit. We will come back here stronger and we know have have another race here in Texas later in the year. This is a key one always to try some stuff for the Playoffs and see if we can’t hit on something, but I think we were definitely better than we were in the past. Still need a little bit of work.”

With the damage, were you surprised you were able to take the lead on the restart?

“I think so. I think clean air here is a really big deal. It would have been interesting if we would have stayed out. I see the 21 finished decent. Just maybe something we tried there to see if it would work for later in the year. I don’t think it did. We’ll rebound and continue to push. We’ve got some good tracks coming up.”

TRD PR

Despite having to restart at the back twice due to getting caught up in others’ messes, Trent Williams came back to finish 13^th and roll his #51T back into the trailer after the USAC/CRA main event last Saturday at the Bakersfield Speedway.

The race was the first-ever for the Apple Valley, California racer on the 77-year-old 1/3 mile Kern County clay oval.  Despite that, “T-Dub” quickly adapted to the track and stopped the clocks at 13.587. That was the eighth quickest of the 22 cars that showed up on the pleasant spring evening.

After a seventh-place finish in his heat race, Williams was coming off the outside of the fifth row in the 30-lap main event.  With an ominous full moon hovering above, near-disaster struck at the end of the first circuit.  Chaos erupted just in front of him as he exited turn four. Williams did his best to steer through the mess, but he was nearly “Monster Trucked” from behind by another car trying to avoid the mayhem as well. 

Williams’ crew quickly got the car to the work area in the center of the track.  They looked it over and deemed it ready for the restart. Unfortunately, due to the tangle, he and the other cars involved had to go to the rear. 

Williams quickly worked his way up to 13^th, but a restart with 12 laps to go bit him again.  Cars tangled going into turn one and once again things were unavoidable and the Williams #52V got caught up in the bedlam. It was the same story as before as the crew checked over the car and sent him back on his way for round three. 

Over the last seven laps, Williams worked his way up to 13^th once again when the checkers ended the race.  While 13^th was not where he wanted to end up, the bright side was he finished and rolled the car into the trailer.  Thus far in 2022, he has finished every main event that he has started.          

One of the highlights of the night was watching the #52T’s crew in action.  Comprised of his father Ron, girlfriend Seattle, and his brother Jake, when they were not busy checking Williams’ car after the tangles, they pitched in and helped several other teams change flat tires in the work area during the 30-lap main event.    

Williams would like to thank marketing partners Victory Boys Performance, Sorrento Homes, and JasonR.Photos for making it possible to race his Maxim Chassis/Shaver Engines #52V during the 2022 season.  He also wants to send a special thanks to Russell and Jean Martin for the use of their truck and trailer to get the #52V to the track last week.  If you or your business would like to be a partner of the Victory Boys racing endeavors, please call (760) 780-8782 or  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. 

Trent Williams PR

Making only his second appearance at the Bakersfield Speedway, Eddie Tafoya Jr. avoided the chaos and placed fifth in the USAC/CRA Sprint Car Series main event last Saturday night.  It was his third top-five finish in 2022.

For Tafoya, who makes his home in Chino Hills, California, not only was it his second appearance at the track that is billed as “The West’s Fastest 1/3 Mile High Banked Clay Oval,” but it was his first time there since 2019.  His result on Saturday bodes well for the series’ next appearance there on Labor Day weekend.

Twenty-two cars showed up for the race on the Kern County clay oval. When qualifying began, it was obvious that it was a “Cowboy Up” track.  Tafoya was the first car out to qualify in the “PBR-Looking” session.  His first lap saw him bounce around the edge of the cushion in turn four and ended up at 14.411.  On the second lap, he lived up to his “Mr. Smooth” nickname.  He kept all four tires on the ground and stopped the clocks over a half-second faster at 13.804.  That was right in the middle of the field at 11^th fastest.

The Bakersfield crew did their magic on the track when time trials were over and it was much smoother throughout the remainder of the night.  Tafoya’s first opportunity to test the reworked surface came in the second 10-lap heat race.  The pretty #51T started on the inside of row two and ended up placing fifth.

For the 30-lap feature, Tafoya started on the inside of the sixth row in 11^th.  By the time the race survived one red flag and the first two yellows on lap seven, the #51T was running in fifth. That was a good thing as throughout the race, the yellow flag halted the action several times and all that trouble was behind him.  Tafoya stayed in fifth for the duration and earned his second top-five finish in the last three races.

In two races at Bakersfield in his young career, Tafoya’s consistent driving style has yielded fifth and sixth-place finishes. 

Last week’s result allowed Tafoya to maintain his fifth-place standing in the USAC/CRA Series.  Going into the next race at Perris Auto Speedway on May 28^th, he is only 23-points out of fourth.  Through the first nine races of the year, his finishing average is 8.88.  However, that included a three-race stretch in the middle portion of his schedule that saw him finish outside the top 10 (including one race at Perris when he was clobbered and had a car destroyed).  Take away those uncharacteristic outings and his finishing order in the other six races is an impressive 5.66. 

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 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. 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 Jr. 2022 Race Results

1-27  Cocopah Speedway          USAC/CRA Sprint Cars               7^th   A Main   

1-28  Cocopah Speedway           USAC/CRA Sprint Cars               9^th A Main

1-29  Cocopah Speedway           USAC/CRA Sprint Cars               2^nd A Main

3-26  Perris Auto Speedway      USAC/CRA Sprint Cars               18^th A Main

4-1    Keller Auto Speedway      USAC/CRA Sprint Cars               13^th A Main

4-2    Thunderbowl Raceway     USAC/CRA Sprint Cars               15^th A Main

4-23  Mohave Valley Raceway   USAC/CRA Sprint Cars               3^rd A Main

4-30  Perris Auto Speedway      USAC/CRA Sprint Cars               8^th A Main

5-14  Bakersfield Speedway      USAC/CRA Sprint Cars               5^th A Main

Eddie Tafoya PR

KBM PR

KBM PR

KBM PR

Following a pair of runner-up finishes in 2021 and a string of fast-times and dash wins, 17-year-old Joey Ancona of Concord finally tasted victory in the Ocean Sprints presented by Taco Bravo with his first win Friday night in Watsonville. Six different divisions were in action at Ocean Speedway, located at the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds.

Ancona drove around the outside of dash winner Jake Haulot of Cotati to lead the second lap of the 30-lap feature. Dirt.Travel fast-time winner Justin Sanders advanced from his fourth starting position to challenge Ancona in lapped traffic. The winner of nearly 50 Ocean Sprints features pulled alongside Ancona in turns three and four on lap 10, but his move was blocked by a slower car on the inside. Ancona maintained an advantage over Sanders until a caution fell on lap 23. Justin Sanders’ younger brother Rickey and Haulot crashed for third in turn four.

Ancona restarted with Justin Sanders and over 20-time winner Bud Kaeding in his trail. He was undeterred as he pulled away on the green flag. Two-time 2022 winner Tanner Carrick of Lincoln slowed on the restart with a flat right rear tire.

The lead for Ancona stretched to a few car lengths over the final two laps with Ancona topping Sanders, Kaeding, eighth-starting JJ Ringo, and 11th starting Chase Johnson of Penngrove. 16-year-old Max Mittry of Redding won the B-Main then finished tenth in the feature.

2020 IMCA Sport Mod champion Adrianne Frost won a popular victory in Friday’s Sport Mod feature. Oakley’s Jacob Mallet, Jr. leapt ahead from the pole position. His lead was short lived, however, when he spun in turn two requiring a caution on lap four. Fourth-starting Jonathan Hagio of Prunedale inherited the top spot. The caution flew again on lap nine when Markus Frazier from Santa Maria stopped on the backstretch.

Frost used the restart to show her nose inside of Hagio. Frost moved to the inside in turn two on lap 13 to drive into the lead on lap 14, with a caution flying a lap later for Cody Bryan spinning out. Oakley’s Andrew Pearce drove from his ninth starting position up into second on the restart, then challenged Frost. Pearce went to the outside of Frost but came up short. Forst topped Pearce, Hagio, Mallet, and Tracy’s KC Keller for the win.

San Jose’s Shawn Jones drove from 13th to the winner’s circle in the 20-lap South Bay Dwarf Car feature. Sean Catucci of Brentwood led the first three laps before seven-time 2022 winner Danny Wagner of Baypoint grabbed the point on lap four. Eric Weisler of Campbell spun for a caution on lap five. Jones advanced through the field quickly and emerged in third on the restart. Terre Rothweiler charged to third from the shotgun position on the field as well.

Jones took over the lead on lap 14 for the exciting victory, topping Wagner, Catucci, Marty Weisler, and San Jose’s Mark Biscardi.

The 15-lap Four Banger event opened with a duel between Scotts Valley’s Sean McClelland and Felton’s Nicole Beardsley. Beardsley knifed underneath McClelland to take the lead on lap nine, but the move was nullified when 14-year-old Amaya Flowers of Watsonville and Ryan Bowers of Brookdale collided in turn four to bring out the caution flag.

Beardsley made the maneuver on the restart to grab the lead on lap ten. Jason Lazzerini of Moss Landing entered the picture in the closing laps. Lazzerini moved inside Beardsley exiting turn four on the final lap. The leaders collided, sending Lazzerini sideways across the finish line for the win. Beardsley finished second ahead of McClelland, Kate Beardsley, and Travis VanGilder of Felton.

Chad Ragsdale of Merced topped Jerry Skelton of Watsonville in the Hobby Stock feature. Racing in memory of his wife Renee, Skelton led the first four laps side-by-side with Ragsdale. Ragsdale cleared Skelton for the top spot on lap five.

Joe Gallaher slowed on the front stretch with a flat right rear tire to bring out the yellow flag on lap nine. Ragsdale held off Skelton in a narrow battle to the finish. Wally Kennedy of Freedom, Brady Muller of Santa Cruz, and Gallaher rounded out the top-five.

Kevin Elliott of Scotts Valley PD dominated the 12-lap feature for the Police-in-Pursuit, leading wire-to-wire for the win. Hunter Gaither from Santa Cruz Corrections finished second while John Hohmann of Scotts Valley PD finished third.

Ocean Speedway will be dark on May 27 with racing returning on June 3. Action will include the Ocean Sprints presented by Taco Bravo, IMCA Modifieds, Hobby Stocks, Four Bangers, and South Bay Dwarf Cars.

Ocean Sprints Presented by Taco Bravo Feature – May 20, 2022 (30 Laps)

1. 88A-Joey Ancona[2]; 2. 2X-Justin Sanders[4]; 3. 69-Bud Kaeding[5]; 4. 2K-JJ Ringo[8]; 5. 28-Chase Johnson[11]; 6. 37-Steven Kent[7]; 7. 21X-Gauge Garcia[16]; 8. 2L-Logan Forler[12]; 9. 72W-Kurt Nelson[15]; 10. 2XM-Max Mittry[13]; 11. 3M-Adam Kaeding[14]; 12. 25Z-Jason Chisum[19]; 13. 61-Travis Labat[18]; 14. 5-Mark Chaves Jr[20]; 15. 46J-Geoffrey Grimm[22]; 16. 83T-Tanner Carrick[10]; 17. 7H-Jake Haulot[1]; 18. 17-Rickey Sanders[3]; 19. 38B-Blake Carrick[6]; 20. 41-Corey Day[9]; 21. 72S-Bradley Dillard[17]; 22. 6D-Josh Chisum[21]

Ocean Sprints PR