BRODY ROA TAKES HIS THIRD USAC/CRA WIN OF 2023 AT KINGS SPEEDWAY IN HANFORD
(Cypress, CA, April 25, 2023) Brody Roa turned in another stellar performance in the Inland Rigging #17R and won his third USAC/CRA Sprint Car Series main event in the Spanky Matthews Memorial last Saturday at the Kings Speedway in Hanford. Leading the last 25-laps, the hard fought victory allowed him to extend his advantage in the championship standings to 79-points heading into this Saturday’s race at the Kern County Raceway Park in Bakersfield.
Last Saturday’s race was slated to be the second of the year on the 4/10 mile banked clay oval at the Kings County Fairgrounds. However, the first race there on March 24th was canceled due to rain.
When Roa and the team arrived for last Saturday’s race, the crew was a little slimmer than normal as some members had commitments that kept them from attending the event. Only Roa, his father Brett, and team owner Tommy Dunkel were wrenching on the car.
After winning the first two races of the year at Cocopah Speedway near Yuma, Arizona on the last weekend in January, Roa had gone three races without finishing first. However, in the three series races between his Yuma and Hanford victories, he had second-place finishes at Perris and Mohave as well as a fifth at Perris one week before his latest triumph.
Saturday started off with Roa steering the #17R to the third fastest time in qualifying with a lap of 16.255. That proved to be the only time the Garden Grove, Californian finished anywhere but first on the night. For his 10-lap heat race, he started fifth but quickly weaved his way to the lead. Coming off turn four on the first lap, he steered the Inland Rigging Special into second and then commandeered the lead in turn one on the second lap. Once out front, he led the remainder of the way and scored the win by about four-car lengths.
For the main, “The Pride of Garden Grove” began the race on the inside of row five. However, he was not there for long. With a spectacular start, he momentarily poked his nose into second in turn two on the very first circuit. He did drop back to third but make no mistake about it, the competition knew the heat was going to be on. A picture perfect slider in turn two on the third lap shot Roa into second place. He then chased down the leader and in another sweet move, took over the top spot in turn four on lap five.
By the end of the 10th circuit, Roa had established a half-straightaway lead and it looked like it was going to be a walk in the park. As things turned out after a lap 11 yellow, the veteran driver had to fight hard to maintain the top spot and score the win.
Roa continued to set the pace when the green flag came out but he was under big-time fire. In fact, the second place car poked his nose ahead of the point leader in turn four on lap 13. Roa managed to fight off that advance. Several times in the remaining laps the second-place car made concerted advances and a couple of times pulled alongside the leader. Each time Roa repelled the attempts. After fending off one last try to relieve him of the lead coming off four on the final lap, Roa won the main by three-car lengths.
“When he (second place finisher Austin Williams) was trying to slide me, I knew he was probably running the top down here (turns one and two) and getting a run,” the happy Roa said after the race. “I didn’t want to change it up and be open for a slider down there. I was really kind of running defensive as soon as he showed me a nose. I knew we were faster than what we were. I just didn’t want to open it up for him to get in there. Congratulations to those guys. I think they may have been a little bit better (than himself) than us. I don’t know.”
“Kind of taking a year off (from USAC/CRA) last year and this year coming back and running for the championship again, we are off to a killer start with this new team,” Roa continued. “Inland Rigging, Dunkel Farms and the Dunkel family came on board this year to make this happen. In January I was not sure I was going to race past Cocopah. Thanks to them and all of my other supporters including my wife and family, and daughter.”
Roa gets right back at it this Saturday when the series makes its only 2023 stop at the Kern County Raceway Park in Bakersfield. His last series appearance at the track in March 2021 was a two-night affair. He led 44 of the 60 main event laps that weekend. On the first night, he had the yellow flag-plagued main event in the bag when he ran out of fuel with five laps remaining. After getting fuel he restarted at the back and drove all the way up to seventh at the finish. The following night he led the 1st 22 laps before getting tangled up with lap traffic and eventually placing second.
Kern County Raceway Park, the site of this Saturday’s race, is located at 13500 Raceway Boulevard, Interstate 5, and Enos Lane in Bakersfield. Spectator gates will open at 5:00 p.m. with cars on the track for wheel packing at 5:45 and racing at 7:00. Adult tickets are $25.00. For juniors 6-10 it is $10.00 and children 5 and under are free. There is free overnight camping at the facility. The track website is https://www.kernraceway.com/ and the office phone is 661-835-1264.
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:brodyroa91@gmail.com
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.
Brody Roa’s 2023 Schedule and Race Results
January 27 Cocopah Speedway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars 1st A Main
January 28 Cocopah Speedway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars 1st A Main
February 25 Kern County Raceway Park USAC West Coast Sprint Cars Rained Out
March 3 Central Arizona Raceway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars Rained Out
March 4 Central Arizona Raceway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars Rained Out
March 11 Imperial Valley Raceway SoCal Open Comp 17th A Main
March 18 Perris Auto Speedway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars 2nd A Main
March 24 Kings Speedway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars Rained Out
March 25 Thunderbowl Raceway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars Rained Out
April 1 Mohave Valley Raceway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars 2nd A Main
April 15 Perris Auto Speedway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars 5th A Main
April 22 Thunderbowl Raceway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars 1st A Main
April 29 Kern County Raceway Park USAC/CRA Sprint Cars
May 6 Mohave Valley Raceway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars
May 20 Thunderbowl Raceway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars
May 27 Perris Auto Speedway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars
June 10 Perris Auto Speedway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars
June 24 Bakersfield Speedway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars
July 1 Santa Maria Raceway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars
July 15 Perris Auto Speedway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars
August 12 Santa Maria Raceway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars
August 19 Perris Auto Speedway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars
August 26 TBA USAC/CRA Sprint Cars
September 9 Santa Maria Raceway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars
September 23 Perris Auto Speedway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars
October 14 Mohave Valley Raceway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars
October 20 Imperial Valley Raceway SoCal Open Comp
October 21 Imperial Valley Raceway SoCal Open Comp
November 3 Central Arizona Speedway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars
November 4 Central Arizona Speedway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars
November 11 Perris Auto Speedway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars
Tom Dunkel’s 2023 Racing Results
January 12 Chili Bowl Midget Nationals Prelim. Night 12th C Main
March 11 Imperial Valley Raceway SoCal Open Comp 16th A Main
April 1 Mohave Valley Raceway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars 9th B Main
April 8 Ventura Raceway VRA Sprint Cars 1st A Main
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This release was produced by Scott Daloisio Sports (909) 226-7768 mailto:sdaloisiosports@gmail.com
