Braden Chiaramonte Made an Incredible 410 Sprint Car Debut Last Week – This Week It Is Oklahome for Keith Kunz Giveback Classis
For Immediate Release: BRADEN CHIARAMONTE MADE AN INCREDIBLE 410 SPRINT CAR DEBUT LAST WEEK - THIS WEEK IT IS OKLAHOMA FOR KEITH KUNZ GIVEBACK CLASSIC
(El Cajon, CA, October 18, 2023) When it comes to dirt track racing, 410 non-wing sprint cars strike fear into the hearts of many. They are extremely ferocious and very hard to learn how to drive. Apparently, nobody advised 16-year-old rising star Braden Chiaramonte of those facts. Last Saturday night at Arizona’s Mohave Valley Raceway, the young driver made his 410 debut, looked like a veteran, and quickly became the crowd favorite.
The trip marked Chiaramonte’s third time at the Arizona track. Two and a half years ago, the then 13-year-old placed fourth and fifth in a pair of POWRi Southwest Lightning Sprint Car Series races there. Earlier this year, he appeared at the track in a non-wing 360 sprint car for a USAC/CRA 410 race but engine problems knocked him out before the main event.
Competing in one of the toughest non-wing series in the nation, USAC/CRA, no one could have predicted what the affable driver achieved on his first night in a 410. Being the fastest of the 27 cars on hand in hot laps drew some attention. Of course, it was not a big deal because it was only hot laps. However, minutes later in qualifying, he hit the attention button of those on hand with a sledgehammer. He turned in a lap of 14.497. That was the third fastest time of the night! Suddenly he had everyone’s full attention.
Being the third fastest qualifier meant that Chiaramonte would start sixth in his heat race. He had to finish fourth or better to go straight to the main event. He missed that position by two spots, finishing sixth. Without having a provisional at his disposal, the teen had to go to the 15-car B main where he would have to finish 10th or better to get into the A main event. He easily accomplished that by placing fourth and booking his ticket into the A main.
Unfortunately, missing the transfer in his heat meant that Chiaramonte would have to start the 30-lap A main in ninth. Of course, that made things much more exciting for the fans as he had some fast, wily veterans starting in front of him. What happened in the main was not only shocking, but it was magical. Starting ninth, he raced his way all the way up to fifth by the end of the second circuit. A yellow about 1/3 of the way through the race, saw him in sixth.
At one point, Chiaramonte slipped as far back as ninth. However, in the second half of the race, he went to the outside and put on a show. Running seventh, he rim rode around two cars coming off turn four and was suddenly up to fifth. Two laps later he blew by two more cars and was up to third, but with time running out, he was a long way behind the second-place car. Dramatically, he chopped down the second-place car's advantage and flew past him as well. It was clear to everyone in the crowd that at that point, he was the fastest driver on the track. The question was, could he chase down and pass the leader?
The driver of the car in front won a Midwest championship this year and more main events than any other non-wing 410 driver in the nation. By the end of lap 19 with the large crowd cheering him on, Chiaramonte had chopped the leader’s advantage down. They were side by side coming off turn four. As they sped by the starters stand, Chiaramonte inched ahead going into the corner. The leader changed lines and slid up to the top where Chiaramonte was running. With a big drive off turn two, Chiaramonte used his patented cut-back move from micros and was pulling alongside the leader. Simultaneously the yellow flag came out relegating the teen back to second.
Once again, Chiaramonte was the pursuer. The leader wisely stayed on the top and kept his young foe at bay. Chiaramonte remained second until he got over the cushion coming off turn four with six laps to go. He quickly recovered but was back to third. A slip on the back chute on the last lap momentarily slowed his progress. He got right back on the throttle, but the loss of momentum saw him edged for third place in a photo finish.
Less than 48 hours after his thrilling exploits in the “Grand Canyon State,” Chiaramonte and his team were on the road to Tulsa, Oklahoma’s Port City Raceway and the 5th Annual Keith Kunz Giveback Classic. The race takes place this Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, October 19th, 20th and 21st. The preliminaries will be on Thursday and Friday. The finale will take place on Saturday. Chiaramonte, who will be driving the family-owned #73B in the Non Wing Outlaw class, will contest his preliminary on Thursday. Last year, 117 cars showed up at Tulsa. Chiaramonte, who was 15 at the time, placed eighth in the Friday A main and 15th in the Saturday final.
All three nights of this year’s Keith Kunz Giveback Classic will be available on Flo Racing. For more information or to subscribe, use the following link https://www.floracing.com/.
Chiaramonte would like to thank all his sponsors who have made his racing efforts possible. RTL Traffic Control, AM Ortega, Hyper Racing, Chop Design, Adams Motors, Hacienda Casa Blanca Fine Mexican Dining, Evil Plus Injection, King Racing Products, Tiner-Hirst Enterprises, and Keizer Wheels.
Chiaramonte and his team are in the midst of a busy racing season. If you are interested in becoming a marketing partner with one of the most talented and personable young drivers in the sport, please feel free to call or e-mail Daniel Chiaramonte mailto:dchiaramonte@rtltraffic.com or (619) 988 7563.
Braden Chiaramonte Racing
9632 Pine Blossom Road
El Cajon, CA 92021
(619) 988-7563
mailto:dchiaramonte@rtltraffic.com
For Further Information contact Daniel Chiaramonte at mailto:dchiaramonte@rtltraffic.com or (619) 988-7563
