Braden Chiaramonte Was Sprint Car Challenge Tour Hard Charger at Placerville
For Immediate Release
(El Cajon, CA, June 5, 2024) One of the sure things in West Coast Sprint Car racing is the fact that teenage sensation Braden Chiaramonte is not afraid to pass cars. Last Friday, at the Dave Bradway Jr Memorial opening night at the Placerville Speedway, the Elk Grove Ford Sprint Car Challenge Tour rookie demonstrated that by passing more cars in the main event than any other driver. Stuck back in 21st to start the 35-lap main, he raced under the checkered flag in 13th place. This Saturday night, he makes his first appearance at the Petaluma Speedway when the SCCT visits town.
A stout 40-car field converged on the famous high-banked red clay quarter-mile oval for round five of the 2024 SCCT season. For El Cajon, California-based Chiaramonte, the series rookie point leader, who was wheeling the Tiner/Hirst Slade Precision Shocks/Larry Davis Farms/System 1 Pro Ignition #94TH, it was his second showing at the track this year. The first appearance came three weeks earlier when he placed second in the regular Placerville 360 main event. That finish came just 24 hours after a third-place finish at another iconic California track, the Silver Dollar Speedway in Chico.
Chiaramonte qualified with 19 other cars in group A. His best lap, an 11.142, was 13th in the group and 25th fastest of the 40 winged cars on hand. That placed him on the inside of the fourth row of the first 10-lap heat race on the freshly watered track. He needed to place in the top five to earn a ticket directly to the A main. However, passing was at a premium at that time of the night. Only four cars, including Chiaramonte, advanced their position in the race, and all of them only moved up one spot. His sixth place finish left him one position shy of going straight into the main.
Starting third in the B main, Chiaramonte initially was running fourth. Staying dedicated to the high side of the 59-year-old track, he started flying on lap four and began picking off cars. Eventually getting up to second, he was dramatically closing on the leader who had a full straightaway advantage at one point. Coming off turn four with two laps to go, a lapped car spun to a stop directly in front of the young driver. With cat-like reflexes, Chiaramonte hit the brakes and steered to the inside. His car gained traction, the front wheels shot into the air, and he wheelied past the stopped car in spectacular fashion.
With three laps to go, Chiaramonte restarted the B main in second. Going into turn three, he used a textbook slide job to take the lead and impressively led the final three laps, earning himself a ticket into the A main.
To say Chiaramonte was starting deep in the main event field was an understatement. He was on the inside of the next to last row for the 35-lapper! Early on, he momentarily slipped back to 23rd. The young driver skillfully avoided the chaos that saw yellow and red flags in the main and methodically moved his way forward. By races end, his impressive performance saw him go all the way forward to 13th. While he officially passed eight cars as the PitStopUSA.com Hard Charger, being back to 23rd at one point means he raced past 10 other cars. The finish kept Chiaramonte in the sixth position in the SCCT championship chase heading into this week's race at the Petaluma.
Keeping up with the team’s crazy schedule, Chiaramonte hopped on a flight home to El Cajon early Saturday morning. As soon as he got home, the team jumped into the rig with the family-owned #73B and drove 195 miles to the Ultimate Sprint Car Race presented by Inland Rigging at the Ventura Raceway.
Unfortunately, the long trek to Ventura did not have a happy ending. After starting and finishing third in his heat, Chiaramonte started 10th in the main event. However, entering the first corner on lap two, something broke, and he went hard into the crash wall. While the young driver was uninjured, the car sustained substantial damage, and he was out for the night.
Fans who wish to see Chiaramonte in action at Petaluma on Saturday can find the track on the Sonoma-Marin Fairgrounds at 100 Fairgrounds Drive in Petaluma. Spectator gates open at 4:00 PM. Practice will be at 5:00, and the first race will take the green flag at 7:00. Adult tickets are $25. For seniors 65 and over and the military, it is $22.00. Juniors 12-15 and kids 6-11 are $10.00. Children 5 and under are free.
Chiaramonte flew to North Carolina two weeks ago to drive for his cousin, 2020 NASCAR Truck Champion and current Xfinity Series driver Sheldon Creed, at the famous Millbridge Speedway. Shoeing Creed’s 600 Micro for only his second time at the track, he qualified second quickest in his group on Monday. He went from fourth to second in his heat before getting clobbered and having the injection knocked off the car. Despite that, he still finished fourth. In the night's main, he started and finished 16th.
Twenty-four hours later, at Millbridge, Chiaramonte qualified 4th in Group B. He started on the outside of the front row for his heat race and picked up the checkered flag for the victory. In that night’s main event, he started third. At one point in the race, he drove up to the second-place. In the end, he ended up fifth. His performances on the two nights drew a lot of attention from other drivers, fans in attendance and thousands of others worldwide watching live on DirtVision.
Chiaramonte would like to thank all his sponsors who have made his racing efforts possible. RTL Traffic Control, AM Ortega, OCC Motorsports, Hyper Racing, Chop Design, Adams Motors, Hacienda Casa Blanca Fine Mexican Dining, Evil Plus Injection, King Racing Products, Tiner/Hirst, and Keizer Wheels.
If you would like to be a partner with one of America’s fastest-rising racing stars, please contact Daniel Chiaramonte via email at mailto:dchiaramonte@rtltraffic.com or by calling (619) 988-7563.
Braden Chiaramonte’s 2024 Results
- 2/24/24 - Perris Auto Speedway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars - 8th A Main
- 3/8/24 - Imperial Valley Raceway Imperial Valley 360/410 Sprint Cars - 5th A Main
- 3/9/24 - Imperial Valley Raceway Imperial Valley 360/410 Sprint Cars - 1st A Main
- 3/16/24 - Perris Auto Speedway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars - DNS
- 3/30/24 - Adobe Mountain Speedway Non-Wing 600 Outlaw Micro - 1st A Main
- 4/6/24 - Stockton Dirt Track Sprint Car Challenge Tour - 14th A Main
- 4/19/24 - Lemoore Jet Bowl Non-Wing Outlaw Micro - 7th A Main
- 4/20/24 - Merced Speedway Sprint Car Challenge Tour - 15th A Main
- 4/27/24 - Perris Auto Speedway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars - 20th A Main
- 5/11/24 - Silver Dollar Speedway Winged 360 Sprint Cars - 3rd A Main
- 5/12/24 - Placerville Speedway Winged 360 Sprint Cars - 2nd A Main
- 5/18/24 - Marysville Raceway Winged 360 Sprint Cars - 2nd A Main
- 5/21/24 - Millbridge Speedway 600cc Non Wing Micros - 16th A Main
- 5/22/24 - Millbridge Speedway 600cc Non Wing Micros - 5th A Main
- 5/25/24 - Marysville Raceway Sprint Car Challenge Tour - 13th A Main
- 5/31/24 - Placerville Speedway Sprint Car Challenge Tour - 13th A Main
- 6/1/24 - Ventura Raceway Ultimate Sprint Car Series - 21st A Main
This release was produced by Scott Daloisio. You can contact him online at :sdaloisiosports@gmail.com or by calling (909) 226-7768.
