10/25/2026
🏁 2026 Barona Speedway is officially in the books! 🏁
First and foremost, Aldridge Racing would like to send a massive thank you to Todd and Trisha Salazar for giving us such an incredible place to race right in our backyard! 🏟️ We also know that it takes an army to make race day happen, so a huge shoutout goes to all the volunteers who work tirelessly on race days and in between events. You guys are the heartbeat of this track!
Of course, thank you to all the drivers who show up to compete every single race, and last but definitely not least... THE FANS! 🫵 Every single person who shows up to cheer us on makes it all worth it.
Saturday night was our season finale, which meant it was Trunk-or-Treat / Fan Appreciation night! 🎃🍬 There is nothing better than parking the race cars right on the track and having the drivers and pit crew pass out treats. The costumes this year were top-tier! We saw a fleet of dinosaurs 🦕🦖, princesses 👸, construction workers 👷♀️🦺, a full-on NASA Rocket 🚀, and plenty of future race car drivers! 🏎️
As for the racing, the track conditions started out great... until they weren't! Thanks to recent rain, the track held plenty of moisture. Hot laps and the heat race were phenomenal—the car was an absolute rocket! 🚀
We had 8 cars in the Sport Mods division. Our crew member, Kelly, checked us in and drew our pill, putting us right on the pole for the heat race. Took off at the start and built a massive lead for a minute, but then hit a rut in turns 3 and 4, allowing the #7 and #14 cars to catch up (making it a KR7 Chassis 1-2-3 running order!). Hit another nasty rut in turn 2 and washed up the track, letting the #7 take the lead momentarily. Luckily, the 4J clawed the lead back on the white flag 🏳️ and held on for the checkered flag! 🏁
Heat Race Finish: 4J, 7, 14, 47, 64, 25, 92, 62.
For the main feature, it was a draw/redraw format, and we pulled a 4—starting on the outside of the second row. The #47 and #64 led the field to the green flag. By lap 2, #47 had the lead, followed by 64, 7, 4J, 14, 25, 92, and 62. By lap 3, we fell back to 5th/6th, battling hard with the #25.
By this point, the car was absolutely angry 😡. It felt less like a smooth track and more like driving the Baja 500! Around the halfway mark, a caution came out. We restarted 5th, but the car was handling like a bucking bronco 🐂 at a rodeo. After battling hard for 4th with the #7 for a few laps, we crossed the line in 5th place... with a side order of a massive headache! 🤕
All in all, it was a great run for the KR7 chassis squad. A huge congratulations to the #47 team on taking the feature win 🏆 and locking up the Barona Track Championship! 👏 Also, a big shoutout to my buddy David Hunt Racing for jumping into the 16s of the 92 mobile—he had an awesome run.
Our next race is currently TBD. Time to tech the car, heal the headache, and get ready for whatever is next! Thank you all for an unforgettable 2026 season! 🤝🏁
cement cutting inc. Masters Of Demolition
Lifestyle Garage
KilpelaChassis “KR7” David Kilpela
Adfab Vinyl Graphics
Adams Accounting Lynette Adams
Wayne Millers Mobile Tire Inc
Bryans Racing Enterprises
Ron’s Speed Shop Ron Leslie
Mike Charlton Racing
Pops Tom Aldridge
