LINCOLN, Calif. – On Feb. 23, 19-year-old Tony Gualda won his first winged sprint car main at the Stockton Dirt Track.
It will certainly be the first of many.
First racing at age 5, Gualda started competing because he had family with a racing background. His great uncle, Ed Amador, was a three time Northern California Modified Ass’n champion, racing what were similar to sprint cars, but with a more coupe-like body.
Gualda grew up going to race tracks as his father was a crewman. Growing up in Hollister made Chowchilla the closest option for a 5-year-old to race a go-kart. His debut in the Barnburner series in a beginner box stock resulted, he believes, in a win to start a six year career in karts.
At age 11 Gualda moved to micro sprints in the restricted class after earning 54 wins in karts, including six track titles between the Chowchilla and Tulare kart ovals and three consecutive West Coast Shootout championships at Tulare.
His relatively short micro sprint career saw him race regularly at Delta Speedway in Stockton, with 10 podiums his first year and his first win at Lemoore Raceway in 2013. A move to non-winged micro sprints was considered, but instead he moved to non-winged spec sprints at Ocean Speedway.
Gualda figured that with the increased travel and costs needed to run a non-winged micro sprint, he could instead go with a full size non-winged sprint at much closer to home in Watsonville. Two wins came his way in 2014 and jumping to a winged 360 came to fruition over the winter.
A big step for Gualda was connecting, with Darin Smith set to be his crew chief, but engine troubles dominated his 2015 season, resulting in him racing only a handful of times. The following season was not much better as the now Roseville-based car saw action about a dozen times at Ocean Speedway and with the Civil War Sprint Car Series.
Gualda destroyed the car at Petaluma Speedway in mid-June of 2016 and suffered a concussion in the mishap. He sat out the rest of his season as his sprint car career continued to be more stop than start.
Everything changed for Gualda when he met Cody Geaney and Mandi Davis. The duo had been doing his shocks on his sprint and at the end of his 2016 season he heard that Geaney and Davis were thinking of putting him in their car.
In January he got the call from Geaney, stating they want him to drive their car for 14 or so races in 2017. Gualda’s first race for them was at his favorite track, Thunderbowl Raceway, and it was the very competitive Sprint Car Challenge Tour event.
Gualda set quick time in his heat race group, won his heat and finished 10th in his debut for the new team. He raced that car a few more times until it became available in June for a full-time ride.
His best finish in 2017 was a runner-up result at Marysville, working his way closer to his first win. He did have a life long thrill that year when he got to run his first Trophy Cup. He missed the main on Thursday, but qualified for the Friday feature and finished 12th.
Saturday he moved forward in his heat and was 17th in points, earning him the outside row starting spot in the 50-lap finale. He noted that while running third in the main he was excited watching Bud Kaeding and Ryan Bernal battling each other in front of him, two racers he grew up watching. He eventually finished 15th after getting involved in a tangle, but still had a memorable first Trophy Cup experience.
The following season was a full-time effort with the team and he came close to that first win, finishing second to Jason Solwold at Stockton and having many good runs at Placerville Speedway. Racing a winged 360 in 2018 for a full season provided experience and helped prepare him for 2019.
On Feb. 23 his day started with a morning live appearance at the track for a Sacramento TV station. During those TV laps Gualda noted the car felt very good and nothing was done to it as the afternoon race time approached.
Two sets of heats used passing/finishing points to select the top six for the redraw. Gualda did well in the heats and Davis drew the front row for the main. Gualda drove past Andy Forsberg on a lap-four restart and led the final 26 times around the three-eighths-mile oval for the memorable first winged 360 win.
This season Gualda will drive the same car in Sprint Car Challenge Tour events as well as race for the Placerville track title. If sponsorship comes along, something Gualda is working on now, he hopes to do some 410 racing.
He wheels an KPC (Kent Performance Center) chassis with Don Ott power. His sponsors include Moorfield Construction, Swartz Diesel, Hollister Auto Parts, Autoworks Repair, and Alturas Tires. He gives special thanks to Cody and Mandi, Lincoln, Calif., residents, for continuing to provide a ride.
As he has gained experience, Gualda offered this assessment of how things have changed for him.
“As I gained experience things slowed down which makes things easier,” Gualda said. “When you start you feel you are going 200 when you are really doing 80 or 90. With more laps things slow and you can make better decisions which ultimately makes you faster and a better race car driver.”
Gualda will be in action March 22-23 at Silver Dollar Speedway in Chico, Calif., and Marysville (Calif.) Raceway Park, driving the car owned by Doug Rutz of Langley, British Columbia. The following weekend he will be back in his regular ride for the Sprint Car Challenge Tour opener at Placerville Speedway.
Maybe win number two will occur later this month, but if not then it won’t be long until it comes along as well as many more.