Blaine Rocha‘s Mission is to Win at All American Speedway
Bakersfield, CA – Blaine Rocha will enter the 2024 season with the Spears SRL Southwest Tour Series on a mission. That mission is a third victory with the series, which opens its’ 24th season at ALL AMERICAN SPEEDWAY – ROSEVILLE CA on March 23rd. The “JM Environmental Inc. Wild West Shootout” will pay $10,000 to the winner and will be the 14th time the series has visited the popular 1/3-mile asphalt oval. It will be the fourth time the track has hosted a “Wild West Shootout” event, going back to 2020.
Rocha is hungry to pick up his third series victory, after nearly scoring a win in the “October Classic” at Kevin Harvick’s Kern Raceway in the season finale. Rocha dominated the event but blew a tire with six laps remaining, and a straightaway lead. In his prior event, Rocha finished third at Stockton 99 Speedway – Stockton Ca, just missing the win again. Much of his 2023 efforts were plagued with bad luck as transmission failure ended his afternoon in the “All-Star Showdown” at Irwindale Speedway. Battery issues ended a top-five run at Colorado National Speedway (CO), and an accident claimed a strong run in the “Winter Showdown” at KCRP, after leading 40 laps.
But through the bad luck, Rocha was fast. He earned three PFC Brakes “Zero Drag Fast Time Awards” and averaged a league best qualifying average of only 2.0. He ultimately finished 10th in the championship standings, after participating in six of nine events. He led three events for 146 laps.
“It’s been a long time since we have won, but I know we have cars that can win, so that’s a big confidence booster coming into the season”, Rocha stated. “I was ready for Irwindale (the postponed “All-StarShowdown”), and we will be ready for Roseville. Hopefully 2024 brings Blaine Rocha some luck. We could use some wins for the team and myself. I feel that we deserve it, but we will see at Roseville. We have been good there in the past. I’m happy every time I get to go to the racetrack with my guys, we are going to win this year.”
His last official series win was in 2017. He has finished runner-up three times since that Bakersfield victory. This will be Rocha’s fifth start at All American Speedway in a Super Late Model. His best finish was a fourth in the “JM Environmental Wild West Shootout Are Your Ready 147 presented by 51 FIFTY” in 2021. Rocha will go up against a strong field of Super Late Model competitors, but it would be to no one’s surprise to see the #98 back in Victory Lane, with the support of his team and sponsors.
“I can’t thank the Strmiska family, Duane Sharp, and Gary Crooks with Port City Racecars for all their continued hard work. I really want to get my guys a win. We need that confidence booster”, Rocha emphasized. “I would also like to thank my sponsors; Masellis Drilling, HCI Docks, Pacific State Pipe, Deniz Bros Ag, Rocha’s Valley Enterprises, and Frontier Performance Lubricants.”
Celebrating its twenty fourth season in 2024, the SPEARS Southwest Tour Series is a regional stock car series competing on paved ovals in the southwestern portion of the U.S. “The SPEARS Southwest Tour Series…Where the Champions Race”.
