Barona Speedway concluded its 2024 season October 26, and a second-place finish by Tommy Myers Jr. in the Masters Mini-Dwarfs main event gave the Murrieta 13-year-old third place in the final season points standings.
Grace Escalante of Yuma won the division championship with 574 position points accumulated during the season’s 15 races. Brysen Byford of San Diego won the October 26 main event and had the second-place season total of 523 points. Myers finished the season with 505 points. The fourth-place total of 493 points was obtained by San Diego driver Jackson Reiter.
“I think it was a pretty decent season,” Myers said.
The driver ages for Barona’s junior classes utilize the birthday prior to or during the current race season. Myers turned 13 on September 21. The Mini-Dwarfs have a Masters class for drivers 9 to 14 and a Sportsman division for ages 5 to 8. The Junior Sprints are for drivers ages 11 to 14; Myers also drove a Junior Sprint during the season and placed eighth in the standings. Myers entered the season’s final night seventh in the Junior Sprints standings but did not finish that main event while San Marcos driver Kellen O’Connor finished sixth in that race to edge Myers for seventh place by one point.
Both of Myers’ parents were raised in the City of San Diego; Tommy Myers Sr. lived in Pacific Beach while Crystal Myers is a former Mira Mesa resident. The family moved from Carlsbad to Murrieta when Tommy Myers Jr. was five years old.
Neither of Myers’ parents raced. Myers decided to become a racecar driver after watching NASCAR on television.
Myers began his racing career in 2023 with a Masters Mini-Dwarf. He competed in 14 Barona Speedway races last year, placed fourth in the standings, and won the July 21 main event. He finished second and third in his final two Barona Speedway main events of 2023. Cocopah Speedway (east of Yuma) had two Thanksgiving Weekend races, and Myers finished second in both of those main events.
During the 2024 season Myers had ten Mini-Dwarfs finishes in the top five and took second place four times. Myers won his October 12 Mini‑Dwarf heat and was ninth in that night’s main event.
Escalante and Myers were in the same heat race October 26 with Escalante starting on the pole and Myers beginning the eight-lap race on the outside of the front row. Escalante won the heat and Myers took second. Myers was fourth in his Junior Sprints heat race that night.
Myers began the 20-lap main event on the pole. Byford was in fourth after a yellow flag caution and subsequent restart and passed the three drivers ahead of him, including Myers, on the outside. Byford had to maneuver around a lapped car on the final lap, allowing Myers to close the gap, but Byford still had the preferred line and edged Myers.
“I think it’s a pretty good finish,” Myers said. “It feels pretty good to get second in my final race in a Mini-Dwarf.”
Myers will be driving only a Junior Sprint next year. A Barona Speedway driver must be 14 except in the junior divisions, and Myers plans to drive in the Lightning Sprints class in 2026.
“Chase your dreams, don’t give up, and try to stay strong,” Myers said.
Joe Naiman can be reached by email at jnaiman@reedermedia.com.
