By Scott Daloisio
Perris, California — May 19, 2026 — When Heimark Distributors presents the Avanti Windows and Doors USAC/CRA Sprint Cars for the Salute to Indy this Saturday night, May 23, fans will be thrilled to see the return of a longtime favorite and the debut of an exciting young newcomer. The familiar face is Brody Roa, winner of the 2021 Salute to Indy. The new face is local teenager Drake Cardey, who currently leads the USAC Western Midget Championship standings.
“It will be great to see Brody back on the track,” promoter Don Kazarian said on Tuesday. “He is a great driver who always shows up with his equipment immaculately prepared and ready to win. On top of everything else, he is great with the fans. He will be a welcome addition to the field on Saturday.”
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Brody Roa at Perris in 2025. Doug Allen photo.
Roa, who lives in Garden Grove, California, has not raced since competing in the Chili Bowl Midget Nationals in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in January. He has not driven a sprint car since recording a sixth-place finish nearly seven months ago at The PAS. Overall, the likable veteran made 10 starts on the famous Riverside County half-mile clay oval in 2025. He finished eighth or better nine times and recorded four top-five finishes, including a victory on October 18th.
Roa has been sidelined this season while waiting for work to be completed on a new-to-him 410 engine. With that work now finished, the 2021 Salute to Indy winner, 2023 USAC/CRA Champion, 2019 USAC Southwest Champion, and 2016 USAC West Coast Champion will be ready to contend for the victory on Saturday night.
On the other side of the coin is teenager Cardey, who lives in Riverside, California. While he will be making his sprint car debut in one of Tom and Christy Dunkel’s Inland Rigging cars on Saturday, the Cardey name has been a familiar one at The PAS since 2003. That year, his father, David, went undefeated at the track on his way to the California Lightning Sprint Car Championship. In addition, his mother, Danita, has a section of the grandstands named after her.
The effervescent teen is no stranger to racing. In fact, quite the opposite. He has competed in pavement and dirt karts, Speedway Sprints at Wheel2Wheel Raceway in Victorville, lightning sprints, and midgets. Last season, he raced in the California Lightning Sprint Car Series, where he captured Rookie of the Year honors and finished second in the championship point standings.
This season, he is a rookie in the USAC Western States Midget Series. In only his fourth start with the series, he scored a victory at Imperial Valley Raceway. Through five races, he has also recorded two runner-up finishes, a fourth-place result, and an eighth-place finish. Add it all together, and he currently leads both the series championship standings and the Rookie of the Year chase.
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Drake Cardey after his USAC Western States Midget win at Imperial Valley. Cardey family photo.
“Drake Cardey is a chip off the old block,” Kazarian said. “He is a true rising star in racing. His poise behind the wheel is incredible for such a young driver. He is smooth, fast, and patient. In addition, he is going to be in a top-of-the-line car. I am really excited to see him in action on Saturday night.”
Joining the stars and cars from the USAC/CRA Series will be the fastest stock cars at The PAS, the PASSCAR Super Stocks, and PASSCAR Street Stocks. The Street Stocks will be racing for a $2,000 winner’s purse based on 17 entries.
In addition to the great racing, five lucky fans will take home kids’ bicycles after the races. Every fan will receive a free raffle ticket, and at intermission, five winning tickets will be drawn for the bicycle giveaway.
Intermission will also feature a kids’ dance contest with prizes for lucky participants, as well as t-shirt launches into the crowd.
Spectator gates will open at 5:00 p.m. with racing at 7:00 p.m. Adult tickets are $30. Seniors 65 and over are $25. Students ages 13–17 with a school ID are $15. Kids ages 6–12 are $10, and children 5 and under are free. Active military members with proper ID will be admitted for just $5. Parking is $20, and parking payments are by card only.
Advance tickets for all 2026 PAS races are available at tix.com. For fans who do not wish to purchase advance tickets, plenty of tickets will be available at the ticket windows on race night.