Tony Gualda’s nickname is slightly misleading.
Affectionally called ‘Little Tony’ by those around him, Gualda
is small in stature and he shares his namesake with his father.
Off the race track,
”
Little Tony
”
fits perfectly, but on the track it is an entirely different
story.
Tony Gualda’s nickname is slightly misleading.
Affectionally called ‘Little Tony’ by those around him, Gualda is small in stature and he shares his namesake with his father.
Off the race track, “Little Tony” fits perfectly, but on the track it is an entirely different story.
The 11-year-old racer has been involved with racing since the age 5, when his father introduced him to the race track. Since then, Gualda has dedicated most of his free time harnessing his craft and becoming one of the best drivers – for his age – in the area.
“He is just a natural,” his father Tony Gualda said. “I would be stupid not to let him do it.”
Despite being younger and smaller than most of his competitors, Gualda has dominated in his first year racing at the Delta Speedway in Stockton.
Driving in the 600cc 5/8 Restricted series for the first time, Gualda is in third place in the overall standings after finishing in second place four times during the year.
Despite all of his success, Gualda is still looking for his first win. But he expects that win to come soon.
“I just have to trust my driving,” he said.
So far that seems to be working.
In his last race July 30, Gualda finished in second place just two seconds behind the first place winner. In the race, Gualda trailed by a large margin before he finished the 20-lap race by closing a large gap between him and the winner.
The finish gave Gualda the rookie point lead at Delta Speedway.
Gualda doesn’t expect to win the circuit, but he does expect to finish as the best rookie driver.
“That was one of my goals,” he said.
But the circuit is only a stepping stone for his ultimate goal of becoming an World of Outlaw sprint car racer, despite the push to stock car driving from some of those around him.
“Everyone says he should go into NASCAR because that’s where the money is,” father Tony Gualda said. “But his mind is made up. He wants to be an Outlaw driver.”
World of Outlaw sprint car driving is raced on a dirt track – unlike the asphalt roads of stock car driving.
Gualda’s affection for sprint racing came at an early age as he attentively watched the wings of the sprint cars, his father said.
“I could barely see the wings move, but he could,” said the elder Gualda. “He not only could see them but he knew why they were moving.”
Father Tony Gualda knew racing was in his son’s blood.
“He could watch and see what was going on the track,” father Gualda said.
The young Gualda can remember watching Outlaw driver Jason Meyers race around the track. Watching him closely, Gualda was able to mimic Meyers’ movements on the track.
“I wanted to drive like him,” he said. “He was taking the high side to cut into the inside path and take the lead.”
Gualda was a sponge for racing information.
“I would be a fool to not have him in a car,” father Gualda said.
To hone his skills, Gualda uses racing simulation program called iRacing. Gualda is one of the youngest racers to ever grab a Class A ranking in the simulation.
As a spokesman for the simulation machine, Gualda has helped trained former San Jose Sharks winger Devin Setoguchi and Sharks player Ryane Clowe.
Despite the many hours of practice and risk for possible injury, the elder Gualda only wants his son to have fun and meet his dream of becoming a professional racer.
“I’m happy to see my son realizing his dream,” he said. “All I can do is help him along the way.”
