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Aguilar Still Driven To Win

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By BILL GREEN

Tribune correspondent

Published: August 14, 2008

Joey Aguilar of Tampa is considered one of the bravest and most aggressive drivers in Florida, a fearless competitor.

This "Ace" is wild.

Aguilar, 37, drives the Doro Racing No. 52 winged asphalt sprint car as a regular with the Tampa Bay Area Racing Association (TBARA). His mission each time he races is to win - not just finish well, but go to the front.

When he was younger, he did it any way he could, usually ruffling a few feathers along the way. The new, mature Aguilar waits for the right moment and then strikes, passing opponents quickly.

"I started racing in go-karts and started winning right away," Aguilar said. "I did 15 years in karts before I even tried the sprints. So I was ready and knew what I was in for."

Aguilar is passionate about his racing, but has mellowed from the confrontations of his youth.

"I have my wife, Tiffany, and my son, little Joey, a family now, so I can't keep my old ways of dealing with frustrations that racing often brought," he said. "But, I love the feeling when you succeed, especially when I win. It keeps me going."

Aguilar's most recent victory came June 29 in the TBARA's 30-lap feature at Citrus County Speedway.

The TBARA holds winged-sprint car events at four Central Florida tracks during its 10-month season: DeSoto Super Speedway, Citrus County, Orlando Speedworld and New Smyrna Speedway. Up next is a doubleheader weekend, Sept. 5 at Orlando and Sept. 6 at Citrus County.

The season ends in November.

"I love that club," Aguilar said. "The TBARA is a great group of racers and I'm really proud to have raced with and won against the caliber of racers like David Steele and Wayne Reutimann. I hope I can stay competitive for many years to come."

As a general contractor, Aguilar has a business to run when he's not racing, but leaves the job site behind when at the track.

"I've never spent much time at the track thinking about a job I had to do on Monday, but boy have I spent plenty of hours at work thinking about, talking about and planning the racing weekend," he said, laughing.

But, Aguilar has thought about others. At every event, children in wheelchairs or groups of elderly race fans can be seen hanging out at the Doro Racing trailer, listening to Aguilar tell stories of races that got away or the big win coming that night. Aguilar and the whole race team enjoy their interactions with these special fans.

"I've always wanted to give back to the sport and people that have come to watch me race," he said. "It's great to talk to every one of them about the racing."

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