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2023 Ultimate Street Car Association Event At Thunderhill Raceway

WILLOWS, CA – Falken Tires, a subsidiary of Sumitomo Rubber North America (SRNA) and a leading manufacturer of high performance tires for cars, trucks, SUVs and CUVs, earned four class podiums from the new season’s opening event of the 2023 Ultimate Street Car Association (USCA) at Thunderhill Raceway Park this past weekend.

Driver Bob Sobey, running a 2013 Nissan GT-R on Falken Azenis RT660 tires – as did all Falken drivers – took 1st place in the GTS class and Jordan Priestley, campaigning a 2021 Tesla Model 3, followed in 2nd in the same class. After round one, these two are the top points leaders among all entrants and classes on the basis of their stellar performances during the competition. Sobey earned 493 total points, with Priestley just five behind at 488 points.

In the GTL class, David Carroll in a 1975 Datsun 280z earned 1st, while Austin Keys, driving his 2002 Subaru WRX, took 2nd.

Sponsored by Optima Batteries, the USCA is a sanctioning body formed to create safe, fun and high profile national automotive events for street legal performance vehicles. A USCA event includes five competitions that test both driver capabilities as well as vehicle and tire performance, including street-ability and engineering workmanship. Within those five segments are a road rally, acceleration and braking, autocross, road course – which Falken Tires sponsors – and design & engineering.

Seven rounds take drivers and their teams to tracks around the country, with the final held in conjunction with the annual SEMA Show in Las Vegas during the first week in November.

“Falken Tires had a great weekend,” stated Gerald Alvarado, Falken’s Motorsports & Events Supervisor. “The Optima Search for the Ultimate Street Car is a year-long competitive program and an exciting one that brings out a lot of entries – up and down the collector car spectrum – from vintage to brand new – and each has advantages and disadvantages, but it’s the collective performance that will bring about a winner,” Alvarado continued.

“We’re banking on the combination of vehicle, driver and engineering skill and the incredible competencies of our AZENIS RT660 tires that will keep our Falken entrants on top all year long.”

The next round is set for New Orleans at NOLA Motorsports Park in Avondale, LA, on March 10-12, 2023.