Current JFM DRIVERS
Josh Ford Motorsports, Inc has run with some of the best drivers in the nation over the years. Crew Chief Jimmy May and the JFM Team consistently put solid, fast, competitive cars out on the track every week in the 360, 410 and Midget classes. We are now running winged sprints in the 360ci and 410ci as the opportunity arises.
UP NEXT:
This Saturday we have Tyler Walker at the helm of a 360 at Thunderbowl Raceway in Tulare!
Tyler Walker
Hometown: Hermosa Beach
Birthdate: July 16, 1979
Bio: Tyler Walker hailing out of Hermosa Beach, CA has made a lot of left turns over the last 15 years though this will be just his fourth ever non-wing sprint car start. He is the first fourth-generation driver to compete in NASCAR since the late Adam Petty!
Walker began his 4 wheel racing career running go-karts at an early age winning four California state karting championships, racking up a total of over 200 wins. In 1997, Walker began his Sprint Car racing career taking the checkered 7 times in the All Star Circuit of Champions Series and went on to take Rookie of the Year honors in his first full season of sprint car competition.
Tyler has competed in everything from go-karts to NASCAR Busch Series, from World of Outlaws to King of the West Sprints and even the Craftsman Truck Series. Some of his many accolades include 1992–1996 California State Go-Kart Champion, 1996 Knoxville Nationals Rookie of the Year, 1997 All-Star Circuit of Champions Rookie of the Year, 2002 World of Outlaws Gumout Series Champion and 2004 USAC Silver Crown Series Most Improved Driver.
@RealTylerWalker | Walker Performance Filtration
David Gravel
Hometown: Warrentown, CT
Bio: David began his racing career at the age of six with the Silver City Quarter Midget Club in Meriden, Conn. Through the years he has had many accomplishments. One of his fondest memories is winning his first Grand National Championship in the Lite B Class at Little T Speedway, Thompson Conn., in 1994.
After a successful stint in Quarter Midgets, that included well over 50 wins and several championships, the native of Watertown, Conn., moved up to Micro Sprints, where he raced for three years, picking up numerous wins.
David climbed into a full-size sprint car for the first time in 2008, and competed with the United Racing Company (URC). He won twice with the series, becoming the youngest winner in 60-plus year history of the series. He was honored at season’s end by the North American Sprint Car Poll (part of the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame), as the 360-Sprint Car “Rookie of the Year.”
After one season with URC, the East Coast racer moved up to a 410-sprint car with the UNOH All Star Circuit of Champions. He finished fifth in his first season with the All Stars in 2009, and was third in 2010. David earned his first All Stars win at Limaland Motorsports Park in 2010 during Ohio Sprint Speedweek. He would also claim the overall Speedweek title, putting his name in the record books with a “Who’s Who” list of drivers who have claimed that honor over the last 30 years.
David finished third again in points with the All Stars in 2011, while scoring his first World of Outlaws win late in the season at Talladega Short Track in Alabama. He would finish third in points for the third consecutive season with the All Stars in 2012, winning at Red River Co-op Speedway in Canada, as well as earning seven fast time awards with the series. David also was quickest in qualifying with the World of Outlaws five times in 2012, while earning eight Top-Five finishes and qualifying for both the Knoxville Nationals and National Open at Williams Grove Speedway for the first time in his career.
davidgravel89.com/ | @DavidGravel83
Kevin Thomas Jr.
Hometown: Cullman, IN
Birthdate: June 14, 1991
Bio: Kevin Thomas, Jr. started his career in racing with BMX bicycles. In 1999, at the age of eight years old, he amassed numerous wins on his way to becoming the Alabama State Champion and finishing tenth place in national points. For the next several years until 2005, Kevin would concentrate his athletic talents towards his traveling baseball team. This avenue also found his pinnacle of success winning the twelve and under World Series in the USSSA baseball series. However, this could not fill his desire to compete on the race track. His father, Kevin Thomas, Sr. was an accomplished 600 Mini sprint driver in the southeast with many wins to his credit, always had the youngster involved with the cars. Finally in 2005 he was given a chance to drive one of these cars capable of speeds up to 100 miles an hour and only thousandths of seconds off the lap times turned by their full sized sprint car brothers. The first time he ever sat in the car, he was on the track with eighteen others on a fast three-eighths mile track. He proved on this night that he had something special, staying out of trouble and passing his way through to a respectable ninth place finish. The impressive part of his inaugural season is the large size of tracks he ran. From the start he ran 1/3, 3/8, and 1/2 mile tracks. This talented youngster met each track with patience and aggressiveness. For the rest of the 2005 race season, he showed his racing peers, most of them whom are grown men, he was a serious contender. The end result was the O’Reilly UMSA Rookie of the Year, Most Improved Driver, and seventh place in the end of year point standings.
KT's Facebook | @kevinthomasjr
Dave Darland
Hometown: Walton, IN
Birthdate: September 4, 1966
Short Bio: Dave Darland was the 1997 USAC Silver Crown Champion, 1999 USAC National Sprint Car Champion, and 2001 and 2002 USAC National Midget Champion, making him one of only five drivers to claim all three USAC National Championships. Race wins include the 2007 Turkey Night Grand Prix, a Southern California traditional race held on Thanksgiving Day for many years, and three wins at the Oval Nationals, held at Perris Auto Speedway in Perris, California.
@DaveDarland
Nic Faas
Hometown: Huntington Beach, CA
Birthdate: September 29, 1989
Short Bio: Nic Faas has been racing his whole life, ad racing well! Nic moved quickly from BMX racing at age 5 to Quarter Midget racing at 7, where he had an illustrious 7 years with many championships including 3 Regional Southwest Championships, 5 California Monza Championships, 4 Winter National Championships, 2 100 Lapper Championships and 1 National Championship!
Faas started racing Midgets in 2006 getting a Ford Focus Midget where he ran a full season in the Dirt Series. In 2007 he ran both pavement and dirt and had a successful rookie year winning the dirt and getting 2nd on pavement. In 2008 he was signed to run for Western Speed Racing moving up to the 410 Sprints where he won Rookie of The Year.
Nic has placed in the Top 10 in his last 10 races, winning the last 2 sanctioned races! Faas is coming off an incredibly successful 2013 coming in 3rd in the USAC/CRA Sprint Car Series Points.
Nic has always loved racing, always places in the top with whatever he drives and is just, well, a talented driver!
nicfaas.com | @nic_fass
Markus Niemelä
Hometown: Rauma Finland
Birthdate: March 20, 1984
Short Bio: Markus Niemelä has raced competitively since 1989 mostly in Finland and the United States. He is the 2008 series champion after winning the final round at Road Atlanta. His international racing career has been volatile due to a number of injuries he has sustained during his career. Recently, Niemelä was in the running for the top spot of the USAC West Coast Sprint Series Points through most of the year, finishing 4th overall.
markusniemela.com | @markusniemela