ABILENE, Texas (June 29, 2024) – He’s won a lot of championships and a lot of big races, but Josh McGaha says nothing beats winning the same night his sons got their career-first feature wins.
And now he’s done it twice.
McGaha had made his own visit to victory lane at hometown Abilene Speedway following the Friesen Performance IMCA Modified feature on May 18, then watched son Gavin Faulks top the Smiley’s Racing Products IMCA Southern SportMod main.
Fast forward to June 29 at Abilene, when McGaha raced to IMCA Modified career win number 113 and cheered son Jaxon on to his first Southern SportMod checkers.
“We could end the season right now and it would be on a high note. I got to win both nights both my boys got their first wins,” McGaha said.
“I’ve qualified for the main event at Super Nationals, I’ve won a regional championship, I’ve won a lot (eight) of track championships and I’ve won a lot of big races,” he continued. “I’d trade all that to win on the same night as my boys and I’ve done that twice.”
Gavin is in his fourth season in a Southern SportMod and won his first feature the day after his 19th birthday. Jaxon is 14 years old and got win number one 11 starts into his rookie season .
“It made all the late nights and hard work worth it. We had been close so many times,” said Gavin, who had worked his way to the front from seventh starting, had the lead before midway and pulled away after each restart. “Racing a Southern SportMod is fun. They’re easier to work on than other cars but there’s still so much you can learn to make them go fast.”
A part-timer employee at Crabtree Motorsports, Gavin is in a 2016 Vato Chassis, his brother in a 2017 Vato with an updated front end.
“It’s cool that we can update them and run with people in brand new cars,” he said.
Jaxon followed up his heat race with the Saturday checkers, leading all 20 laps on a dry slick track and making good on the prediction his dad had made after his own win.
“We went down to victory lane and he told me ‘You’re going to get one tonight’ and I finally did,” Jaxon said. “It was a fun race. I feel like a lot of the pressure is off now that I got the first one. Hopefully it will get easier.”
He shares his brothers appreciation of racing with friends and family, and of his new division.
“It gives you a whole different perspective,” said the local mini stock graduate. “You have more speed, more horse power. It’s a really fun class.”
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