FRESNO, Calif. – Less than a month ago on the last weekend of July, Caeden Steele found himself in a spot he didn’t anticipate.
Only about five months into his sprint car career, the 16-year-old climbed atop his No. 121 machine and slapped the wing triumphantly having just claimed his first sprint car victory at Watsonville, Calif.’s Ocean Speedway.
“I never really expected to win a race halfway through my first season,” Steele told SPEED SPORT. “That was pretty awesome.”
While the humble teenager may not have seen the win coming, Steele’s route in racing suggested a trip to victory lane would arrive sooner than later.
Like most Californians who work their way into a sprint car, the Fresno native began by excelling in the micro ranks, even collecting a coveted win in the famous Tulsa Expo Center along the way in 2017.
“We started in junior sprints and then moved up the ranks in those,” Steele explained. “We went from Restricted to Outlaw. We did really well in those. We won the Tulsa Shootout in junior sprints and came close a couple times in Outlaw.”
With the early success, Steele made the jump to sprint cars in 2022, and he made an immediate impact even before the victory a few weeks ago.
In early March through late May, Steele made six starts at Tulare, Calif.’s Thunderbowl Raceway, only missing the top-10 once and earning podiums in half of those showings. The highlight of those appearances was the final one in which he nearly won, leading 26 laps before a late pass by D.J. Netto.
Steele made five starts in Ocean Speedway’s weekly program prior to his win at the quarter-mile oval, finishing in the top-five on three occasions
In late June, Steele earned a podium in his first ever trip to Placerville Speedway.
“I’m stoked with my performance so far (in a sprint car),” Steele said. “People say it’s still a race car after moving from micros, but it’s completely different in the way you drive it.”
As he’s made a name for himself this year, Steele has shown he’s mature beyond his years and not just via ability.
This past Friday, Steele led every step of the way in Ocean Speedway’s Johnny Key Classic Kickoff race until Bud Kaeding passed him coming to the checkered flag after lapped traffic proved problematic in the final corner.
In his post-race interview when it would’ve been easy to hang his head, Steele stayed composed, saying there was no shame in losing to a living legend.
The drivers joining Steele on the podium that night, Kaeding and Dominic Scelzi, have also begun to take note of his talent.
“That kid was kicking my ass every lap,” the victorious Kaeding said. “I was wore out.”
“That Caeden kid, he’s going to win some races,” Scelzi said. “He’s really, really good and really consistent.”
A detail onlookers may notice on Steele’s black car is the presence of a very familiar last name on the west coast, Tarlton.
While his ride isn’t the notorious matte black No. 21 that Tom and Tommy Tarlton have fielded for years, the families are closely tied, and the Tarltons have long supported Steele and continued to help as he ascended to sprint cars this season.
Caeden’s father, Blaine, has been friends with Tommy Tarlton since their youth. Blaine helped with their sprint car operation for a while and now operates within a key role in their business, Tarlton and Son Inc.
“My dad and Tommy grew up together,” Steele explained. “Recently, he decided to take a bigger step at Tarlton. They’ve always stayed friends through there, and he’s been kind enough to sponsor us all throughout our racing career.”
Moving forward, Steele looks to continue gaining experience on the many ovals in the Golden State. The team currently only uses a 360ci engine, but Steele intends to battle the 410s on certain bullrings even with the performance disadvantage. Earlier this year, Steele already proved himself capable, winning a heat race in Watsonville with the NARC Fujitsu General 410 Sprint Cars and qualifying for the feature on a night when 38 cars signed in.
Looking even further toward the future, Steele has his sights set where any rising sprint car driver aims – competing at the highest level of the sport. If his early results are any indicator, he’s on the right path.
“I’m not sure where I’m going to be at with school and racing, not sure what the balance there is going to be,” Steele said of his short-term outlook. “But, obviously, the main goal is racing with the Outlaws and stuff like that. I’m not sure if I’d go on tour because that’s a full-time commitment, but we’ll see where it goes. It’s going pretty well so far.”