John Soares, Jr. (May 18, 1942 - July 16, 2022) is a former NASCAR driver from Hayward, CA. He competed in thirteen Sprint Cup Series events in his career, earning two top-tens.
Soares' debut came in 1970, when he competed at Riverside in a West Series-Cup combination race. Soares was quick to prove his talent. Soares found his way to a 4th place finish, only falling twelve laps behind the pace.
Following that success, Soares stepped his schedule up to a four-race deal during the 1971 season. He struggled, though, early in the season. He blew an engine early in his first two starts that year, finishing 21st at Riverside and 38th at Ontario. Later in the year, though, he picked up the pace. He recorded his second and final career top-ten finish with a 6th place finish at Riverside and then following that up with a 17th at Dover.
Soares' also had a respectable 1972 season, starting the year off once again at Riverside in January. It was a solid race that day for the driver, completing all but thirteen laps to finish 11th. He quickly followed that up with a 13th place finish at Ontario before closing out the year 35th in the June Riverside event due to engine woes.
Soares' next two races, both of which came in 1973, turned out to be quite miserable. Transmission woes in the pair of Riverside events hampered his efforts, only allowing him to complete 122 laps during the year total. He finished 26th and 31st in those races.
Soares only competed in one race during the 1975 for his next start, though it didn't go much better the previous ones. Starting last (35th) at Riverside, Soares lost another transmission early in the event and struggled to 31st position.
Soares' final two races waited until the 1985 season to come about, the year that Soares finished a career-high 61st in points. It turned out to be a respectable close for the driver, competing in both Riverside races. He was running at the finish of both events and picked up finishes of 19th and 30th.
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| Soares Family |
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| John Soares | John Soares, Jr. |