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Stars converge at 76th Turkey Night Grand Prix

By Tami Valasquez (Ventura, CA) — Fans who congregate at the Ventura Raceway for the 76th Running of the Turkey Night Grand Prix next Wednesday and Thursday, November 23rd and 24th, will have a chance to see a bevy of racing stars, including NASCAR drivers Kyle Larson,

Christopher Bell and Rico Abreu, as well as two championships being decided. Spectator gates will open at 3:00 PM each day with qualifying at 3:30 and racing at 5:30.

After closing out their NASCAR seasons this weekend in Miami, Larson, who won his first NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Michigan International Speedway in August, Bell, who is one of four drivers left in Friday’s championship showdown in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and Abreu, who is closing out his rookie season in the truck series, will head to Ventura for the prestigious midget race. Larson, a native of Elk Grove, California, engraved his name in the Turkey Night history books in 2012 when he won the 98-lap main event at Perris Auto Speedway. Bell, who lives in Norman, Oklahoma, won the Turkey Night Grand Prix at Perris two years ago. Popular Rutherford, California’s Abreu almost joined his good friends on the TNGP victory ledger in 2015, but a flat left rear late in the race knocked him out of contention.

PHOTO: Kyle Larson on his way to the win in the 2012 Turkey Night Grand Prix at Perris Auto Speedway–CREDIT: Doug Allen

Kyle Larson on his way to the win in the 2012 Turkey Night Grand Prix at Perris Auto Speedway. Please give photo credit to Doug Allen.

Like Larson, Bell and Abreu, several other stars will be jetting in for the high profile 98-lapper. Most notably will be the four drivers still in contention for the 2016 USAC National Midget championship. Minden, Nevada’s Tanner Thorson carries a precarious 9-point margin over Lebanon, Indiana’s Spencer Bayston going into the Thanksgiving night race. While those two have a distinct advantage heading into the finale, Broken Arrow, Oklahoma’s Brady Bacon, who sewed up his second USAC National Sprint Car championship last week, and Phoenix, Arizona’s Chad Boat are tied for third and still have a mathematical chance of winning the crown. Boat’s father Billy won the Turkey Night Grand Prix the only other time the race was held in Ventura in 1997 and he is one of the Grand Marshal’s for this year’s race.

Rico Abreu’s flat left rear tire (shown in the photo above) deprived him of a chance of victory in the 2015 Turkey Night Grand Prix. Please give photo credit to Vane Ledgerwood.

While not quite as tight as the fight for the National Championship, the USAC Western Midget Series title could come down to next Thursday as well. Heading into this Saturday’s race at the Bakersfield Speedway, Corona, California’s Ronnie Gardner is 121-points in front of Hanford, California Michael Faccinto. Gardner, the grandson of Ronnie Duman who finished sixth in the 1968 Indianapolis 500, can set a Western Midget record by winning his fourth straight title. He is currently tied with legendary Sleepy Tripp who won three in a row in the early 1990’s.

Another contender in the star-studded field will be Concord, California veteran Damion Gardner. Known affectionately to his fans as “The Demon,” the slender driver sewed up his fifth USAC/CRA Sprint Car Series championship last Saturday night when he won the Oval Nationals for the third time since 2009 at Perris. Gardner, who established the land speed record of 211.59 MPH for a sprint car at the Bonneville Salt Flats two years ago, is no stranger to midget racing fans. In 2008 he won the Chili Bowl Midget Nationals in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Three years ago, he had the Turkey Night Grand Prix in the bag when he lost a left rear wheel with five laps to go.

In addition to the midgets, the USAC West Coast Sprint Cars will be competing both nights. On Wednesday, they will qualify, race heats and main events. On Thursday, the sprint cars will come back with B-main events and a $3,000.00 to win finale.

The midgets will practice on Wednesday. On Thursday, they will qualify and run preliminary main events and the 98-Lap Turkey Night Grand Prix feature. There will be an autograph session at the track at intermission on Wednesday night.

Advance tickets for the 76th Turkey Night Grand Prix are available by calling: 805-648-7223.

TRACK WEBSITE: http://venturaraceway.com/
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/Ventura-Raceway-104668839570641/?fref=ts
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TWITTER: https://twitter.com/VenturaRaceway

Turkey Night Grand Prix Winners
1934 Bob Swanson – Gilmore Stadium
1935 Ted Sizemore – Gilmore Stadium
1936 Ronney Householder – Gilmore Stadium
1937 Ronney Householder – Gilmore Stadium
1938 Bob Swanson – Gilmore Stadium
1939 Mel Hansen – Gilmore Stadium
1940 Roy Russing – Gilmore Stadium
1941 Rou Russing – Gilmore Stadium
1945 Danny Oakes – Gilmore Stadium
1946 Perry Grimm – Gilmore Stadium
1947 Johnny McDowell – Gilmore Stadium
1948 Bill Vukovich – Gilmore Stadium
1949 Perry Grimm – Gilmore Stadium
1950 Bill Zaring – Gilmore Stadium
1955 Johnnie Parsons – Gardena Stadium
1956 Edgar Elder – Gardena Stadium
1957 George Amick – Gardena Stadium
1958 Joe Garson – Gardena Stadium
1959 Tony Bettenhausen – Gardena Stadium
1960 A.J. Foyt – Ascot Park
1961 A.J. Foyt – Ascot Park
1962 Bill Cantrell – Ascot Park
1963 Mel Kenyon – Ascot Park
1964 Parnelli Jones – Ascot Park
1965 Dick Atkins – Ascot Park
1966 Parnelli Jones – Ascot Park
1967 Gary Bettenhausen – Ascot Park
1968 Sam Sessions – Ascot Park
1969 George Benson – Ascot Park
1970 Gary Bettenhausen – Ascot Park
1971 Bill Engelhart – Ascot Park
1972 Tony Simon – Ascot Park
1973 Bill Engelhart – Ascot Park
1974 Danny McKnight – Ascot Park
1975 Mel Kenyon – Speedway 605
1976 Bubby Jones – Ascot Park
1977 Gary Patterson – Ascot Park
1978 Rick Goudy – Ascot Park
1979 Ron Shuman – Ascot Park
1980 Ron Shuman – Ascot Park
1981 Ron Shuman – Ascot Park
1982 Ron Shuman – Ascot Park
1983 Kevin Olsen – Ascot Park
1984 Ron Shuman – Ascot Park
1985 Brent Kaeding – Ascot Park
1986 Warren Mockler – Ascot Park
1987 Ron Shuman – Ascot Park
1988 Chuck Gurney – Ascot Park
1989 Chuck Gurney – Ascot Park
1990 Stan Fox – Ascot Park
1991 Stan Fox – Saugus Speedway
1992 Ron Shuman – Bakersfield Speedway
1993 Ron Shuman – Bakersfield Speedway
1994 Jordan Hermansador – Bakersfield Speedway
1995 Billy Boat – Bakersfield Speedway
1996 Billy Boat – Perris Auto Speedway
1997 Billy Boat – Ventura Raceway
1998 Jay Drake – Bakersfield Speedway
1999 Jason Leffler – Irwindale Speedway
2000 Tony Stewart – Irwindale Speedway
2001 Dave Steele – Irwindale Speedway
2002 Michael Lewis – Irwindale Speedway
2003 Dave Steele – Irwindale Speedway
2004 Bobby East – Irwindale Speedway
2005 Jason Leffler – Irwindale Speedway
2006 Billy Wease – Irwindale Speedway
2007 Dave Darland – Irwindale Speedway
2008 Bobby Santos III – Irwindale Speedway
2009 Bryan Clauson – Irwindale Speedway
2010 Bryan Clauson – Irwindale Speedway
2011 Caleb Armstrong – Irwindale Speedway
2012 Kyle Larson – Perris Auto Speedway
2013 Dave Darland – Perris Auto Speedway
2014 Christopher Bell – Perris Auto Speedway
2015 Tanner Thorson – Perris Auto Speedway

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