Turkey Night Grand Prix
The Turkey Night Grand Prix is an annual race of midget cars. It has been held on Thanksgiving night most years since 1934 at various southern California race tracks, promoted by J. C. Agajanian and later his heirs. Traditionally a dirt track event, it has been held more frequently on asphalt since the turn of the 21st century, although it returned to dirt in 2012.
Drivers
The event is considered a major event in the midget cars series. It frequently attracts drivers from other disciplines, especially former drivers that have moved to the highest levels of auto racing; the major auto racing circuits in the United States end their seasons prior to Thanksgiving, so major drivers do not have any schedule conflicts with their main circuits. Drivers that have competed in the event include Parnelli Jones, A. J. Foyt, Johnnie Parsons, Bill Vukovich, Danny Oakes, Tony Stewart, J.J. Yeley, Jason Leffler, Kasey Kahne, and Kyle Larson.[1]
Locations
Several locations have hosted the race.
- Gilmore Stadium (1934–1950)[2] (now CBS Television City)
- Gardena Stadium (1955–1959)
- Ascot Park (1960–1974, 1976–1990)
- 605 Speedway (1975)
- Saugus Speedway (1991)
- Bakersfield Speedway (1992–1995, 1998)
- Perris Auto Speedway (1996, 2012–2015)
- Ventura Raceway (1997, 2016–present)
- Irwindale Speedway (1999–2011)
List of winners
| Season | Driver |
|---|---|
| 1934 | Bob Swanson |
| 1935 | Ted Sizemore |
| 1936 | Ronney Householder |
| 1937 | Ronney Householder |
| 1938 | Bob Swanson |
| 1939 | Mel Hansen |
| 1940 | Roy Russing |
| 1941 | Roy Russing |
| 1945 | Danny Oakes |
| 1946 | Perry Grimm |
| 1947 | Johnny McDowell |
| 1948 | Bill Vukovich |
| 1949 | Perry Grimm |
| 1950 | Bill Zaring |
| 1955 | Johnnie Parsons |
| 1956 | Edgar Elder |
| 1957 | George Amick |
| 1958 | Joe Garson |
| 1959 | Tony Bettenhausen |
| 1960 | A. J. Foyt |
| 1961 | A. J. Foyt |
| 1962 | Bill Cantrell |
| 1963 | Mel Kenyon |
| 1964 | Parnelli Jones |
| 1965 | Dick Atkins |
| 1966 | Parnelli Jones |
| 1967 | Gary Bettenhausen |
| 1968 | Sam Sessions |
| 1969 | George Benson |
| 1970 | Gary Bettenhausen |
| 1971 | Bill Engelhart |
| 1972 | Tony Simon |
| 1973 | Bill Engelhart |
| 1974 | Danny McKnight |
| 1975 | Mel Kenyon |
| 1976 | Bubby Jones |
| 1977 | Gary Patterson |
| 1978 | Rick Goudy |
| 1979 | Ron Shuman |
| 1980 | Ron Shuman |
| 1981 | Ron Shuman |
| 1982 | Ron Shuman |
| 1983 | Kevin Olson |
| 1984 | Ron Shuman |
| 1985 | Brent Kaeding |
| 1986 | Warren Mockler |
| 1987 | Ron Shuman |
| 1988 | Chuck Gurney |
| 1989 | Chuck Gurney |
| 1990 | Stan Fox |
| 1991 | Stan Fox |
| 1992 | Ron Shuman |
| 1993 | Ron Shuman |
| 1994 | Jordan Hermansader |
| 1995 | Billy Boat |
| 1996 | Billy Boat |
| 1997 | Billy Boat |
| 1998 | Jay Drake |
| 1999 | Jason Leffler |
| 2000 | Tony Stewart |
| 2001 | Dave Steele |
| 2002 | Michael Lewis |
| 2003 | Dave Steele |
| 2004 | Bobby East |
| 2005 | Jason Leffler |
| 2006 | Billy Wease |
| 2007 | Dave Darland[3] |
| 2008 | Bobby Santos III |
| 2009 | Bryan Clauson |
| 2010 | Bryan Clauson |
| 2011 | Caleb Armstrong |
| 2012 | Kyle Larson |
| 2013 | Dave Darland[3] |
| 2014 | Christopher Bell[4] |
| 2015 | Tanner Thorson[5] |
| 2016 | Kyle Larson[6] |
| 2017 | Christopher Bell |
References
- ↑ Vaughn, Mark (December 24, 2012). "We'll Always Have Perris". Autoweek. 62 (26): 66–67.
- ↑ 98 laps "Turkey Night" in honor of J.C. Agajanian; Irwindale Speedway; Retrieved December 12, 2007
- 1 2 Estrada, Chris. "USAC: Dave Darland wins Turkey Night Grand Prix". NBC Sports. Retrieved December 2, 2013.
- ↑ Vaughn, Mark (November 28, 2014). "Christopher Bell wins 74th Turkey Night Grand Prix midget racing event". Autoweek. Retrieved November 26, 2016.
- ↑ "Thorson, Toyota take Turkey Night Grand Prix". Autoweek. November 27, 2015. Retrieved November 26, 2016.
- ↑ "Kyle Larson, Toyota win Turkey Night Grand Prix at Ventura Raceway". Autoweek. November 25, 2016. Retrieved November 26, 2016.
- Irwindale Turkey Night Grand Prix Preview; November 3, 1999; motorsport.com; Retrieved February 5, 2007; includes winners list before 1999
- Turkey Night Midget Grand Prix; scrafan.com; Retrieved February 7, 2007