By Scott Daloisio
(Perris, CA, October 1, 2012) Bob Basile, son of National Sprint Car Hall of Famer Don Basile, has announced that the “Don Basile Rookie of the Race Award” will carry a $500.00 bonus at the 72nd running of the Turkey Night Grand at Perris Auto Speedway on Thanksgiving night, November 22nd. The event, which will feature the Mopar USAC National and Western States Midgets, will mark the long anticipated return to the dirt for America’s longest running and most prestigious Midget race.
The younger Basile, who now presides over Sunnsyide Promotions, is happy to see the award carry on. “It means a lot to me to keep this award alive in my dad’s name,” he said. “Especially now that the race is back on dirt.”
The Turkey Night Grand Prix was actually the first race the elder Basile ever attended as a youth in the late 1930s at Gilmore Stadium in Hollywood (now the site of CBS Studios). “As a young kid, Dad was running errands for J.C. Agajanian’s dad “Pappy,” Basile said. “J.C. invited dad to go to the race one Thanksgiving. After that dad was hooked on racing, but he would have to wait until after WWII before getting seriously involved at Carroll Speedway in his life long passion. Of course the Gilmore race was the last big race of the year and always part of Dad’s Thanksgiving plans.”
The race took place at Gilmore from its inception in 1934 to 1950. Crowds of 18,000 were not uncommon for weekly Midget races at the venue, but by the late 1940s crowds dropped to below 9,000. Dwindling crowds and rising property values in the area created a new demand for the property. It was sold in 1950 and the stadium torn down one year later.
When Gilmore went away, so did the Turkey Night Grand Prix. The race was not run from 1951 through 1954. In 1955, with the help of Don Basile, J.C. Agajanian resurrected the Thanksgiving night tradition at Carroll Speedway in Gardena, where it remained until moving to Ascot Park in 1960. “In 1955 dad helped J.C. resurrect the great event and helped organize it for the next 20 years,” Basile said. “When he passed on in 1998, I thought that a rookie of the race award would fit perfectly as dad helped young drivers throughout his racing career.”
“We are pleased and honored that Bob is continuing the award in his dad’s name for the 72nd running of the Turkey Night Grand Prix at The PAS,” Perris Auto Speedway promoter Don Kazarian said. “The list (complete list below) of winners for the first 15 years that Bob has given the award is extremely impressive. We anxiously anticipate seeing who will win the award and the extra $500.00 Bob is putting up this year.”
The winner of the award does not have to be a rookie Midget driver. It will go to the highest finishing driver who has never competed in the Turkey Night Grand Prix before.
Past winners of the Turkey Night Grand Prix “Don Basile Rookie of the Race Award.”
1998 – Kasey Khane
1999 – Dave Steele
2000 – Aaron Pollock
2001 – Bobby East
2002 – Jerome Rodela
2003 – Ryan Durst
2004 – Brad Loyet
2005 – Kevin Swindell
2006 – Kody Swanson
2007 – Mike Murgoitio
2008 – Nic Faas
2009 – Levi Roberts
2010 – Dalton Armstrong
2011 – Kyle Larson
Advance tickets for the 72nd running of the Turkey Night Grand Prix are available now by calling -1-800-595-4849. You can also order online at: http://pas.tix.com/Schedule.aspx?OrgNum=7. Advance tickets will also go on sale at The PAS office on Monday, October 1st. E-mail Kim Kazarian for details: openwhchic.kim@aol.com
The entire 2012 PAS schedule is listed at the end of this release.
To keep up with all of the latest Perris Auto Speedway news, photos, gossip and receive special offers, sign up at The PAS Facebook site at: http://www.facebook.com/home.php – !/pages/Perris-Auto-Speedway/11387679868
You can also keep up with the latest news and receive special offers from The PAS Twitter site: http://twitter.com/perrisautospdwy.
Perris Auto Speedway wants to thank its corporate sponsors for the 2012 season. 1-800LoanMart, 777 Racecars, Aaron’s, Ahern Rentals, All Coast Construction, Amsoil, Ayers Hotel and Spa, Budweiser, Champion Towing, City of Perris, Comfort Inn, Day Construction, Daytona Boat & RV Storage, Frazee Paint, Hoosier Tires, K&N Engineering, P.I.P.E., Pepsi-Cola, Pick-A-Part Auto Salvage, Prolong Super Lubricants, Scott Sales, Snap-on, Soboba Casino, Square H, Swedish Speed, Temecula Valley Pipe & Supply, Trench Shoring, US Foods, Valley Auto Salvage, White Nuckl USA and Zanzabuku Sports Lounge.
Video and DVD productions of all racing events at Perris Auto Speedway are available from Loudpedal Productions. For more information on these productions you can contact them by calling (805) 844-3854, E-mailing mailto:trtruex@gmail.com or you can visit the web site http://www.loudpedalvideo.com/
For more information call The PAS at: (951) 940-0134.
Perris Auto Speedway is located on the Lake Perris Fairgrounds (home of October’s Southern California Fair), approximately one hour east of Los Angeles and one hour North of San Diego. To get to the track, take the 215 freeway, exit on the Ramona Expressway and go three miles east to the fairgrounds.
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