By Richie Murray
Ventura, California (November 23, 2021)………Two past winners highlight the 50-plus car USAC NOS Energy Drink National Midget entry list for the 80th running of the ARP Turkey Night Grand Prix on Saturday night, November 27, at southern California’s Ventura Raceway.
The new NASCAR Cup Series champion, Kyle Larson (Elk Grove, Calif.), has won the TNGP on three occasions in his career, the two most recent of which came at Ventura in 2016 and 2019. He scored his first win in the event in 2012 at Perris, Calif., and with one more victory this weekend, would become just the second driver to win the race at least four times. Ron Shuman has won the event a record eight times.
Tanner Thorson (Minden, Nev.) captured his Turkey Night Grand Prix midget victory back in 2015 at Perris, Calif. The 2016 USAC National Midget champ has won seven series events in 2021, tied with Chris Windom for the most this season.
Throughout the field is an extensive list of champions, including Windom, the reigning USAC National Midget titlist who is waged in a fierce battle for this year’s crown with first-time championship hopeful, Buddy Kofoid (Penngrove, Calif.).
Logan Seavey (Sutter, Calif.), the 2018 USAC National Midget champion, is entered for the event as is 2020 USAC Silver Crown champ Justin Grant (Ione, Calif.), 2019 USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Car champion C.J. Leary (Greenfield, Ind.) and even the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series champ, Chase Elliott (Dawsonville, Ga.), who is making his bid as a Don Basile Rookie of the Race candidate this Saturday night.
USAC feature winners are scattered all throughout the field, all of whom dream that one of their next victories includes a coveted Turkey Night score. Those include Cannon McIntosh (Bixby, Okla.), Kevin Thomas Jr. (Cullman, Ala.), Jason McDougal (Broken Arrow, Okla.), Thomas Meseraull (San Jose, Calif.), Zach Daum (Pocahontas, Ill.), Emerson Axsom (Franklin, Ind.), Shane Golobic (Fremont, Calif.), Zeb Wise (Angola, Ind.) and recent first-time USAC National Midget feature winner, Ryan Timms (Oklahoma City, Okla.).
World of Outlaws Sprint Car front runner Carson Macedo (Lemoore, Calif.) is among the group still looking for a first career USAC National Midget feature victory as is two-time All Star Circuit of Champions runner-up Cory Eliason (Visalia, Calif.) who has been impressive in brief USAC Midget appearances, the debut of which came just two weeks ago.
The home state of California is represented by 30 of the 51 entered drivers. Among them are regional champions with USAC, including 2021 Western States Midget champion Blake Bower (Brentwood, Calif.), 2013-14 Western Classic Sprint Car titlist Ryan Bernal (Hollister, Calif.), 2012 Western States Dirt Midget champ David Prickett (Fresno, Calif.), plus 2018 BCRA Midget champ Maria Cofer (Macdoel, Calif.).
Automotive Racing Products, the title sponsor of the 80th running of the Turkey Night Grand Prix, has added $15,000 to the event purse from top-to-bottom for the $10,000-to-win USAC NOS Energy Drink Midget National Championship event at Ventura on Saturday night, November 27.
Midget practice, plus USAC West Coast Sprint Car heat races, qualifiers and dash will take place on Friday, November 26 with the sprint car semi-feature and feature events, and the 98-lap USAC Midget season finale taking place on Saturday, November 27.
All tickets that are not reserved are $35. Reserved seats are $45 for ages 13 and older and $20 for ages 12 and under.
Race tickets are available now at www.venturaraceway.net.
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2021 TURKEY NIGHT GRAND PRIX ENTRY LIST: (51 PRE-ENTRIES)
00 CARSON SOUSA/Red Bluff, CA (Mounce-Stout Motorsports)
00A JAKE ANDREOTTI/Castro Valley, CA (Pete Davis)
01 BRYANT WIEDEMAN/Colby, KS (Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports)
07w MITCHEL MOLES/Raisin City, CA (Matt Wood Racing)
08 CANNON McINTOSH/Bixby, OK (Dave Mac Motorsports)
1EM DAVID PRICKETT/Fresno, CA (NP Motorsports)
1K KYLE LARSON/Elk Grove, CA (Kyle Larson Racing)
1N ®RYAN PADGETT/Anadarko, OK (NP Motorsports)
1p ®TERRY NICHOLS/Delano, CA (NP Motorsports)
2J JUSTIN GRANT/Ione, CA (RMS Racing)
5 KEVIN THOMAS JR./Cullman, AL (Petry Motorsports)
5K BEN WORTH/Coalinga, CA (Dean Alexander)
5T JASON McDOUGAL/Broken Arrow, OK (Dean Alexander)
7NZ CHASE JOHNSON/Penngrove, CA (BSL Racing)
7x THOMAS MESERAULL/San Jose, CA (RMS Racing) 1
8 RANDI PANKRATZ/Atascadero, CA (Wally Pankratz)
8w ®KALEB MONTGOMERY/Templeton, CA (Woodland Autosports)
9 BLAKE BOWER/Brentwood, CA (Tony Boscacci)
9E CHASE ELLIOTT/Dawsonville, GA (Kyle Larson Racing)
9m ZACH DAUM/Pocahontas, IL (Bundy Built Motorsports)
12 JARRETT SOARES/Discovery Bay, CA (Steven Soares)
15 EMERSON AXSOM/Franklin, IN (Petry Motorsports)
15ws RON HAZELTON/Chatsworth, CA (Ron Hazelton)
15x CARSON GARRETT/Littleton, CO (Broc Garrett)
17w SHANE GOLOBIC/Fremont, CA (Matt Wood Racing)
19A CHASE RANDALL/Waco, TX (Reinbold-Underwood Motorsports)
19AZ HAYDEN REINBOLD/Gilbert, AZ (Reinbold-Underwood Motorsports)
19m ETHAN MITCHELL/Mooresville, NC (Bundy Built Motorsports)
19T TANNER THORSON/Minden, NV (Reinbold-Underwood Motorsports)
20 C.J. SARNA/Brea, CA (C.J. Sarna)
21 CARSON MACEDO/Lemoore, CA (Tarlton Motorsports)
25 LOGAN SEAVEY/Sutter, CA (Tom Malloy)
25K TAYLOR REIMER/Bixby, OK (Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports)
25m COLBY COPELAND/Roseville, CA (Tom Malloy)
26 CORY ELIASON/Visalia, CA (Rudeen Racing)
26R CHANCE CRUM/Snohomish, WA (Rudeen Racing)
32 CADEN SARALE/Stockton, CA (Caden Sarale)
37 MATT MITCHELL/Yorba Linda, CA (J.W. Mitchell Motorsports)
37w ZEB WISE/Angola, IN (Matt Wood Racing)
51 ®BRODY FUSON/Bakersfield, CA (Rusty Carlile)
57 MARIA COFER/Macdoel, CA (Abacus Racing)
67 BUDDY KOFOID/Penngrove, CA (Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports)
71 KAYLEE BRYSON/Muskogee, OK (Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports)
73 ®DYLAN ITO/Ventura, CA (Josh Ford Motorsports)
73B ROBBY JOSETT/Santa Clarita, CA (Josh Ford Motorsports)
73x C.J. LEARY/Greenfield, IN (Josh Ford Motorsports)
85T RYAN TIMMS/Oklahoma City, OK (CB Industries)
86 JADE AVEDISIAN/Clovis, CA (CB Industries)
87w RYAN BERNAL/Hollister, CA (Matt Wood Racing)
89 CHRIS WINDOM/Canton, IL (CB Industries)
97 BRENHAM CROUCH/Lubbock, TX (Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports)
® represents a Don Basile Rookie of the Race candidate
TURKEY NIGHT GRAND PRIX MIDGET WINNERS:
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
1951: Not Held
1952: Not Held
1953: Not Held
1954: Not Held
1955: Johnnie Parsons
1956: Edgar Elder
1957: George Amick
1958: Joe Garson
1959: Tony Bettenhausen
1960: A.J. Foyt
1961: A.J. Foyt
1962: Billy Cantrell
1963: Mel Kenyon
1964: Parnelli Jones
1965: Dick Atkins
1966: Parnelli Jones
1967: Gary Bettenhausen
1968: Sammy Sessions
1969: George Benson
1970: Gary Bettenhausen
1971: Billy Engelhart
1972: Tony Simon
1973: Billy 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
2008: Bobby Santos
2009: Bryan Clauson
2010: Bryan Clauson
2011: Caleb Armstrong
2012: Kyle Larson
2013: Dave Darland
2014: Christopher Bell
2015: Tanner Thorson
2016: Kyle Larson
2017: Christopher Bell
2018: Christopher Bell
2019: Kyle Larson
2020: Not Held