By Richie Murray
Ventura, California (November 18, 2023)โฆโฆโฆFifty-three (53) USAC NOS Energy Drink Midget National Championship drivers and cars will partake in the 82nd running of the ARP Turkey Night Grand Prix Presented By the West Coast Stock Car/Motorsports Hall of Fame.
Theyโll all converge on Californiaโs Ventura Raceway on Saturday night, November 25, for the next installment of the longest-running midget race of them all, a tradition which dates back to 1934.
At least three past Turkey Night Grand Prix winners are included in the driver lineup, namely defending victor Justin Grant (2022), Logan Seavey (2021) and Tanner Thorson (2015).
Theyโre among the 14 USAC National Midget feature winners in the field, 11 of which are vying for a first Turkey Night midget triumph. Itโs a list which includes series champions Buddy Kofoid (2021-22) and Spencer Bayston (2017), plus Thomas Meseraull, Cannon McIntosh, Ryan Timms, Emerson Axsom, Carson Macedo, Jacob Denney, Daison Pursley, Bryant Wiedeman and Mitchel Moles.
Five past Turkey Night Rookies of the Race will be in the field: Thorson, Macedo, McIntosh, Moles and Jake Andreotti who finished fourth in 2022. This yearโs class competing for Don Basile Rookie of the Race honors features 25 different drivers.
Leading USAC National Midget Rookie Gavin Miller will be a contender in his first ever Turkey Night run as will the likes of recently crowned ARCA Stock Car champion Jesse Love, plus 2023 NARC Sprint Car champ Corey Day, Americaโs winningest non-wing sprint car driver Ricky Lewis, New Zealand midget champ Peter Hunnibell, USAC regulars Hayden Reinbold and Chase McDermand, plus winged sprint car ace Jake Bubak, just to name a few.
Five women will compete at Turkey Night with full-time series drivers Jade Avedisian and Taylor Reimer shooting for their first ever USAC win on the big stage as will series Rookie Mariah Ede and veteran racers Randi Pankratz and Shannon McQueen.
McQueen is among the four USAC Western States Midget champions set to defend their home โturf,โ so to speak, at Ventura. McQueen (2012) will be joined in that group by two-time titlist Michael Faccinto (2018 & 22), Blake Bower (2021) and newly crowned series king Brody Fuson (2023).
This yearโs Turkey Night weekend will once again feature the USAC West Coast 360 Sprint Cars, which also features an entry list that has already surpassed 50 drivers and cars.
SCHEDULE:
Friday, November 24: Grandstands open at 3pm. Midget practice, plus sprint car hot laps, qualifying, heat races and main event.
Saturday, November 25: Grandstands open at 3pm. Sprint car semis and main events plus Turkey Night Grand Prix midget hot laps, qualifying, last chance qualifiers, semis and the 98-lap feature.
Advance tickets, priced from $22-45, can be purchased at www.venturaraceway.com. Additional information is available at 805-648-7223.
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2023 TURKEY NIGHT GRAND PRIX USAC MIDGET ENTRY LIST:
00 JAKE ANDREOTTI/Castro Valley, CA (Pete Davis)
1p ยฎTERRY NICHOLS/Delano, CA (Nichols-Peckfelder Motorsports)
2 JUSTIN GRANT/Ione, CA (RMS Racing)
3v ยฎJIM VANZANT/Prescott, AZ (Jim & Bonnie Vanzant)
4 ยฎCOREY DAY/Clovis, CA (Willie Kahne)
5K CADE LEWIS/Bakersfield, CA (Dean Alexander)
5v ยฎRYAN TIMMONS/Pleasant Hill, CA (Dean Alexander)
6A ยฎRICKY LEWIS/Camarillo, CA (Cruz Pedregon)
7 SHANNON McQUEEN/Tehachapi, CA (McQueen Racing)
7x THOMAS MESERAULL/San Jose, CA (Tim Engler)
8 RANDI PANKRATZ/Atascadero, CA (Wally Pankratz)
9 ยฎBLAKE BOWER/Brentwood, CA (Tony Boscacci)
9AU SPENCER BAYSTON/Lebanon, IN (Dyson Motorsport)
14J ยฎBRADEN CHIARAMONTE/El Cajon, CA (Graunstadt Enterprises-Streeter Racing)
14T MICHAEL FACCINTO/Hanford, CA (Graunstadt Enterprises-Matt Streeter Racing)
15ws RON HAZELTON/Chatsworth, CA (TRC Transmission)
19 DAISON PURSLEY/Locust Grove, OK (Reinbold-Underwood Motorsports)
19AZ ยฎHAYDEN REINBOLD/Gilbert, AZ (Reinbold-Underwood Motorsports)
19T MITCHEL MOLES/Raisin City, CA (Reinbold-Underwood Motorsports)
20 C.J. SARNA/Palm Desert, CA (Sarna Motorsports)
21K ยฎGAGE RUCKER/Truxton, MO (Kruseman Enterprises)
25 JACOB DENNEY/Galloway, OH (Tom Malloy)
25K TAYLOR REIMER/Bixby, OK (Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports)
27 ยฎJAKE BUBAK/Arvada, CO (Bourke Motorsports)
31 CHASE JOHNSON/Penngrove, CA (Beilman Motorsports)
31B ยฎKYLE BEILMAN/Los Angeles, CA (Beilman Motorsports)
32 ยฎCADEN SARALE/Stockton, CA (Caden Sarale)
35H ยฎA.J. HERNANDEZ/Phoenix, AZ (MF Motorsports)
35K ยฎJOEY KLEMISH/Cortez, CO (MF Motorsports)
50 ยฎDANE CULVER/Riverside, CA (Knuckles Up Racing)
51 BRODY FUSON/Bakersfield, CA (Rusty Carlile)
55 ยฎCOLE WAKIM/Simi Valley, CA (Steve Lambert)
57 LOGAN SEAVEY/Sutter, CA (Abacus Racing)
58 DANIEL WHITLEY/Ferndale, CA (Abacus Racing)
65NZ ยฎPETER HUNNIBELL/Auckland, NZ (Ben Covich)
67 RYAN TIMMS/Oklahoma City, OK (Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports)
67K BUDDY KOFOID/Penngrove, CA (Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports)
68 EMERSON AXSOM/Franklin, IN (Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports)
68w CHANCE CRUM/Snohomish, WA (Six8 Motorsports)
71 JADE AVEDISIAN/Clovis, CA (Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports)
71D ยฎBRYAN DROLLINGER/San Pedro, CA (Drollinger Bros.)
71E ยฎMARIAH EDE/Fresno, CA (Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports)
71K ยฎKALE DRAKE/Collinsville, OK (Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports)
73 ยฎDAVID GASPER/Goleta, CA (Josh Ford Motorsports)
73 TBA (Josh Ford Motorsports)
73x ยฎCHASE McDERMAND/Springfield, IL (Josh Ford Motorsports)
78 ยฎMARVIN MITCHELL/Madera, CA (Marvin Mitchell)
81 BRYANT WIEDEMAN/Colby, KS (CB Industries)
84 ยฎJESSE LOVE/Menlo Park, CA (CB Industries)
86 CANNON McINTOSH/Bixby, OK (CB Industries)
88 TANNER THORSON/Minden, NV (Tanner Thorson Racing)
97 ยฎGAVIN MILLER/Allentown, PA (Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports)
99AU CARSON MACEDO/Lemoore, CA (Dyson Motorsport)
ยฎ Don Basile Rookie of the Race Contenders