SCHUTTE-FACCINTO CHAMPIONSHIP BATTLE HEADS TO VENTURA’S “78TH TURKEY NIGHT GRAND PRIX”
By Lance Jennings
NOVEMBER 19, 2018... After last Saturday’s dramatic “November Classic” at Bakersfield, the Light Up The World USAC Western States and P1 Insurance USAC National Midgets will battle in one of the most prestigious and longest running motorsports events in the country. On Thursday, November 22nd, Jim Naylor’s Ventura Raceway will host the “78th Running of the Turkey Night Grand Prix.” The USAC West Coast and VRA Sprint Cars will join the action packed card in the non-point “Battle of the Beach.” The Pit Gates at the “The Best Little Dirt Track in America” will open at 11:45am, the Driver’s Meeting will be held at 2:45pm, the Spectator Gates open at 3:00pm, and practice starts at 3:30pm.
NOTICE TO RACERS: USAC memberships can be purchased at the track or online at https://usacracing.redpodium.com/2018-usac-sprint-midget-sc.
2018 APPROVED/LEGAL MUFFLERS: B&B: FRAC-0375-S w/side outlet, COAST FABRICATION: 300x625x17-2s, 350x625x17-2s, 400x625x17-2s, EXTREME: 3515-3030 (15” Long 5” round shell with 3”inlet & 3” outlet), 3615-3030 (15” Long 6” round shell with 3” inlet & 3” outlet), 3515-3030-8 (15” Long 5” round shell with 3”inlet & 3” outlet with turnout), 3615-3030-8 (15” Long 6” round shell with 3” inlet & 3” outlet with turnout), FLOWMASTER: (BCRA Approved) 13009130, 13509130, 13509135, SCHOENFELD: 14272535
*Failure to comply with the muffler rule will risk disqualification from the event.
ARP BONUS: Automotive Racing Products is offering a special $50,000 bonus to the driver that wins both the Thursday night midget and 360 sprint car main events. A talented roster of drivers from across the country are expected at this prestigious event.
GRAND MARSHALLS: Cory Kruseman, Jay Drake, and Tommy Hunt.
PAY PER VIEW: The event is available on pay-per-view and will be live streamed at www.speedshifttv.com.
The festivities for the “78th Running of the Turkey Night Grand Prix” will start on Wednesday, November 21st. That night, the USAC West Coast and VRA Sprint Cars will clash in a special non-points event and the USAC National and Western States Midgets will have their practice sessions. On Thursday, the Sprint Cars will return for their non-point “Battle of the Beach” finale along with the complete midget show with time trials, last chance races, and 98-lap main event. There will be a special driver autograph session at intermission.
Since Bob Swanson took the checkered flags at Gilmore Stadium in 1934, the “Turkey Night Grand Prix” (TNGP) has been a “must win” race for drivers from across the country. While other venues like Gardena, Speedway 605, Saugus, Bakersfield, Irwindale, and Perris have showcased the event, it is perhaps best known at the legendary Ascot Park. In 1997, Ventura Raceway hosted it’s first “granddaddy of all midget races” and Billy Boat claimed his third-straight “Thanksgiving Classic.” Last year, Christopher Bell outdueled NASCAR’s Kyle Larson to add his name for the second time to the perpetual “Aggie Trophy” alongside many legends of the sport. A complete win list of the “Turkey Night Grand Prix is at the end of this release.
Since May 24, 1986, 144 USAC Western States Midget events have been held at the Ventura County Fairgrounds. Sleepy Tripp claimed the inaugural victory and leads all drivers with eighteen Ventura wins. When the series last visited the popular oval on October 27th, 2017 USAC West Coast Sprint Car Champion Jake Swanson took the checkered flags. At press time, Johnny Cofer holds the 1-lap qualifying record of 11.675, set on November 18, 1995 and a complete series Ventura win list is at the bottom of this release.
Heading to Ventura, Alex Schutte (Redding, CA) has taken over the point lead and holds a slim 4-point advantage. Driving the Schutte/McElwee #28 Proficio / Ontario West Spike, Schutte scored seventeenth last Saturday night at Bakersfield Speedway. To date, the 2010 champion has two feature wins, two Woodland Auto Display Fast Time Awards, eight heat race victories, eight top-10 finishes, and 43 feature laps led on the season. Alex has eight career series wins and will have his sights earning the championship with a “Turkey Night Grand Prix” victory.
Michael Faccinto (Hanford, CA) ranks second in the Light Up The World point standings. Piloting the Dodenhoff Motorsports’ #9D Lightning Medical / Rocket Sports & Entertainment Spike, Faccinto scored twenty-fourth at Bakersfield after an early flip. At press time, the 2016 Louie Vermeil Classic Winner has posted three feature wins, two Woodland Auto Display Fast Time Awards, three heat race victories, one Saldana Racing Products / Racing Optics Hard Charger Award, nine top-10 finishes, and 64 feature laps led in the campaign. Michael eight career victories and will be looking to win the championship with a victory at the Ventura County Fairgrounds.
Robert Dalby (Anaheim, CA) has risen to third in the championship point chase. Racing the family owned #4D R-D Spring & Stamping / Monster Seal Spike, Dalby scored a sixteenth place finish in Bakersfield’s “November Classic.” To date, the young driver has posted one heat race victory, seven top-10 finishes, and 17 feature laps led on the season. This Thursday night, Robert will have his sights on earning the first career USAC victory at Ventura Raceway.
Robby Josett (Santa Clarita, CA) sits fourth in the Light Up The World Beverages point standings. The pilot of his #2 Walker Air Filtration / Morse Muffler Spike did not compete at Bakersfield last Saturday night. At press time, Robby has one Woodland Auto Display Fast Time Award, one heat race victory, one Saldana Racing Products / Racing Optics Hard Charger Award, seven top-10 finishes, and five feature laps led to his credit. Robby has four career USAC wins and will drive the Six8 Motorsports’ #68 Stewart (formerly driven by Ronnie Gardner) at the “Turkey Night Grand Prix.”
Robert Dalby (Anaheim, CA) is fourth in the championship point chase. Racing the family owned #4D R-D Spring & Stamping / Monster Seal Spike, Dalby finished eighteenth at the Ventura County Fairgrounds. At press time, the young driver has one heat race victory, seven top-10 finishes, and 17 feature laps led on the season. This Saturday night, Robert will have his sights on earning the first career USAC victory at Bakersfield.
C.J. Sarna (Palm Desert, CA) ranks fifth in the USAC Western States Midget point standings. Piloting his #20 Cactus Jack’s / Final Final Clothing Spike, Sarna used a provisional and scored nineteenth last Saturday night at Bakersfield Speedway. To date, the 2007 Co-Rookie of the Year has posted eight top-10 finishes in the campaign. The second generation driver has one career victory and will be looking to gain valuable points with a strong run on Thursday night.
Kyle Beilman (Mar Vista, CA) has a lock on earning Rookie of the Year honors in 2018. Driving the family owned #31 Dave.com / Six8 Motorsports Spike, Beilman has posted one Saldana Racing Products / Racing Optics Hard Charger Award and two top-10 finishes on the season. Kyle will be looking to have a strong outing at the “Turkey Night Grand Prix.”
Over 60 drivers are expected to be in action at Ventura. Among them are David Prickett, Frankie Guerrini, Randi Pankratz, Maria Cofer, Clayton Ruston, Jake Swanson, Daniel Anderson, Cody Swanson, Marvin Mitchell, Ryan Bernal, Dylan Ito, Ashley Hazelton-Heredia, Bryan Drollinger, “The Demon” Damion Gardner, Mike Leach Jr., Tony Everhart, Bruce Hiroshima, Austin Liggett, Johnathon Henry, Ricky Lewis, Michelle Decker, Chase Johnson, Carson Macedo, Buddy Kofoid, Shane Golobic, Kyle Larson, and more.
Logan Seavey (Sutter, CA) leads the USAC National Midget Series point chase. “The Macho Man” Brady Bacon, Chad Boat, Spencer Bayston, Tyler Courtney, Justin Grant, Tanner Carrick, Kevin Thomas Jr., Zeb Wise, and Ryan Robinson round out the top-10 in points.
Ventura Raceway is located on the Ventura County Fairgrounds at 10 West Harbor Blvd. in Ventura, California. Advance tickets are on sale and for more event information, visit the track’s website at www.venturaraceway.com or call 805.648.RACE.
The Light Up The World USAC Western States Midget Series presented by CBD Living Water thanks Hoosier Tire, ButlerBuilt Professional Seat Systems, Competition Suspension Incorporated, Extreme Mufflers, Five Star Grafix, Keizer Aluminum Wheels, Pyrotect Racing Cells, Racing Optics, Rod End Supply, Saldana Racing Products, Ultra Shield Race Products, and Woodland Auto Display for their support. If you or your company would like to become part of the series, email PR Director Lance Jennings at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .
For more information on the series, visit the United States Auto Club (USAC) website at www.usacracing.com. You can also find exclusive content on the Light Up The World Beverages USAC Western States Midget Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram pages.
Loudpedal Productions has USAC Western States Midget DVDs and videos on demand available for purchase at www.loudpedal.tv and 805.407.7229.
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LIGHT UP THE WORLD USAC WESTERN STATES MIDGET SERIES PRESENTED BY CBD LIVING WATER CHAMPIONS: *1982-Jeff Heywood, 1983-Sleepy Tripp, 1984-Tommy White, 1985-Sleepy Tripp, 1986-Robby Flock, 1987-Sleepy Tripp, 1988-Sleepy Tripp, 1989-Robby Flock, 1990-Sleepy Tripp, 1991-Sleepy Tripp, 1992-Sleepy Tripp, 1993-Robby Flock, 1994-Johnny Cofer, 1995-Billy Boat, 1996-Jay Drake, 1997-Ricky Shelton, 1998-Rick Hendrix, 1999-Marc DeBeaumont, 2000-Wally Pankratz, 2001-Danny Ebberts, 2002-Robby Flock, 2003-Steve Paden, 2004-Johnny Rodriguez, 2005-Jerome Rodela, 2006-Jerome Rodela, 2007-Johnny Rodriguez, 2008-Nic Faas, 2009-Garrett Hansen, 2010-Alex Schutte, 2011-Cory Kruseman, 2012-Shannon McQueen, 2013-Ronnie Gardner, 2014- Ronnie Gardner, 2015-Ronnie Gardner, 2016-Ronnie Gardner, 2017-Ronnie Gardner.
TURKEY NIGHT GRAND PRIX 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; 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-Sam Sessions; 1969-George Benson; 1970-Gary Bettenhausen; 1971-Bill Englehart; 1972-Tony Simon; 1973-Bill Englehart; 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 LIGHT UP THE WORLD USAC WESTERN STATES MIDGET PRESENTED BY CBD LIVING WATER WINS: 3-Michael Faccinto, 2-Shane Golobic, 2-Alex Schutte, 1-Damion Gardner, 1-Ronnie Gardner, 1-Logan Seavey, 1-Jake Swanson.
VENTURA LIGHT UP THE WORLD USAC WESTERN STATES MIDGET SERIES PRESENTED BY CBD LIVING WATER WINS: 18-Sleepy Tripp, 13-Billy Boat, 8-Page Jones, 7-Garrett Hansen, 6-Ronnie Gardner, 6-Jimmy Sills, 5-Johnny Cofer, 5-Robby Flock, 5-Cory Kruseman, 4-Robert Dolacki, 4- P.J. Jones, 3-Jay Drake, 3-Robby Josett, 3-Chris Rahe, 3-Tony Stewart, 2-Tommy Astone, 2-Tyler Brown, 2-Josh Ford, 2-Dennis Hart, 2-Johnathon Henry, 2-Brad Kuhn, 2-Frank Pedregon, 2-Jerome Rodela, 2-Chuck West, 1-Mike Appio, 1-Christopher Bell, 1-Wayne Bennet, 1-Chad Boat, 1-Bobby Boone, 1-Mario Bringetto Jr., 1-Hank Butcher, 1-Keith Chrisco, 1-Kevin Doty, 1-Tony Elliott, 1-Nic Faas, 1-Stan Fox, 1-Russ Gamester, 1-Chuck Gurney, 1-Daryl Haugh, 1-Rick Hendrix, 1-A.J. Johnson, 1-Ryan Kaplan, 1-Josh Lakatos, 1-Kyle Larson, 1-Brad Loyet, 1-Carson Macedo, 1-Lealand McSpadden, 1-Matt Mitchell, 1-Steve Paden, 1-Rusty Rasmussen, 1-Keith Rauch, 1-Troy Rutherford, 1-Shane Scully, 1-Ron Shuman, 1-Bryan Stanfill, 1-Jake Swanson, 1-Tommy White.
2018 LIGHT UP THE WORLD USAC WESTERN STATES MIDGET PRESENTED BY CBD LIVING WATER POINT STANDINGS: 1. Alex Schutte-730, 2. Michael Faccinto-726, 3. Robert Dalby-578, 4. Robby Josett-570, 5. C.J. Sarna-528, 6. David Prickett-509, 7. Kyle Beilman-428, 8. Shannon McQueen-370, .. Ronnie Gardner-370, .. Frankie Guerrini-370, 11. Randi Pankratz-358, 12. Maria Cofer-316, 13. Clayton Ruston-310, 14. Jake Swanson-294, 15. Daniel Anderson-279, 16. Cody Swanson-263, 17. Marvin Mitchell-262, 18. Ryan Bernal-260, 19. Dylan Ito-216, 20. Ashley Hazelton-Heredia-186.
2018 P1 INSURANCE USAC NATIONAL MIDGET POINT STANDINGS: 1. Logan Seavey-988, 2. Brady Bacon-851, 3. Chad Boat-849, 4. Spencer Bayston-833, 5. Tyler Courtney-804, 6. Justin Grant-802, 7. Tanner Carrick-785, 8. Kevin Thomas Jr.-711, 9. Zeb Wise-609, 10. Ryan Robinson-569, 11. Jerry Coons Jr.-560, 12. Jason McDougal-536, 13. Tucker Klaasmeyer-484, 14. Holly Shelton-477, 15. Tyler Thomas-434, 16. Brayton Lynch-390, 17. Alex Bright-373, 18. Sam Johnson-365, 19. Kyle Cracker-260, 20. Zane Hendricks-259.
2018 LIGHT UP THE WORLD USAC WESTERN STATES MIDGET SERIES PRESENTED BY CBD LIVING WATER SCHEDULE
November 22: #Ventura Raceway – Ventura, CA (Turkey Night Grand Prix)
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# = Co-Sanctioned Event with USAC National Midgets.
This schedule is subject to change.
