VENTURA’S “79TH TURKEY NIGHT GRAND PRIX” STARTS WEDNESDAY
By Lance Jennings
NOVEMBER 25, 2019... Starting Wednesday, November 27th, the USAC West Coast and VRA Sprints will clash at Ventura Raceway for two nights of action. Promoted by Jim Naylor, the prestigious “79th Running of the Turkey Night Grand Prix” will begin with a special Wednesday non-point program for the 360 sprint cars and practice for the USAC National and Western States Midgets. On Thursday, the sprint cars will return for their non-point “ARP Battle of the Beach” finale along with the complete midget show. The Wednesday 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 3:15pm. On Thursday, the Pit Gates will open at 11:00am and the other times will be the same. For more information, visit the track’s website at venturaraceway.com or call 805.648.RACE.
NOTE: In case of bad weather, Ventura Raceway and the United States Auto Club (USAC) have a contingency program that can be found online at: www.venturaraceway.com/uncategorized/turkey-night-weather-contingency-plans/
NOTICE TO RACERS:
- TURKEY NIGHT ENTRIES: Thursday, October 31st, was the deadline for the $50 early entry fee. The entry fee is now $100, including entries submitted on raceday. The 360 Sprint Car Entry Form can be found online at westcoastsprintcars.com/2019/tn19.pdf.
- USAC West Coast Sprint Car series rules will apply.
- 2019 APPROVED/LEGAL MUFFLERS: EXTREME: 6014-3535, 3615-3535, BILLY BOAT: FRAC-0375S, COAST FABRICATION: 350x625x17-2S, FLOWMASTER: 53545-10, 13516100, 13516101, SCHOENFELD: 14272535, 14272735-78, SPINTECH: 1545P SUPER STOCK. *Failure to comply with the muffler rule will risk disqualification from the event.
- FRONT AXLE TETHER SYSTEMS (2-Chassis, 1-King Pin to King Pin) ARE MANDATORY.
- FULL CONTAINMENT SEATS ARE MANDATORY.
- COCKPIT ADJUSTABLE SHOCKS ARE ALLOWED.
- The Hoosier 105/16 Medium is the ONLY legal right rear tire and all four corners must be Hoosier.
- Engine restrictor rules are 1-7/8” with open heads and 2-3/16” with ASCS cylinder heads.
- The weight rule is 1,475 lbs. with driver and the USAC West Coast Sprint Car Rule Book can be found online at westcoastsprintcars.com and usacracing.com.
GRAND MARSHALLS: Sleepy Tripp & Gary Zarounian.
PAY PER VIEW: The event is available on pay-per-view and will be live streamed at floracing.com.
ARP BONUS: $5,000 in ARP bucks will be handed out during driver introductions for Thursday’s sprint car main event. All twenty-two (22) positions will get a random envelope with a check from ARP.
THURSDAY FEATURE: Thursday’s “ARP Battle at the Beach” main event will be 41 laps in honor of Jason Johnson. Lap 40 will pay an additional $141 in lap money and Bobbi Johnson will be sending a care package of giveaways for racers & fans.
PROVISIONALS: There will be 2 ARP provisionals for the Thursday night feature.
WEDNESDAY FORMAT:
- PILL DRAW: Racers will pill draw for heat race lineups.
- HEAT RACES: There will be no more than 10 cars per heat race for ten (10) laps each.
- QUALIFYING RACES: Depending on car count, there will be 4 or 5 twelve (12) lap qualifying races with a four (4) car inversion.
- A PASSING POINTS SYSTEM WILL BE USED FOR HEAT RACES AND QUALIFIERS.
- DASH: The top-10 cars in points will make the fifteen (15) lap dash. The lineup will be straight up by points and the finish will set the first five rows of Thursday’s 41-lap main event.
- WEDNESDAY DASH PURSE: 1-$1000, 2-$600, 3-$400, 4-$300, 5-$250, 6-$225, 7-$200, 8-$150, 9-$150, 10-$150.
THURSDAY FORMAT:
- SEMI-MAINS: Depending on car count, there will be 2 or 3 twelve (12) lap semi-mains.
- SEMI-MAIN TRANSFERS: The top 3 or 4 finishers will transfer to the feature, which also depends on car count.
- SEMI-MAIN LINEUP: The lineup is based on total passing points from the Wednesday heat races and qualifiers. The lineup will be straight up by points.
- FEATURE: The main event will have twenty-two (22) cars with two possible ARP provisionals.
- THURSDAY PURSE: 1-$3000, 2-$2000, 3-$1500, 4-$1000, 5-$800, 6-$700, 7-$600, 8-$500, 9-$400, 10-$300, 11-22-$200. All non-transfers = $75.
Since April 4, 2009, the Ventura County Fairgrounds has held fifteen West Coast 360 events and ten different drivers have claimed victory. Led by newly crowned champion Tristan Guardino and Jake Swanson with three wins, Guardino also set a new 1-lap track record of 11.958 on March 23rd. Swanson won the last visit on August 24th, while Troy Rutherford claimed the June 1st feature and Guardino raced to victory on March 23rd. A complete series win list at Ventura is at the end of this release.
When the checkered flags flew on October 12th at Petaluma, Tristan Guardino (Fremont, CA) clinched his first USAC West Coast Sprint Car Championship. Piloting the family owned #15T Dorso’s Automotive / Allied Auto Stores Maxim, Guardino won by 150 points on the strength of three feature wins, two Woodland Auto Display Fast Time Awards, four heat race victories, eleven top-10 finishes, and 87 feature laps led. With eight victories, Tristan is tied with Peter Murphy and Jace Vander Weerd for seventh on the win list and will be looking to add the “Turkey Night Grand Prix” to his resume.
Ryan Timmons (Pleasant Hill, CA) finished second in the chase for the championship. Piloting the family owned #29T Timmons Auto & Truck Repair / Evergood Fine Foods Maxim, Timmons Year had two Woodland Auto Display Fast Time Awards, three heat race victories, one Wilwood Disc Brakes Lucky 13 Award, nine top-10 finishes, and 11 feature laps led to his credit. At Ventura, Ryan will have his sights on his third career USAC West Coast victory.
Koen Shaw (Fresno, CA) ranked third in the USAC West Coast point standings. Racing the family owned #88 Shaw Structures Unlimited / PMS Investments KPC, Shaw posted one heat race victory, one Saldana Racing Products Hard Charger Award, and seven top-10 finishes in the campaign. At press time, the versatile driver has not pre-entered the Turkey Night Grand Prix.
T.J. Smith (Fresno, CA) placed fourth in the championship point chase. Driving the May Motorsports’ #8M Salmon Motorsports / Coopers Propane Maxim, Smith posted four heat race victories, one Saldana Racing Products Hard Charger Award, seven top-10 finishes, and 9 feature laps led on the season. The former Santa Maria track champion will be looking for the fifth series win of his career.
After claiming the winged Ocean Sprint Car Championship at Watsonville, J.J. Ringo (Morgan Hill, CA) ran fifth in the USAC West Coast points and earned rookie of the year honors. Racing the Keller Motorsports’ #2 Firestone Brewery 805 / Crown Limousine Triple X, Ringo posted one heat race victory, two Saldana Racing Products Hard Charger Awards, seven top-10 finishes, and 22 feature laps led on the season. Ringo will have his sights on his first USAC win at Ventura Raceway.
Rick Hendrix (Palmdale, CA) leads a strong contingent of racers with the Ventura Racing Association. Charlie Butcher, Chris Meredith, Kyle Smith, Brent Owens, Gage Rucker, Joey Bishop, Kenny Perkins, Ricky Lewis, and Trent Williams round out the top-10 drivers.
A pre-entry list of drivers is at the bottom of the release with over 30 sprint car drivers expected to be in action at Ventura Raceway. In addition, an estimated over 70 cars will compete in the midget portion of the Turkey Night Grand Prix.
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 venturaraceway.com or call 805.648.RACE.
The USAC West Coast Sprint Car Series thanks AMSOIL, Brown & Miller Racing Solutions, Butlerbuilt Professional Seat Systems, Chris Kearns Presents, Competition Suspension Incorporated, Extreme Mufflers, Five Star Grafix, Hoosier Racing Tire, Loudpedal Productions, Pyrotect Racing Cells, Saldana Racing Products, Sway-A-Way Racing Technology, Ultra Shield Race Products, Wilwood Disc Brakes, 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 usacracing.com and the social media for USAC Racing. You can also find exclusive content at westcoastsprintcars.com and the USAC West Coast Sprint Car Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram pages.
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2019 TURKEY NIGHT GRAND PRIX SPRINT CAR PRE-ENTRIES:
Car # - Driver – Hometown – Car Owner
1S- Nate Schank / Santa Rosa, CA / Janis Schank
2- J.J. Ringo / Morgan Hill, CA / Keller Motorsports
3- Kaleb Montgomery / Templeton, CA / Jason Montgomery
8- Danny Faria Jr. / Tipton, CA / Jim Richardson
12- Stevie Sussex / Tempe, AZ / Robbie & Gaye Allen
15- Rick Hendrix / Palmdale, CA / Rick Hendrix
15T- Tristan Guardino / Fremont, CA / Rick Guardino
17- Bruno Bianchi / Petaluma, CA / Dan Phillips
17R- Jeff Fillingame / Fillmore, CA / Jeff Fillingame
21- Carson Macedo / Lemoore, CA / Tom Tarlton Sr.
24- Chase Johnson / Penngrove, CA / Don Johnson
29T- Ryan Timmons / Pleasant Hill, CA / Dave Timmons
34AZ- Jake Swanson / Anaheim, CA / John Grau & Mike Burkhart
38- Colby Johnson / Penngrove, CA / Don Johnson
39- Kyle Edwards / Fountain Valley, CA / Gordon Edwards
52V- Trent Williams / Apple Valley, CA / Toby & Linda Stanford
57- Tyler Edwards / Salina, OK / Steve Hix
71- Brent Owens / Rancho Cucamonga, CA / Russell & Jean Martin
81- Ricky Lewis / Oxnard, CA / Steve Watt
81M- Slater Helt / Harrisonville, MO / Steve Watt
81S- Michael Pickens / Auckland, NZ / Steve Watt
81T- Tyler Courtney / Indianapolis, IN / Steve Watt
81X- Chris Windom / Canton, IL / Steve Watt
83- Austin Liggett / Tracy, CA / Tim Liggett
87- Ricky Kirkbride / Bakersfield, CA / Bob & Toni Van Meter
99T- Tanner Boul / Auberry, CA / Boul Racing
09S- Geoffrey Strole / Laton, CA / Mark Strole
TBA- Dominic Scelzi / Fresno, CA
USAC WEST COAST SPRINT CAR CHAMPIONS: 2009-Justyne Hamblin, 2010-Craig Stidham, 2011-Richard Vander Weerd, 2012-Bud Kaeding, 2013-Danny Faria Jr., 2014-Matt Mitchell, 2015-Danny Faria Jr., 2016-Brody Roa, 2017-Jake Swanson, 2018-Austin Liggett, 2019-Tristan Guardino.
TURKEY NIGHT WEST COAST SPRINT CAR WINNERS: 2016-Geoff Ensign, 2017-Tyler Courtney, 2018-Carson Macedo.
2019 USAC WEST COAST SPRINT CAR WINS: 4-Austin Liggett, 3-Tristan Guardino, 2-Jake Swanson, 1-Chase Johnson, 1-Kaleb Montgomery, 1-Brody Roa, 1- Troy Rutherford.
VENTURA USAC WEST COAST SPRINT CAR WINS: (Includes Non-Point Races) 3-Tristan Guardino, 3-Jake Swanson, 2-Ryan Bernal, 1-Brady Bacon, 1-Tyler Courtney, 1-Geoff Ensign, 1-Johnathon Henry, 1-Austin Liggett, 1-Carson Macedo, 1-Troy Rutherford.
FINAL 2019 USAC WEST COAST SPRINT CAR POINT STANDINGS: 1. Tristan Guardino-860, 2. Ryan Timmons-710, 3. Koen Shaw-622, 4. T.J. Smith-550, 5. J.J. Ringo ®-539, 6. Hannah Mayhew ®-497, 7. Austin Liggett-468, 8. Austin Ervine-458, 9. Slater Helt ®-428, 10. Jake Swanson-400, 11. Troy Rutherford-328, 12. Steve Hix-308, 13. Danny Faria Jr.-294, 14. Michael Faccinto-275, 15. Cody Majors-266, 16. Ricky Kirkbride-255, 17. Tanner Boul ®-243, 18. Tom Hendricks-228, 19. Brandon Wiley-213, 20. Brent Owens ®-210, --. Kaleb Montgomery-210.
2019 BATTLE AT THE BEACH POINT STANDINGS: 1. Troy Rutherford-595, 2. Tristan Guardino-550, 3. Ryan Timmons-510, 4. Steve Hix-495, =. Jake Swanson-495, 6. Rick Hendrix-485, 7. Koen Shaw-480, 8. Slater Helt-450, 9. Tanner Boul-385, 10. Austin Ervine-360, -. Cody Majors-360, -. J.J. Ringo-350, 14. Charlie Butcher-330, 14. Gage Rucker-352, 15. Tom Hendricks-265, -. Ricky Lewis-265, 17. Brandon Wiley-240, 18. Hannah Mayhew-235, 19. T.J. Smith-555, 20. Carson Macedo-215.
2019 USAC WEST COAST SPRINT CAR SERIES SCHEDULE
DATE-TRACK-LOCATION
February 27: The Dirt Track at LVMS - Las Vegas, NV (Winner: Brody Roa)
February 28: The Dirt Track at LVMS - Las Vegas, NV (Winner: Jake Swanson)
March 16: Bakersfield Speedway - Bakersfield, CA (Winner: Chase Johnson)
March 23: *Ventura Raceway – Ventura, CA (Winner: Tristan Guardino)
April 27: Santa Maria Raceway - Santa Maria, CA (Winner: Austin Liggett)
May 17: Thunderbowl Raceway - Tulare, CA (Winner: Austin Liggett)
May 18: Petaluma Speedway – Petaluma, CA (RAINED OUT)
June 1: *Ventura Raceway – Ventura, CA (Winner: Troy Rutherford)
June 7: Thunderbowl Raceway - Tulare, CA (Winner: Tristan Guardino)
June 15: Santa Maria Raceway - Santa Maria, CA (Winner: Tristan Guardino)
August 10: Santa Maria Raceway - Santa Maria, CA (Winner: Austin Liggett)
August 24: *Ventura Raceway - Ventura, CA (Winner: Jake Swanson)
October 5: Santa Maria Raceway - Santa Maria, CA (Winner: Kaleb Montgomery)
October 12: Petaluma Speedway – Petaluma, CA (Winner: Austin Liggett)
November 27: *Ventura Raceway - Ventura, CA (Turkey Night Grand Prix / Non-Points)
November 28: *Ventura Raceway - Ventura, CA (Turkey Night Grand Prix / ARP Battle at the Beach Race #4 / Non-Points)
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* = Co-Sanctioned Event with VRA Sprints.
This schedule is subject to change.
