Ventura, California (November 18, 2024)………Fifty-four (54) USAC NOS Energy Drink Midget National Championship drivers and cars will compete in the 83rd running of the ARP Turkey Night Grand Prix Presented By the West Coast Stock Car/Motorsports Hall of Fame.
They’ll all converge on California’s Ventura Raceway on Saturday night, November 30, for the 2024 installment of the longest-running midget race of them all, a tradition which dates back to 1934.
At least four past Turkey Night Grand Prix winners are included in the driver lineup, headlined by four-time event winner Kyle Larson (2012-2016-2019-2023), plus one-time winners Justin Grant (2022), Logan Seavey (2021) and Tanner Thorson (2015).
They’re among the 21 USAC National Midget feature winners in the field, 17 of which are vying for a first Turkey Night midget triumph. It’s a list which includes five USAC National Midget champions, including Logan Seavey (2018 & 2023), Buddy Kofoid (2021 & 2022), Tyler Courtney (2019), Tanner Thorson (2016) and J.J. Yeley (2003).
To date, nine different drivers have won USAC National Midget races during the 2024 campaign, seven of which are vying for a first career Turkey Night triumph. Daison Pursley has won seven while Cannon McIntosh owns three scores. Logan Seavey has picked up a pair of wins as has Ryan Timms, himself a two-time Turkey Night Sprint Car winner in 2022-2023. Single scores belong to Emerson Axsom, Kale Drake, Justin Grant, Chase McDermand and Zach Wigal.
Wigal is one of at least 25 Don Basile Rookie of the Race contenders in the 2024 lineup, which includes its share of headlining names. Jumping off the list is two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Busch, who will be making his USAC Midget debut during the series’ November tour through the Golden State.
Also included on the Rookie list is Cale Coons, son of USAC Career Triple Crown champion Jerry Coons Jr. USAC Western States Midget front runner Drake Edwards is vying for top Rookie glory as are veteran drivers, and Turkey Night newcomers, Stevie Sussex and Karter Sarff, plus international flair from New Zealand’s Ben Covich and Mathew Radisch.
Overall, six past Turkey Night Rookies of the Race will be in the field: Kyle Larson (2011), Tanner Thorson (2013), Carson Macedo (2016), Cannon McIntosh (2019), Jake Andreotti (2022) and Corey Day (2023).
This year’s Turkey Night weekend will also host the Ultimate Sprint Car Series for both nights of on-track action on November 29-30.
SCHEDULE:
Friday, November 29: Grandstands open at 3pm Pacific. Cars on track at 3:30pm. Midget practice, plus sprint car racing.
Saturday, November 30: Grandstands open at 3pm Pacific. Cars on track at 3:30pm. Sprint car racing, plus midget hot laps, qualifying, last chance qualifiers, semis and the 98-lap feature.
Advance tickets can be purchased now at www.venturaraceway.com. Additional information is available at 805-648-7223.
2024 TURKEY NIGHT GRAND PRIX USAC MIDGET ENTRY LIST: (54)
00 JAKE ANDREOTTI/Castro Valley, CA (Pete Davis)
1K KYLE LARSON/Elk Grove, CA (Silva Motorsports)
1p (R) TERRY NICHOLS/Delano, CA (Nichols-Peckfelder Motorsports)
2 JUSTIN GRANT/Ione, CA (RMS Racing)
3J J.J. YELEY/Phoenix, AZ (Petty Performance Racing)
3p (R) DRAKE EDWARDS/Peoria, AZ (Petty Performance Racing)
3v (R) JIM VANZANT/Prescott, AZ (Jim & Bonnie Vanzant)
4 COREY DAY/Clovis, CA (Wille Kahne)
8 RANDI PANKRATZ/Atascadero, CA (Wally Pankratz)
8w CHASE McDERMAND/Springfield, IL (Josh Ford Motorsports)
14 (R) MATHEW RADISCH/Auckland, NZ (Graunstadt-Streeter Racing)
14s TYLER EDWARDS/Salina, OK (Mounce-Stout Motorsports)
14T MICHAEL FACCINTO/Hanford, CA (Graunstadt-Streeter Racing)
15 C.J. LEARY/Greenfield, IN (Dennis Hart)
17A (R) TOM DUNKEL/Menifee, CA (Josh Ford Motorsports)
18 (R) TODD HAWSE/Simi Valley, CA (Todd Hawse)
19 (R) ALEX KARPOWICZ/Spring Branch, TX (Mounce-Stout Motorsports)
20 C.J. SARNA/Palm Desert, CA (Sarna Motorsports)
20AZ (R) STEVIE SUSSEX/Tempe, AZ (Crown Jewel Racing)
20x (R) KYLE HAWSE/Las Vegas, NV (Hawse Racing)
Q23 (R) BARRIE VALENTINO/Brisbane, AU (El Toro Racing)
23c TYLER COURTNEY/Indianapolis, IN (Silva Motorsports)
25 JACOB DENNEY/Galloway, OH (Tom Malloy)
25m TANNER THORSON/Minden, NV (Tom Malloy)
31 (R) KARTER SARFF/Mason City, IL (Beilman Motorsports)
31B ZACH DAUM/Pocahontas, IL (Beilman Motorsports)
32 (R) CADEN SARALE/Stockton, CA (Caden Sarale)
Q32 (R) PETER PAULSON/Woodland, CA (El Toro Racing)
32x (R) T.J. SMITH/Fresno, CA (Caden Sarale)
39T (R) TROY DeGATON/Wickenburg, AZ (Troy DeGaton)
50 (R) DANE CULVER/Riverside, CA (Knuckles Up Racing)
51 BRODY FUSON/Bakersfield, CA (Rusty Carlile)
51B (R) KYLE BUSCH/Las Vegas, NV (Kyle Busch Motorsports)
55 (R) ABBY HOHLBEIN/Cloverdale, OH (Lambert Motorsports)
57 LOGAN SEAVEY/Sutter, CA (Abacus Racing)
58 KAYLEE BRYSON/Muskogee, OK (Abacus Racing)
63 (R) CALE COONS/Greencastle, IN (Joe Dooling)
65NZ (R) BEN COVICH/Auckland, NZ (Ben Covich)
67 RYAN TIMMS/Oklahoma City, OK (Keith Kunz-Curb-Agajanian Motorsports)
67K EMERSON AXSOM/Franklin, IN (Keith Kunz-Curb-Agajanian Motorsports)
68 RONNIE GARDNER/Corona, CA (Six8 Motorsports)
71 BUDDY KOFOID/Penngrove, CA (Keith Kunz-Curb-Agajanian Motorsports)
71D (R) BRYAN DROLLINGER/San Pedro, CA (Drollinger Bros. Racing)
71K CANNON MCINTOSH/Bixby, OK (Keith Kunz-Curb-Agajanian Motorsports)
73 (R) COLE WAKIM/Simi Valley, CA (Josh Ford Motorsports)
77 (R) DALTEN GABBARD/Peoria, AZ (Dalten Gabbard)
86 DAISON PURSLEY/Locust Grove, OK (CB Industries)
88A (R) AUSTIN TORGERSON/Glendale, AZ (Mounce-Stout Motorsports)
89 (R) ZACH WIGAL/Belpre, OH (CB Industries)
97 GAVIN MILLER/Allentown, PA (Keith Kunz-Curb-Agajanian Motorsports)
97K KALE DRAKE/Collinsville, OK (Keith Kunz-Curb-Agajanian Motorsports)
98 TANNER CARRICK/Lincoln, CA (Keith Kunz-Curb-Agajanian Motorsports)
99AU CARSON MACEDO/Lemoore, CA (Dyson Motorsport)
101 CADE LEWIS/Bakersfield, CA (Dean Alexander)
(R) represents a Don Basile Rookie of the Race candidate
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