LOS ANGELES – The 80th running of the USAC NOS Energy Drink National Midget Series Turkey Night Grand Prix was held Saturday, Nov. 27 following a one-year absence.
The COVID-19 pandemic forced the cancellation of the 2020 edition of the race.
Using the one year hiatus and break from the traditional Thanksgiving race date, Cary and J.C Agajanian Jr. and Ventura Raceway promoter Jim Naylor decided to change the 2021 event from Thanksgiving Day to Saturday of the Thanksgiving four-day holiday weekend as an experiment. Instead of Wednesday practice and Thursday racing, Ventura Raceway ran Friday and Saturday this year.
The result was a sellout of all 2,700 grandstand seats. There were more than 500 people in the pits. Many people bought pit passes just to get into the speedway. Naylor said some people were turned away for the first time after all seats were sold.
I wanted to see what the verdict is for the 81st running of the Thanksgiving midget racing classic. I spoke to Naylor recently and he said he, “would love to keep the 2022 midget classic on Friday-Saturday of Thanksgiving weekend.” I also contacted J.C. Agajanian Jr. to learn his position. He stated, “Though I am a traditionalist, I have to agree that with COVID and missing last year’s race, this was the right time to break with tradition and move the event to its new days…Friday and Saturday after Thanksgiving.”
USAC concurs.
It is obvious that many more people were able to attend the 2021 Turkey Night Grand Prix on Saturday than on Thanksgiving night. I spoke to numerous racing fans in the pits and families in the grandstand. Many said they would not have attended the race if it was held on Thanksgiving evening because that is family gathering time. They came in person this year because Saturday is their usual race night.
This year was the first time a Turkey Night Grand Prix sold out at Ventura, which hosted the event in 1997 and from 2016-19. I have seen 59 consecutive Turkey Night Grand Prix events from 1962 at Ascot in Gardena to Saugus, Bakersfield, Ventura, Perris, and Irwindale (1999-2011). None of those events sold out, although those speedways had larger seating capacities than Ventura. The last Turkey Night Grand Prix that had a standing room only crowd was the final Turkey Night Grand Prix at Ascot in November of 1990.
Ventura Raceway management said the 2021 Thanksgiving midget race was the largest midget race crowd in track history. The banked fifth-mile clay raceway, which calls itself, “The best little race track in America,” has had other sellouts for various events. Annual multi-division events and demolition derbies at the county fair pack the grandstand. So make your seating reservations as early as possible for the 2022 Turkey Night Grand Prix.
BULLETIN: On Dec. 9 USAC officials published the national midget schedule for next season and the 38 race dates show the annual Thanksgiving midget classic will be in Ventura on Saturday, Nov. 26. It will be the final point race of the year and culmination of a seven-race California swing from Nov. 15-26 at the same four speedways as this year. The schedule shows Bakersfield (Nov. 15), Placerville (Nov. 17-19), Merced (Nov. 22-23), and Ventura (Nov. 26). That is welcome news.
This year a USAC season-high 51 midgets entered and 50 midget drivers drew their qualification order. There also were 28 USAC 360 sprint cars in the pits for races Friday and Saturday. Midgets qualified 46 cars Saturday from 4:05 to 4:39 p.m. under a blue, cloudless sky. It was 80 degrees inland earlier. The seaside high was 75 degrees at the raceway across the street from the beach and Pacific Ocean.
History-making results for the Turkey Night Grand Prix and USAC occurred this year when female drivers qualified fastest and second fastest. Both USAC veterans are Turkey Night Grand Prix rookies from Oklahoma. Kaylee Bryson, the 16th qualifier, set the fastest time and her Keith Kunz-Curb-Agajanian teammate Taylor Reimer, the first to qualify, was second fastest of 46. They earned the front row for the feature. Bryson ran her best lap on lap two at 11.678 seconds, which almost broke the track record of 11.675 seconds set in 1995 by Johnny Cofer. USAC Western Midget champions Cofer and Robby Flock were co-grand marshals this year.
The 10 fastest drivers locked into the first 10 positions in the eventual 28-car field. Maria Cofer, daughter of the grand marshal, qualified seventh fastest and made it an amazing three of five female drivers in the top-10. Bryson, 20, led the first 17 laps and finished fifth. Reimer, 21, finished eighth and Cofer, 22, placed 13th, also on the lead lap. The late Denise Bennet held the best female Turkey Night Grand Prix finish of 13th in 1988.
Reigning NASCAR Cup champion Kyle Larson was the 11th to qualify. He set the eighth fastest time in his own No. 1k. He started eighth and ran a close third behind first-time Turkey Night Grand Prix winner Logan Seavey and runner-up Buddy Kofoid, who was in a tight, three-way battle for the lead from laps 19 to 85.
Then fourth starter Mitchel Moles saw Larson’s car get tight and push so he darted under Larson exiting turn two and took third. Moles, the Don Basile Rookie of the Race, retained third to the lap-98 checkered flag, relegating three-time Turkey Night Grand Prix winner Larson to fourth. Californians earned the top four positions. Car owner Tom Malloy and crew chief Jerome Rodela (both from Southern California) won their first Turkey Night Grand Prix.
Larson’s record since he was the Basile Rookie of the Race in 2011 at Irwindale is amazing. He has raced in nine of the last 10 Turkey Night Grand Prix races and has never finished lower than fourth at the three speedways.
In order, he finished fourth in 2011, first in 2012 (at Perris), in 2013 he was present as a spectator but did not race, third in 2014, and second (to Christopher Bell) in 2015 at Perris. At Ventura he was first in 2016, second (to Bell in 2017-18), first in 2019, and fourth in 2021.