LOS ANGELES — The 79th running of the oldest midget racing classic in America, the Turkey Night Grand Prix, ran for the fourth consecutive year over the Thanksgiving holiday at the scenic fifth-mile clay Ventura Raceway, just across the street from the Pacific Ocean.
Ventura also was the 1997 TNGP site. Spectator and participant attendance was impressive despite rainy weather.
• The unique perpetual Aggie Trophy has one of his personal Stetson hats bronzed atop the trophy. It honors late-race organizer J. C. Agajanian, who revived the TNGP in 1955. No races were held from 1951-1955. His three sons (Cary, J.C. Jr. and Chris) have presented the TNGP since 1984 at five speedways.
• J.C. Jr. told me his family appreciates Ventura promoter Jim Naylor’s tireless efforts preparing the track on his grader throughout the TNGP despite rain interruptions. He really knows the sea level water table and how it affects his clay track. It was rougher this year because of rain.
• Midget drivers came from 13 states and two foreign countries. California led with 38 of 68 drivers. Australia and New Zealand each sent one driver.
• The 360 sprint car field represented USAC West Coast and VRA circuits. The 28 sprint car drivers came from five states and New Zealand. California led with 23 drivers.
• Last year the TNGP had 12 chassis builders and this year had 14. Spike led with 35 midgets.
Last year 18 midget engine builders had engines in the TNGP field and this year had 17 different engines. Speedway Toyota led with 18.
• The 2018 TNGP sprint car field had 14 different chassis and 16 engine builders. This year the sprint field named seven chassis and 12 engine builders. Maxim led with 11 cars. Chevy was the engine listed for 12 sprint cars.
• The 2018 TNGP had seven female drivers in midgets. This year, there were five females (Randi Pankratz, Holley Hollan, Maria Cofer, Audra Sasselli and Karsyn Elledge) racing midgets and none in the sprint division.
• Ron “Sleepy” Tripp is the eight-time USAC Western States champion, 1975-76 USAC National Midget champion and winner of 161 midget features. He was co-TNGP Grand Marshal with his longtime winning midget car owner Gary Zarounian.
• The 34-page color printed program from Harold Osmer and Neil Nissing (the program guys since 2001) was another winner and cost only $5. It included accurate midget and sprint car entry rosters, all Ventura track records, a TNGP crossword puzzle, point standings for all USAC series and VRA, numerous color photos, a USAC story about co-grand marshals Tripp and Zarounian, the usual top five finishers in all TNGP events starting in 1934, plus pages to write-in lineups, ads and an autograph page.
• Midget and sprint car counts for the TNGP during the last four years at Ventura have been impressive. In 2016 there were 96 cars (53 midgets and 43 sprints); 2017 – 99 cars (50 midgets and 49 sprints); 2018 – 105 cars (63 midgets and 42 sprints); 2019 – 96 cars (68 midgets and 28 sprints). USAC’s Richie Murray revealed 68 midgets this year was the highest TNGP midget count since 1992 at Bakersfield Speedway.
• After the 98-lap midget feature concluded six midgets and drivers came to the finish line for podium trophy presentations and for the official crowning of the series champions. It probably was the latest (12:20 a.m.) and coldest (39 degrees) presentation in memory.
• USAC Western Midget 2019 champion Robert Dalby and Western Midget rookie star Ben Worth, 24, were there. Dalby said, “We hit our stride in the middle of the year.”
He won three consecutive features from July-September. He said he plans to move to Indiana in 2020 to race more frequently.
• Tyler Courtney was fresh from his white-flag flip across the finish line in his Clauson-Marshall No. 7bc about 10 minutes earlier. His crew had to wheel out the team’s NOS Energy Drink No. 17bc driven by Chris Windom for photo purposes.
Courtney’s flipped midget (taken to the pits) had front wheels pointing in opposite directions and would not roll. The USAC National Midget Series champion Courtney sprayed champagne on his racing team following their group photo.
• TNGP runner-up Cannon McIntosh received the Basile Rookie of the Race award. The teenage sensation from Bixby, Okla., spoke to remaining fans who had not fled to the warmth of their cars.
“My legs lost feeling at the end,” he explained. “I drove hard for the first 30 laps. I knew something was wrong with my car near the end but didn’t know what it was (broken rear suspension). I was not intimidated by Kyle Larson. I just drove my race. He drove around me (on lap 88 inside in turns three and four). It’s not a win, but it’s cool being up here. I want to thank my dad (car owner Dave McIntosh).”
The 80th running of the TNGP will be run at Ventura Raceway for the sixth time and fifth consecutive year. The dates will be Nov. 25-26.