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Irwindale, CA., –Harold Osmer & Neil Nissing, of The Program Guys, are printing their annual USAC Thanksgiving Night Midget Grand Prix race program, a collectors item each year. This year they added pages to the usual 42-page color cover program in honor of the 70th running of the prestigious event. Harold asked me to write about some of my favorite Turkey Night Grand Prix races over the years. I've seen 48 consecutive TNGP races since my first in 1962. Picking only a few TNGP events was difficult. To wet appetites for the $33,000 2010 TNGP on Thursday night, November 25 at Toyota Speedway @ Irwindale, here are some of my favorite races in chronological order.
1962 – I watched my first TNGP in 1962 at the Ascot Park half-mile clay track in Gardena. It was the most impressive midget race I had ever seen to that point with an impressive car count—55 total (35 Offies), caliber of midgets and drivers, and intense competition. Parnelli Jones, in Marv Edwards' No. 98jr Agajanian Willard Battery Offy, set fastest qualifying time of 22.96 over 1961-64-67-77 Indianapolis 500 winner A. J. Foyt, in Jack London's No. 5 Bowes Seal Fast Offy. The field included 14 past or future Indy 500 drivers. Parnelli won the 3-lap trophy dash over Johnny Moorhouse, Roger McCluskey and Foyt. The 24 driver main event field started straight-up with the FQs starting up front for the 150 lap feature. A. J out-jumped Parnelli and led the first 90 laps as fifth starter Billy Cantrell, from Anaheim, worked forward to second in Jack London's No. 2 Offy. Foyt's leading Offy soured with a broken magneto on L 91 and he slowed, yielding the lead to Cantrell. A. J. pitted on L 92 and finished 16th. Cantrell opened a 2 � lap lead by L 132 when his Offy also soured; he slowed to finish”only” 1-lap in front of 3rd FQ Moorhouse in Joe Lynch's No 27 Offy. USAC National front-runners Mel Kenyon, Bob Tattersall and Mike McGreevy finished 2-laps back. Parnelli was in P 3 on L 95 when he pitted for a new RR tire and plug change. He dropped out on L 119. The race took 59 minutes.
1965 – The TNGP that year had 61 midgets racing for a $5,000 purse. About 6,000 spectators filled the Ascot grandstand. Parnelli again set FQ time (22.05). Tattersall won the 3-lap TD over Parnelli, Bob Wente and McGreevy. The 150 lap feature had four leaders—McGreevy L 1-3, pole starter Parnelli L 4-35, P. 6 starter Foyt L 36-55, Parnelli L 56-69, Foyt L 70-116, P. 3 starter Wente L 117-146 and impressive young Hayward, CA driver Dick Atkins, the 1965 BCRA Midget champion in the No. 3x Pestana & Lang Offy L 147-150. It was his first USAC feature victory. Parnelli, driving his own No. 98 (ex-No. 99 Howard Linne Jimmy Knight chassis with the No. 97 Vel's Ford of Torrance engine, was leading A. J. by a mere length as they traded the lead. On L 70, A. J. went to the inside entering turn 3 as Parnelli lost his RF wheel and flipped twice in quick rolls, landing upright and unhurt. He finished 19th in a 24-car field. Foyt, in Marv Edwards' coyote orange No. 83 Sheraton-Thompson (ex-98jr Parnelli ride) was leading on L 117 when he pitted under caution to replace a shredding RR tire. A. J returned almost 2 laps down and was still a lap down on L 145 when he ran out of fuel and pitted, finishing 11th. Wente was leading by ten yards on L 145 when his magneto soured and he slowed to the finish. Atkins passed Wente on L 147 and led the final four laps. Wente, from St. Louis, trailed the popular winner by 40-yards and threw up his hands in frustration at the checkered flag. Fresno's Tommy Copp was third and the last driver to complete 150 laps.
1969 – The race distance had been 150 laps from 1947 at the original TNGP Gilmore Stadium site in Los Angeles through 1968 at Ascot. It became a 100-lap race from 1969 through 2006. Midget chassis builder George Benson, a BCRA star and northern Californian, drove one of his creations—the No. 96 Oliver Johnson Offy to his only TNGP triumph to the delight of fans. He defeated fellow Nor-Cal midget champion Mike McGreevy, Dave Strickland, from Colorado, second generation driver Johnny Parsons, and Anaheim's Jimmy Caruthers. The field was outstanding as usual. Benson also won CRA sprint car features at Ascot in the No. 56 Maxson & Jeffries 255 cu. in. Offy.
1972 – Popular Tony Simon, 26-year old 1971 CRA sprint car rookie of the year from Upland, won his only TNGP main event in 1972. Tony made home track Ascot fans happy. Mel Kenyon, the 1963 TNGP winner, chased Tony across the finish line. Cal State Long Beach graduate Pancho Carter was third, with Billy Vukovich and Danny McKnight fourth and fifth. California drivers swept four of the first five finishing positions.
1978 – Rick Goudy, from Norwalk, capped his career-year by winning the 1978 TNGP only weeks after he won the 1978 CRA sprint car championship driving the famed Morales Bros Tamale Wagon. He deprived runner-up and 1975-76 USAC National Midget champion Ron “Sleepy” Tripp, of Costa Mesa, of his best chance for a TNGP victory. Sacramento's Johnny Anderson, Jon Rahe and Washington's Mike Gregg followed. Sleepy a seven-time USAC Western Midget champion, recorded 104 USAC Western Midget Series and 59 USAC National Midget victories, but none came on Thanksgiving evening.
1979 – Ron Shuman, of Tempe, AZ, enjoyed his career-year in 1979 at age 27 after he won the first of his event record EIGHT TNGP victories including four in a row (1979-1982). He won numbers 7 & 8 at Bakersfield Speedway in 1992-93. Earlier that year (in August) Ron won the prestigious Knoxville (IA) Nationals 410 cu. in. sprint car classic. Midwestern drivers Steve Lotshaw, Stan Fox and Ken Schrader (later a NASCAR Winston Cup winner) chased “the Shoe” across the finish line. Bob East, of Lakewood, was fifth and will be present at the 2010 TNGP helping his son Bobby, the 2004 TNGP winner at Irwindale when he drove for Steve Lewis, of Laguna Beach.
1988 – Second generation driver Chuck Gurney, known as “the Rim-Rider” for his high-groove racing style, caught and passed leader Rich Vogler's Wilke Racing No. 11 on L 99 of 100 laps. It was the first of two TNGP triumphs in a row for Chuck. He drove the No. 71 Ellis/Autocraft Pontiac for Larry Howard of So. Cal. He edged Vogler, a 5-time USAC National Midget champion (and winner of 95 USAC National Midget features). Vogler, an Indy 500 veteran and 2-time USAC National Sprint champion and 35 National Sprint car feature winner, never won on Thanksgiving, but he finished second to Shuman in 1984 and claimed second twice. Shuman, Tripp, and Kevin Olson, the 1983 TNGP winner, rounded out the top five. Chuck Gurney Jr., led the TNGP at Irwindale several years ago until a mechanical failure sidelined his car while leading. Chuck, Jr. is entered again this year, so Chuck will be in the pits assisting his son.
1990 – The final race and TNGP at Ascot brought out everyone--racers and fans--on the nostalgic night when Ascot ran its final race after 34 years of racing up to five nights a week. Media reported almost10,000 persons packed the 183rd & Vermont Ave. premises. A record car count was present in the pits--107 midgets-- and 100 cars posted qualifying times. Wisconsin's Stan Fox, an Indy 500 driver, set a NTR qualifying lap of 19.351 driving the No. 9 Beast/Gaerte for Steve Lewis He led the final 51 laps and received $6,000. P. J. Jones, the then 21-year old son of Parnelli (1964 & 66 TNGP and 1963 Indy 500 winner) led the first 49 laps. While leading, P. J's steering wheel came loose and he slipped to P. 2 where he finished. Nor-Cal many-time sprint car champ Brent Kaeding (the 1985 TNGP winner) finished third. Robby Flock, a 4-time Western Midget champion and winner of 52 USAC Western Midget features, was fourth with Jack Hewitt fifth. Jeff Gordon, the 4-time NASCAR Cup champion, was a 19-year old racing USAC open-wheel cars in 1990 and won the USAC 1990 National Midget championship. He had finished fifth in the 1989 TNGP. He drove the No. 4 Pepsi Beast for Rollie Helmling, but a flat tire sidelined his car on L 2 of his qualifying race. Jeff then sub-drove the No. 4x Mike Kelly Beast that Brad Noffsinger relinquished to him. Jeff dropped out early in his second consecutive TNGP effort.
1994 – Fastest qualifier Jordan Hermansader, a 22-year old midget racer from Rancho Palos Verdes, became the surprised and overjoyed TNGP winner in 1994 in the third of five TNGP Classics run a the third-mile clay Bakersfield Speedway. He drove his family-owned No. 91 Ellis/Fontana to the stunning upset victory over the usual TNGP star-studded midget field. BCRA midget and sprint car champion Hank Butcher, future NASCAR Cup driver Kenny Irwin, Jr., Billy Boat and Indianan Tracy Hines followed. The victory had to qualify as one of the biggest upsets in TNGP history, as did Warren Mockler's 1986 victory over Ron Shuman. Hermansader won four USAC features during his midget career and later became a sprint car driver of note at tracks in California.
1997 – Billy Boat, the 1995 USAC Western Midget champion, and his long-time car owner John R. Lawson, of Fresno, made history in 1997 by winning their third consecutive TNGP at the third different track in a row to host the TNGP. They won in their black & white No. 15 at Bakersfield and Perris in 1995-96, also in 24-car, 100-lap events. Their 1997 victory came at the scenic, ocean-front Ventura Raceway fifth-mile clay track. It was the only TNGP ever held at the home of ESPN's Thunder live USAC midget racing national telecasts. Boat raced in the Indy 500 later and sat on the Indy 500 pole for Foyt in one of his subsequent Indy 500 starts. Popular veteran Wally Pankratz had a strong shot for his first TNGP victory. He was leading the Ventura TNGP in Ed Croteau's No 31 Edmunds Autoresearch/Esslinger with only 18 laps to go when a red flag flew. Boat passed him on the restart. Wally later bicycled on two wheels, allowing Jay Drake and Jimmy Sills to finish second and third. Wally settled for fourth, with Tracy Hines fifth.
2000 – The second of 12 consecutive races at the progressively-banked half-mile Irwindale Speedway (now TS@I since 2008) had a record 34 starters including two-each USAC National & Western Series provisional starters. USAC three National Series champion Tony Stewart, soon to become a two-time NASCAR Cup champion, drove one of four Steve Lewis Nine Racing Beasts (No. 19) and won the 2000 TNGP. NASCAR Cup driver Kasey Kahne in Lewis' No. 91 was a close second. Current NASCAR driver Jason Leffler, the 1999 and 2005 TNGP winner, finished fourth in Lewis' No. 9x. Dave Darland (the 2007 TNGP winner) was 13th in Lewis' Midget National Championship winning No. 9. Tracy Hines finished third and Michael Lewis, of Indiana, placed fifth. The race attracted 6,000 spectators and paid a purse of $32,850.
TNGP FOOTNOTES:
> TNGP drivers with the most top five feature finishes in 69 prior races: Eighteen drivers have four or more top five TNGP feature finishes. They are: Ron Shuman - 9 (8 wins and a second to Warren Mockler in 1986); Mel Kenyon – 8 (2 wins including 1975 at Speedway 605 in Irwindale); 6 each - Stan Fox (2 wins - Ascot & Saugus), Jason Leffler (2 wins), and Danny Oakes (1 win in 1945); 5 each – Chuck Gurney (2 wins), Kevin Olson (1 win), Johnnie Parsons (1 win – 1955), Dave Steele (2 wins), and Sleepy Tripp; 4 each – Billy Boat (3 wins & a fourth), Allen Heath, Jeff Heywood, Tracy Hines, Parnelli Jones (2 wins & 2 thirds), Kasey Kahne (2 seconds, a P. 3 & a P.5), Billy Vukovich II (3 seconds & a fourth), and J. J. Yeley (a second, 2 thirds and a fifth).Eighteen additional drivers have three top five TNGP finishes.
> Over the decades eight Indianapolis 500 winners have finished a TNGP feature in the top five. In order they were Sam Hanks, Johnnie Parsons, Bill Vukovich, Rodger Ward, A. J. Foyt, Parnelli Jones, Mario Andretti and Johnny Rutherford.
> TS@I has had seven TNGP winners in the last seven races. Leffler and Dave Steele, from Florida, won twice each. The present Irwindale site has produced nine different winners in the 11 TNGP races held here from 1999 through 2009. The razed Speedway 605 half-mile paved track on Rivergrade Rd. (just east of the 605 Freeway) in Irwindale hosted the TNGP in 1975 Mel Kenyon won that year after Ascot operation changed hands and forced a relocation of the 1975 event. J. C. Agajanian, who resurrected the TNGP in 1955 at Gardena Stadium (Western Ave.& 139th), took over as Ascot promoter in 1976. Aggie or his family have presented the TNGP every year since presenting the 1955 event.
> The large, perpetual Aggie Trophy, which is topped by a bronzed Stetson hat actually worn by J. C. Agajanian, originated at TS@I and now sits on display at the TS@I office. Plaques on the Aggie Trophy identify all the TNGP winners and the year they won. The Aggie Trophy idea came from publicist Doug Stokes and is in the tradition of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway using the Borg-Warner Trophy to honor each Indianapolis 500 winner.
> The 100-lap TNGP distance was shortened from 100 to 98 laps in 2007 in memory of the late J. C. Agajanian, who used the number 98 on his race cars.
> This year there are 52 Midgets entered in the TNGP, plus 35 of the 360 cu. in. Sprint Cars, and 32 Ford Focus Midgets. The first two divisions will race on the half-mile and the FF Midgets will use the third-mile. Three main events will provide the TNGP racing action after drivers from all three divisions spend Wednesday night practicing during a USAC only session.
> Former outstanding USAC driver Page Jones, younger son of Parnelli and Judy, will be the 2010 TNGP Grand Marshall.
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