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THORSON WINS PERRIS TURKEY NIGHT MIDGET GP – By Tim Kennedy
Perris, CA., Nov. 26 – Tanner Thorson, a 19-year old veteran member of the five-car Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motor-sports Toyota TRD team, won his first USAC Honda National Midget Series 98-lap Turkey Night Grand Prix here Thursday night. The traditional Thanksgiving evening event was the diamond jubilee 75th running of the midget auto racing classic that started in 1934 at Gilmore Stadium in Hollywood. It was Thorson's fourth USAC National Midget feature victory of 2015 and second most this year on the circuit. He also won the independent National Midget Driver of the Year championship with seven victories in 30 races this season.
The half-mile clay Perris Auto Speedway (south of Riverside on a county fairgrounds site) hosted the event for the fifth time, including 1996. It was the fourth consecutive TNGP at “The PAS” under the promotional auspices of the promoter Donnie Kazarian's Oval Entertainment LLC in cooperation with Agajanian Promotions. The PAS is one of nine California speedways (six dirt and three paved) that have hosted the event. A field of 22 midgets this year raced in front of an estimated 3,500 spectators.
Thorson, from Minden, Nev., started the No. 67 Bullet/Toyota third in a six car inverted lineup based on qualifying results. He ran in the lead pack all the way and occupied second through fourth positions throughout the race. He dueled with his Kunz Racing teammates and exchanged positions frequently in an entertaining dogfight for dominance at the front of the field. He became the 51st different TNGP winner; his victory made it two consecutive 19-year old TNGP winners, including his teammate Christopher Bell last year.
The winner became the third and final race leader on lap 93 via his monster slide job pass of leader Bell entering the third turn. Thorson led the final six laps despite a late challenge from teammate Kyle Larson, the PAS 2012 TNGP winner. Larson, a current NASCAR Sprint Cup and Xfinity Series driver, finished second (-0.799). He was a steady 15-yards in back of his teenage teammate during the final three laps. Larson flew from Florida, where he won the Homestead-Miami Xfinity 300-mile race Saturday and finished fifth Sunday in the Sprint Cup Homestead 400. He raced in the TNGP each year since 2011 to get back to his short track roots.
Thorson, at 19 years and six months, became the second youngest driver to win a Turkey Night GP. The youngest winner was Caleb Armstrong at 19 and three months when he won in 2011 at Irwindale Speedway. Two TNGP winners Bell (2014) and Bobby East (2004) were 19 years and six months when they won. Thorson earned $6,000 for his victory.
HINES CHAMPION: Tracy Hines won his first USAC National Midget Series driving championship by 18-points (823-808) over Thorson. He needed to finish ninth or better and finished sixth, the last driver on the lead lap. His steady drive in the TNGP completed his goal of winning a “trifecta” of sorts. Hines, 43, earned his third series championship in the three USAC national series—Silver Crown, sprint car and midget. He did so in his final year as a USAC full-time driver before he moves into his role as competition director for the NASCAR ThorSports truck team in 2016.
Hines joined an elite group of drivers as the sixth member of the USAC Triple Crown Club. Each member has won at least one championship in all three of the USAC national series. Other members of this prestigious group are: Pancho Carter, Tony Stewart, Dave Darland, J. J. Yeley and Jerry Coons, Jr.. The TNGP event was telecast live via the internet. After the race Yeley sent a text to Hines and said, “Welcome to the club.” Ronnie Gardner, 27, was the third champion honored during victory lane ceremonies. The Corona resident won his third consecutive USAC Honda Western Midget championship driving for Six8 Motor-sports. He won two of the 12 series features and topped the second place driver by a whopping 229 points.
FEATURE: The lowest TNGP car count in memory took the green flag at 8:31 pm and concluded at 9:34 after two red flags and five yellow flags. Four Kunz-owned and built Bullet/Speedway Toyota cars occupied the first six starting positions. Two-time TNGP winner Bryan Clauson, in the Rusty Kunz/Joe Dooling No. 63 Spike/Stanton Mopar, shot from outside row one and led the first lap. Pole starter Kevin Thomas, Jr., in the Kunz No. 67k, 2014 TNGP winner Bell, Thorson and Larson. Fastest qualifier Rico Abreu, 23, came from sixth starting to fifth by passing his close friend Larson on lap 2. Drivers clicked off nine laps with Clauson leading by 25-yards. Then the first caution flag flew after a car spun to the first turn. Yellow flag laps counted only during the first 75 laps and were not counted from lap 76 to the finish.
The green flag waved on lap 17 and Clauson opened an advantage of ten-yards over Thomas. Abreu passed teammates Bell and Thorson and took third spot by lap 25 and took second place three laps later. Seeking his initial TNGP victory, Abreu closed on leader Clauson and trailed by 15-yards on lap 36 when Clauson lost power and slowed suddenly on the front straight. Abreu took evasive action near the starting line, but contacted the back of Clauson's car. Abreu's Kunz No. 97 tilted on two wheels and did a slow roll onto its side, causing a red flag. Abreu remained in the car as it was pushed to the work area. He returned to the back of the field as did Clauson, who was seeking his third TNGP victory and first on dirt.
Clauson's team replaced the battery under the red flag. Bell inherited the lead after the two leaders restarted at the back of the now 19-car field. Thomas, Larson, Thorson, Hines and Chad Boat followed in positions two-six. Thorson passed Larson for third on lap 39 and took second from Thomas a lap later. A solo spin caused a yellow flag from laps 40-45. At lap 50 Bell's No. 71 led by 30-yards over Thorson's No. 67. High-riding Larson took third from teammate Thomas on lap 48.
Five of the Kunz cars competing occupied the first four positions. Abreu and Clauson commanded attention with their simultaneous marches back to the front. Abreu was ninth by lap 48 and Clauson 11th. Abreu took P. 7 on lap 55 and gained another position when fifth place Boat stalled on the front straight. “His engine shut off”, said car owner Billy Boat, a three-time TNGP winner. Tenth place Brady Bacon retired under caution with ignition failure.
Racing resumed on lap 64. High-riding Bell again opened a 30-yard lead by lap 71. Second through fourth place drivers Thorson, Larson and Abreu battled evenly on the well-groomed, multi-groove clay. Larson, the 2012 TNGP winner, took second on lap 72. Thorson re-passed him two laps later. Abreu passed both teammates on lap 75 with a power slide job entering a turn. Thorson and Larson soon ran second and third. On lap 77 leader Bell, a NASCAR truck series 150-lap feature winner at Eldora Speedway on July 22 and full-time 2016 truck racer for Kyle Busch Motor-sports, held a lead of 50-yards. The second turn scoreboard showed Thorson, Abreu, Larson and Thomas in Kunz cars in P. 2-5.
Twelve cars were still on the lead lap at lap 80. Damion Gardner, the 2015 Amsoil USAC-CRA sprint car champion, started 14th and was sixth in the Bob East/Terry Klatt Beast/Stanton. P. 7-12 were: Clauson Hines, Ronnie Gardner, Oklahoman Trey Marcham, Cody Swanson and Ryan Bernal. D. Gardner passed Thomas for fifth on lap 87 as leader Bell lapped four dueling drivers, including P. 9 R. Gardner.
The yellow flag waved again on lap 90 after Bernal stopped in the second turn with a flat tire. P. 3 Abreu contacted the second turn wall and continued. Fifteen drivers were still circulating with all eight lead lap drivers running at the crash-wall. Thorson, Bell, Larson were in an attention-grabbing three-way duel right behind leader Bell.
LEAD CHANGE: On lap 93 Thorson took the lead entering the third turn with his dramatic power slide job on Bell. He ran to the inside entering the first turn as Bell tried to retake the lead near the crash-wall. Bell's right rear tire caught the wall and launched his car into a series of four quick flips next to the wall. It landed upright in the high groove. Bell soon emerged without injury. His badly damaged midget left the scene via a wrecker under a six-minute red flag.
Thirteen cars took the green flag at 9:29 for the lap 93 restart. Seven lead lap drivers--Thorson, Abreu (on a deflating left rear tire), Larson, D. Gardner, Thomas, Clauson and Hines--had a clear track with two lapped cars moved to the back for the closing laps. Thorson opened a 25-yard lead over Abreu after one green flag lap. Then starter Kevin Winters waved the caution flag for Swanson's stopped car (flat tire). On the lap 94 green, Thorson extended his lead and Larson passed Abreu's tire-plagued car on the inside at the starting line. Abreu's flat LR tire failed on lap 96 and he went to the work area. His DNF resulted in 11th place.
Thorson ran the final two laps (97-98) with a steady 15-yard lead over Larson. D. Gardner took third spot with Abreu's exit and trailed Larson by 35 yards. Early leader Clauson, the USAC Sprint Car PAS Oval Nationals $25,000 first place check winner on November 14, finished fourth and trailed Gardner by 25 yards. P. 5 Thomas was 25 yards behind Clauson. Hines placed sixth and also completed all 98 scheduled laps.
Winner Thorson kissed the bronzed Stetson hat atop the large Aggie Trophy during podium trophy presentations. The TNGP tradition started when 2012 winner Larson did so for photographers. D. Gardner won the race “hard charger” award for advancing 11 positions from 14th on the grid to finish third in Bob East's Beast/Stanton.
The TNGP feature was reduced in 2007 from the usual 100-lap distance to 98 laps to honor the late race organizer/two-time Indy 500 winning car owner J. C. Agajanian. He passed away in 1984 and his three sons, Cary, jay and Chris, continue the TNGP tradition. Seventh through tenth finishers (all down one lap) were: R. Gardner, Marcham, Dave Darland and Danny Ebberts. Eleven of the 22 cars finished with the 14th place car down numerous laps. Four prior TNGP winners—Darland, Clauson, Larson and Bell--were in the field.
DON BASILE ROOKIE OF THE RACE: Four first-time TNGP drivers raced this year. The Basile Memorial Trophy and $500 cash from Don's son Bob, has gone to the highest finishing first time TNGP driver each year since1998. Kasey Kahne won the first Basile award. Basile 2015 winner Robert Dalby, the youngest driver in the field at 15 years and 11 months, finished 14th (laps down for repairs after his lap 10 wall contact). He drove a Spike/Esslinger purchased this year by his father Ken, of Anaheim.
Dalby's prior racing experience has been in USAC Western Dirt Series Honda HPR (Focus) midgets He finished second in 2015 points and fellow TNGP rookie Ashley Hazelton, 25, placed 15th after running out of fuel late in the race. She finished third in Honda HRD 2015 Western Dirt points. Two other TNGP first-time drivers were second generation driver Tyler Dolacki, of Fresno, whose car exited before the first lap because of a burned piston. USAC Sprint veteran Chase Stockon had Jerome Rodela's So Cal-based midget in tenth place on lap 20 in his first TNGP drive when he dropped out with no oil pressure. Last year Isaac Chapple, an 18-year old owner/driver from Indiana, won the Basile TNGP rookie award and the $500 award helped pay his trip expenses.
The Basile Rookie Award starting this year has new prestige. Bob Basile received a silver ice bucket that was first awarded at the 1958 TNGP when it was presented to the winner. At a recent estate liquidation the trophy, which had the name Ernie Lovingood on it, became available. The executor phoned Basile to see if he wanted it. He gladly accepted the historic trophy and commissioned the building of a wooden two-level base on which to place the names of all rookie award winners on plaques as is done on the Aggie trophy. A 1930s-era bantam midget was placed atop the distinctive TNGP perpetual trophy.
LEFFLER FAST TIME AWARD: Another unique trophy for the fastest TNGP qualifier was the third presentation of the Jason Leffler Memorial Fast Time trophy. It is a polished aluminum 1930s Bantam midget model under plexi-glass. Leffler's friend Danny Pearson suggested the award and Marvin Reichert crafted the unique award. This year the car in the award had Gas Chem lettered on the hood to honor the Kazarian family. It had No. 71 on the tail of the car to honor TNGP co-grand marshals Ron Shuman, the eight-time TNGP winner, and his TNGP-winning No. 71 midget owned by co-grand marshal Larry Howard. Both men now reside in Arizona. As usual PAS grand marshals received embroidered grand marshal leather jackets from promoter Donnie Kazarian.
Each driver who inspected trophies on the podium during the 3:00 pm drivers on-track autograph session for fans coveted the unique fast time award for their trophy collection. Abreu, the 20th qualifier, set fast time of 17.379 to nip 19th qualifier Larson's 19.395 for the fast time during 6:00 pm time trials. He was thrilled to receive it and said he will keep it in his bedroom. The USAC lap record is 16.889 by rookie Parker Price-Miller at the 2013 TNGP. He received the first Leffler Fast Time unique award . It remembers the popular USAC championship driver and NASCAR veteran who lost his life on June 12, 2013 during a winged sprint car crash in New Jersey. Leffler had raced in the 2012 TNGP and led laps early aboard the Shane Hmiel No. 56 Beast/Esslinger.
Darland had returned home to Indiana following the November 21 USAC sprint car race in Tucson. He received a call Wednesday asking him to fly to the TNGP to drive an unfamiliar Stealth chassis with a borrowed Mike Sala Chevy engine. He arrived at Ontario Airport at midnight, was picked up by driver/car owner Chris Gansen and stayed at his house. He missed the Wednesday night PAS practice for TNGP midgets. His return paid dividends when the 49-year old TNGP winner (Irwindale in 2007 and PAS in 2013) won the USAC Super License for 2016 by ten points. That prize also came with $5,000. Darland was the first USAC Super License recipient in 1999.
Keith Kunz/Pete Willoughby Motor-sports No. 67 midget, based in Columbus, Ind., won the 2015 USAC National Midget car owner championship. It was their seventh car owner title and fourth championship in a row. The winning car, raced by Thorson all season, scored 947 points to 883 by the No. 63 midget driven by Clauson.
The 2015 TNGP had a new racing format that included three eight-lap heat races for all drivers. There were no guaranteed starting positions based upon qualifying times, the TNGP practice for many decades. With a six-car inverted start for heat races, victories went to Brad Sweet from outside row one in a new track record time of 2:20.78. It beat his own record of 2:30.93 (95.408 mph) from 2/28/09. Heat two winner Larson started sixth and led the final three laps. The competitive third heat had three leaders. Sixth starter Bell made his winning pass of laps 2-7 leader Cody Swanson on the inside at the finish line.
The official TNGP finish was: Tanner Thorson, Kyle Larson, Damion Gardner, Bryan Clauson, Kevin Thomas,Jr., Tracy Hines, Ronnie Gardner, Trey Marcham, Dave Darland, Danny Ebberts, Rico Abreu, Christopher Bell, Cody Swanson, Robert Dalby, Ashley Hazelton, Ryan Bernal, Brady Bacon, Chad Boat, Randi Pankratz, Brad Sweet, Chase Stockon, Tyler Dolacki.
NATIONAL MIDGET DRIVER OF THE YEAR: The annual recap of racing by all sanctioning bodies in the country conducted by Bryan Gapinski, of Wisconsin, published its final point standings following the TNGP. It uses a unique point system that awards more points for major events, such as the Tulsa Chili Bowl, Hut 100, Pepsi Nationals, and the TNGP. This season included 156 races (one less than last year); 502 drivers (44 more than 2014) scored points. The NMDOTY 2015 champions in various categories are:
Drivers Points Wins Races Car Owners Points
1 Tanner Thorson 1232 7 30 1 67 Kunz-Curb-Agajanian 1388
2 Rico Abreu 1140 8 21 2 97 Kunz-Curb-Agajanian 1043
3 Darren Hagen 1035 5 40 3 63 R. Kunz & J. Dooling 1013
4 Bryan Clauson 1025 6 23 4 17 Kenny Brown 966
5 Christopher Bell 956 8 25 5 39 BCI 868
MANUFACTURER'S CHAMPIONSHIPS
Chassis Wins Engines Wins
1 Spike 38 1 Esslinger 66
2 Bullet 28 2 Toyota 32
3 Beast 24 3 Stanton SR 11 17
4 Boss 10 4 Mopar 7
5 Drinan 9 4 Gaerte 7
5 Stealth 9
NATIONAL ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
1 Kyle Schuett 427 points
2 Tucker Klassmeyer 339
3 Anton Hernandez 320
4 Ryan Robinson 261
5 Zach Merritt 123
WESTERN POINT STANDINGS
Drivers Points Wins Races Car Owners Points
1 Frank Guerrini 390 5 19 1 No. 68 Six8 Racing 282
2 Ronnie Gardner 332 2 14 2 No. 27 Petauro 253
3 Michael Faccinto 268 2 14 3 No. 35 Felkins 249
4 Keith Rauch 264 6 10 4 No. 63 F & F 241
5 Brian Gard 234 1 15 5 No. 2 Harr 194
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