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USAC TURKEY NIGHT GRAND PRIX AND D1 GRAND PRIX DRIFTING ALL-STAR SEASON FINALE HIGHLIGHT BUSY WEEK OF RACING AT IRWINDALE SPEEDWAY
IRWINDALE, Calif. (November 19, 2007) – Irwindale Speedway will host two big racing events this week with the 67th Running of the Turkey Night Grand Prix presented by Agajanian Promotions on Thanksgiving evening (November 22) and the D1 Grand Prix Drifting Season Finale Exhibition Match and All-Star World Championship on Saturday and Sunday (November 24 and 25).
The Turkey Night Grand Prix is one of the racing season highlights for local race fans and those fans traveling across the country as evidenced by the number of motor homes already parked in the Speedway’s RV compound. Many of these fans have enjoyed the tradition preparing a home-cooked Thanksgiving dinner in the Speedway’s parking lot during the afternoon followed by an evening of racing.
The event is equally popular with racing competitors with 49 National / Western Midget entries for the event received by the Speedway (as of November 19) including three from Tony Stewart Racing, one from NASCAR Nextel Cup driver Kasey Kahne who will pilot the Seymour Beast / Mopar entry for Visalia, Calif. car owner Zarounian Motorsports and an entry from Davey Hamilton who finished in 9th place in this years Indianapolis 500. Other notable drivers entered to compete in the Midget race include NASCAR Busch Series driver and 2004 USAC National Midget champion Bobby East as well as National Midget points leader Jerry Coons Jr. and Western Midget points leader Johnny Rodriguez.
Several drivers are scheduled for double-duty action including five-time USAC champion and defending Turkey Night Sprint car winner Tony Hunt who will compete in the Midget race for Cruz Pedregon Racing and for Alan Kaiser’s Thompson Toyota / Bailey Brothers entry in the Lucas Oil USAC Western Sprint Car race. Three-time USAC National Champion Tracy Hines is scheduled to drive a Midget car for Tony Stewart Racing and a Sprint car for Alex Morales Racing. Kahne also plans to compete in a Zarounian owned entry in the Sprint car race.
Spectator gates open at 4 PM. The King Taco fan appreciation autograph session with drivers and cars on the track is scheduled at 5:45 PM and the first of four last chance qualifying races will get underway at 7 PM. Three feature races are scheduled including a 30-lap Ford Focus race, a 40-lap Sprint car race and the 98-lap Midget car spectacular in honor of the number 98 associated with the late race organizer J.C. Agajanian, whose son J.C. Jr. continues the Turkey Night tradition as the race organizer.
Immediately following the event the Speedway’s operations staff will convert the oval track facility into a drifting course for the D1 Grand Prix Drifting event.
Fifty-nine professional competitors representing the countries of Australia, Belgium, Canada, France, Ireland, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Sweden, Thailand, United States, and Vietnam will begin qualifying on Friday to set the field of 30 competitors for Saturday’s Final Matches. Spectator gates will open on Saturday at 12 PM and the Tansou (Solo) Round is scheduled to begin at 3:30 PM. followed by the elimination rounds.
On Sunday the All-Star World Championship will feature 26 drivers invited by D1GP to compete in a bracketed elimination competition to determine the top international driver. Gates open at 12 PM. A “Dream Drift Match” will kick off activities at 1 PM featuring Japan drivers taking on drivers from the United States. The All-Star matches are scheduled to begin at 5 PM.
Tickets for the Turkey Night Grand Prix and D1 Grand Prix Season Finale Exhibition Match and All-Star World Championship are available for purchase at the Speedway ticket office, on the Internet at www.irwindalespeedway.com or by calling (626) 358-1100.
Auto Club of Southern California members receive a 10% discount off of the purchase of up to four (4) adult general admission tickets for the Turkey Night Grand Prix when they show their AAA membership card.
Additional information on the events and racing series can be obtained by logging onto www.usacracing.com, www.d1gp.com and the speedway’s web site www.irwindalespeedway.com.
Irwindale Speedway is located on 500 Speedway Drive off of Live Oak Ave. and I-605, between the 10 and 210 freeways in Irwindale, Calif.
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