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Contact: Richie Murray - USAC Media / richie@usacracing.com

Tyler Courtney celebrates his second-straight USAC NOS Energy Drink National Midget victory Saturday night at Bubba Raceway Park. (Rich Forman Photo)

By: Richie Murray - USAC Media

Ocala, Florida (February 9, 2019).........If Friday's victory at Bubba Raceway Park was one small step toward a successful USAC NOS Energy Drink National Midget season for Tyler Courtney, then Saturday night's win was a giant leap toward what could be a banner year in the series for the Indianapolis, Indiana driver.

Courtney slid by Tucker Klaasmeyer with nine laps remaining in Saturday's 30-lap "Winter Dirt Games X" feature, blasting to victory for the second time in as many nights on the 3/8-mile, D-shaped dirt track to become just the eighth driver to win the opening two USAC National Midget races of the season, joining Lee Kunzman (1972), Gary Bettenhausen (1975), Rich Vogler (1984-85), Dave Steele (2002), Brad Sweet (2010), Bryan Clauson (2011) and Rico Abreu (2014).

"It's definitely a weight lifted off my shoulders to get the season started off on the right foot," Courtney said. "We've got a great team here and the whole series is tough right now. It's a lot of fun and it's obviously the best way you can start. We've got awesome momentum going for our midget season right now as well as going into the start of the Sprint Car season next week."

Courtney was the Fatheadz Eyewear Fast Qualifier earlier in the evening, positioning him sixth for the start of the main event while Tucker Klaasmeyer started from the pole position for the second consecutive night. Just like he did a night earlier, Klaasmeyer scooted away with the lead on the opening lap that was short-lived the first time around as Vermonter Adam Pierson took a nasty tumble in turn three from which he would walk away.

Klaasmeyer was at the head of the pack on the ensuing complete restart as he tried to extend his early-race success from a night earlier when he led the opening four circuits. Klaasmeyer was class as he held control of the field, despite a couple of early yellows that forced him to regain his momentum.

The Paola, Kans. driver was up to the task each time, although Friday night winner Courtney was suddenly in the picture, sliding to second in turn two past teammate Zeb Wise momentarily. Wise countered to get back past Courtney off turn two, but Courtney answered the bell and slid back past Wise between turns three and four to retake the second spot for good on the ninth lap.

Courtney's sights were now set on Klaasmeyer for the race lead, the same as the night before. Crossing the halfway point, Courtney was searching to find a way around, high/low/middle, wherever he may roam, he was going to give it a whirl. Courtney left the bottom open on lap 18 and Chad Boat was there to capitalize to grab second off turn four. Courtney quickly whipped up a remedy to slide back past Boat heading into turn one to reclaim second.

"I was moving around a little bit to see if I could just get a run somewhere else," Courtney recalled. "Then, I moved around to the wrong spot and Chad (Boat) got a run on me on the bottom. I was able to get back by him in three and four. That showed me the bottom, so I knew if I could keep in it perfect, especially on those first couple of laps after a restart, when I ended up getting him, that would be crucial."

One lap later, fifth-running Wise lost a right rear tire, which sent him to the work area for new rubber. But it set up a lap 21 restart which Courtney utilized to make his charge to capture the lead from Klaasmeyer a lap later on the bottom of turn one.

"I got that run off four and I knew that was about the only time I was going to be able to stick it in there," Courtney continued. "I stuck it in there and it stuck. At that point, you can play your own race, run your own laps and try not to worry about anybody else. That makes it a little easier when there's only 10 laps to go instead of trying to run the whole race."

Courtney instantly stretched out his lead to 1.5 second, running the bottom of turns one and two and the middle of turns three and four with the laps dwindling, until Wise's turn two spin collected Holley Hollan to force one final restart with three laps remaining with Boat and K. Thomas just behind. K. Thomas was on the move on the final restart the previous night, racing from sixth to second in the final four laps. With K. Thomas getting around Boat a lap following the restart, Courtney inherently knew he had to be just about perfect.

"I saw him (K. Thomas) on the board, so obviously he's going to be trying something to come through there," Courtney remembered. "I was trying to be perfect those last couple laps, trying to hit my marks, because I didn't feel any pressure before the caution. I knew I was doing something right and, luckily, it worked out. (K. Thomas) got to second again. It's going to be a long season and I don't expect him to let up just as much as I won't let up. It's going to be fun."

Courtney successfully pulled off the double-dip with a half-second advantage over K. Thomas at the checkered with Boat, C.J. Leary and Klaasmeyer rounding out the top-five.

Contingency award winners Saturday night at Bubba Raceway Park were Tyler Courtney (Fatheadz Eyewear Fast Qualifier), Tucker Klaasmeyer (Simpson Race Products First Heat Winner), Tanner Carrick (Competition Suspension, Inc. Second Heat Winner), Zeb Wise (Auto Meter/Indy Race Parts Third Heat Winner), Zane Hendricks (Wilwood Brakes 13th Place Finisher) and Tanner Thorson (KSE Racing Products/ProSource Hard Charger).

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USAC NOS ENERGY DRINK MIDGET NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP RACE RESULTS: February 9, 2019 - Bubba Raceway Park - Ocala, Florida - "Winter Dirt Games X"

FATHEADZ EYEWEAR QUALIFYING: 1. Tyler Courtney, 7BC, Clauson/Marshall-13.817; 2. Andrew Layser, 47BC, Clauson/Marshall-13.818; 3. Kevin Thomas, Jr., 5, Petry-13.819; 4. C.J. Leary, 76m, FMR-13.841; 5. Chad Boat, 84, Tucker/Boat-13.922; 6. Zeb Wise, 39BC, Clauson/Marshall-13.935; 7. Jerry Coons, Jr., 25, Petry-14.004; 8. Jesse Colwell, 71, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-14.010; 9. Cole Bodine, 15, Petry-14.019; 10. Tucker Klaasmeyer, 27, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-14.036; 11. Logan Seavey, 67, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-14.040; 12. Noah Gass, 20G, Gass-14.042; 13. Ethan Mitchell, 19m, Bundy Built-14.065; 14. Holley Hollan, 67K, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-14.120; 15. Chris Windom, 17BC, Clauson/Marshall-14.144; 16. Tyler Thomas, 91T, Thomas-14.194; 17. Tanner Carrick, 71K, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-14.221; 18. Zane Hendricks, 27z, Hendricks-14.253; 19. Karsyn Elledge, 1, Tucker/Boat-14.261; 20. Sam Johnson, 19J, Reynolds/Jetson-14.269; 21. Karter Sarff, 21KS, Reynolds-14.341; 22. Adam Pierson, 74m, Mancini/Manafort-14.514; 23. Chase Jones, 57B, Ecker-14.591; 24. Tanner Thorson, 3c, Tri-C-NT; 25. Oliver Akard, 41, Akard-NT.

SIMPSON RACE PRODUCTS FIRST HEAT: (8 laps, all transfer) 1. Klaasmeyer, 2. Courtney, 3. Leary, 4. T. Thomas, 5. Elledge, 6. Coons, 7. Pierson, 8. Mitchell. 1:58.77

COMPETITION SUSPENSION (CSI) SECOND HEAT: (8 laps, all transfer) 1. Carrick, 2. Boat, 3. Seavey, 4. Hollan, 5. Johnson, 6. Layser, 7. Colwell, 8. Jones. 2:01.73

AUTO METER THIRD HEAT: (8 laps, all transfer) 1. Wise, 2. Windom, 3. Thorson, 4. K. Thomas, 5. Hendricks, 6. Sarff, 7. Bodine, 8. Gass. 2:01.60

FEATURE: (30 laps, starting position in parentheses) 1. Tyler Courtney (6), 2. Kevin Thomas, Jr. (5), 3. Chad Boat (3), 4. C.J. Leary (4), 5. Tucker Klaasmeyer (1), 6. Jesse Colwell (9), 7. Tanner Thorson (24), 8. Logan Seavey (11), 9. Chris Windom (15), 10. Andrew Layser (7), 11. Tanner Carrick (17), 12. Tyler Thomas (16), 13. Zane Hendricks (18), 14. Karter Sarff (21), 15. Karsyn Elledge (19), 16. Jerry Coons, Jr. (8), 17. Sam Johnson (20), 18. Holley Hollan (14), 19. Ethan Mitchell (13), 20. Zeb Wise (2), 21. Noah Gass (12), 22. Cole Bodine (10), 23. Chase Jones (23), 24. Adam Pierson (22). NT
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**Pierson flipped on the opening lap of the feature.

FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-21 Klaasmeyer, Laps 22-30 Courtney.

KSE RACING PRODUCTS/PROSOURCE HARD CHARGER: Tanner Thorson (24th to 7th)

WILWOOD BRAKES 13TH PLACE FINISHER: Zane Hendricks

NEW USAC NOS ENERGY DRINK MIDGET NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS: 1-Courtney-166, 2-K. Thomas-157, 3-Leary-138, 4-Boat-134, 5-Klaasmeyer-125, 6-Windom-121, 7-Carrick-112, 8-Thorson-111, 9-Seavey-100, 10-Colwell-96.

NEXT USAC NOS ENERGY DRINK MIDGET NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP RACE: March 9, 2019 - Southern Illinois Center - Du Quoin, Illinois - Factory Canopies "Shamrock Classic"

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Contact: Richie Murray - USAC Media / richie@usacracing.com

Tyler Courtney celebrates his victory in the USAC NOS Energy Drink National Midget opener Friday night at Bubba Raceway Park in Ocala, Fla. (USAC Photo)

By: Richie Murray - USAC Media

Ocala, Florida (February 8, 2019).........Tyler Courtney continued his winning ways in "Winter Dirt Games" at Bubba Raceway Park in Friday's USAC NOS Energy Drink Midget National Championship season opener.

The Indianapolis, Indiana driver was victorious in the final two races of last year's USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Car portion of "Winter Dirt Games" en route to his first career USAC National driving title. Kicking off the year in grand fashion is the goal of anybody with championship ambitions, and Courtney believes this a solid first step in that direction on the midget side of things aboard his Clauson-Marshall Racing/NOS Energy Drink/Spike/Stanton SR-11x.

"To win anytime is important," Courtney reiterated. "To get the ball rolling this early in the year, and obviously it's early, there's lots of stuff that could happen, but you've got to get yourself put in the right spot coming out of Florida. I think it shows on the sprint car side if you put yourself in the right position starting down here, it kind of makes things a little smoother throughout the year. I think KT and I are a testament that every point counts. You've got to be on top of your game every time you hit the racetrack. I think I only won one midget race last year, so to get one out of the way now, it gives me a better opportunity to win some more throughout the year."

If there's anyone who knows that every point counts in a season-long run, even in the month of February, it's Courtney, who tied with Kevin Thomas, Jr. on the final tally for the USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Car championship a year ago. And it was those two once again who were tied at the hip, side-by-side in row three for the start of the 30-lapper on the 3/8-mile, D-shaped dirt track.

It was Tucker Klaasmeyer, from the pole, who would lead the opening four circuits before Courtney (and C.J. Leary) put on the attack on the fifth lap. Leary worked a lane higher than Klaasmeyer, as Courtney worked underneath. In turn one, however, Courtney ripped the higher line away from Leary to get to second, then pivoted his charge toward Klaasmeyer and was able to rip around the Paola, Kansas driver for the race lead off turn four.

"C.J. got a run on me, not necessarily the high side of three and four, but I knew I needed to get up there sooner or later," Courtney recalled. "I got back around C.J. in one and two and was able to take his lane away out of three and four and was able to drive right around Tucker. This place is all about getting track position early, especially with the midgets and how close we are."

Courtney instantly stretched his lead as Leary got shuffled back to fourth, allowing Chad Boat to slide to third, then to second by Klaasmeyer on the seventh lap. As the frontrunners began to clamp down on the tail end of the field on lap 12, series Rookie of the Year contender and tenth-place-running Andrew Layser's night ended with a flat right rear tire in turn one.

'C.J. (Leary) got a run on me, not necessarily the high side of three and four, but I knew I needed to get up there sooner or later,' Courtney recalled. 'I got back around C.J. in one and two and was able to take his lane away out of three and four and was able to drive right around Tucker (Klaasmeyer). This place is all about getting track position early, especially with the midgets and how close we are.' (Al Steinberg Photo)

As Courtney would continuously showcase throughout the main event, every restart was on point, as he distanced himself from Boat time and time again, constructing a 1.5 second lead past the halfway mark. Courtney would continue to add to his lead incrementally until traffic was in near-sight, when Zane Hendricks' left rear tire went away, forcing him to a stop in turn one.

Not to be deterred, Courtney busted out on the lap 20 restart, ratcheting up the interval to one second initially and then to two seconds with five to go when Adam Pierson came to a rest in turn two, forcing one final restart for Courtney to conquer. Leary was able to work his way to second underneath Boat in turn two on the 27th lap, but Courtney was clear and gone once again.

Kevin Thomas, Jr. made a stirring charge from sixth to second in the final four laps to claim the runner-up spot behind Courtney, who captured his sixth career series win, putting him in a 12-way tie for 100th all-time. K. Thomas finished second ahead of Chris Windom, Leary and Zeb Wise.

It was Courtney's third consecutive win in his three most recent appearances at Bubba Raceway Park. It's a track that seems fitted not only to his liking, but also to the CMR crew, who certainly have proved they know how to prepare a car to run up front at this place with three of their four pilots finishing in the top-five Friday night, including Courtney at the top.

"I think it kind of fits my style," Courtney said. "Tim (Clauson) on the midget side has them going really good down here, and Rizzy (Tyler Ransbottom) on our sprint car stuff, they obviously work with each other, so we've got a really good feel for this place. I'm just fortunate to be driving them. It's a really good start to the year with our new NOS Energy Drink partnership. This is a fun racetrack and I've taken a liking to it. I won't complain about that."

Contingency award winners Friday night at Bubba Raceway Park were Kevin Thomas, Jr. (Fatheadz Eyewear Fast Qualifier & Simpson Race Products First Heat Winner), Tyler Courtney (Competition Suspension, Inc. Second Heat Winner), Chad Boat (Auto Meter Third Heat Winner), Sam Johnson (Indy Race Parts Semi Winner), Tyler Thomas (Wilwood Brakes 13th Place Finisher), Chris Windom (KSE Racing Products Hard Charger), Ethan Mitchell (Saldana Racing Products First Non-Transfer) and Karter Sarff (ProSource Hard Work Award).

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USAC NOS ENERGY DRINK MIDGET NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP RACE RESULTS: February 8, 2019 - Bubba Raceway Park - Ocala, Florida - "Winter Dirt Games X"

FATHEADZ EYEWEAR QUALIFYING: 1. Kevin Thomas, Jr., 5, Petry-13.773; 2. Tyler Courtney, 7BC, Clauson/Marshall-13.801; 3. Chad Boat, 84, Tucker/Boat-13.860; 4. Tanner Carrick, 71K, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-13.872; 5. Andrew Layser, 47BC, Clauson/Marshall-13.875; 6. C.J. Leary, 76m, FMR-13.898; 7. Tucker Klaasmeyer, 27, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-13.906; 8. Cole Bodine, 15, Petry-13.926; 9. Zeb Wise, 39BC, Clauson/Marshall-13.931; 10. Jerry Coons, Jr., 25, Petry-13.937; 11. Chris Windom, 17BC, Clauson/Marshall-13.950; 12. Zane Hendricks, 27z, Hendricks-13.960; 13. Sam Johnson, 19J, Reynolds/Jetson-13.961; 14. Logan Seavey, 67, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-13.971; 15. Chase Jones, 57B, Ecker-14.000; 16. Jesse Colwell, 71, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-14.002; 17. Tyler Thomas, 91T, Thomas-14.008; 18. Tanner Thorson, 3c, Tri-C-14.009; 19. Steve Buckwalter, 0, Buckwalter-14.047; 20. Holley Hollan, 67K, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-14.078; 21. Ethan Mitchell, 19m, Bundy Built-14.085; 22. Adam Pierson, 74m, Mancini/Manafort-14.095; 23. Sterling Cling, 35, Petry-14.151; 24. Noah Gass, 20G, Gass-14.188; 25. Karsyn Elledge, 1, Tucker/Boat-14.512; 26. Oliver Akard, 41, Akard-15.714; 27. Karter Sarff, 21KS, Reynolds-(Time of 13.879 disallowed).

SIMPSON RACE PRODUCTS FIRST HEAT: (8 laps, top-5 transfer) 1. K. Thomas, 2. Klaasmeyer, 3. Coons, 4. Carrick, 5. Colwell, 6. Buckwalter, 7. Johnson, 8. Elledge, 9. Pierson. 1:58.89

COMPETITION SUSPENSION (CSI) SECOND HEAT: (8 laps, top-5 transfer) 1. Courtney, 2. T. Thomas, 3. Seavey, 4. Bodine, 5. Windom, 6. Layser, 7. Hollan, 8. Cling, 9. Akard.

AUTO METER THIRD HEAT: (8 laps, top-5 transfer) 1. Boat, 2. Thorson, 3. Leary, 4. Wise, 5. Sarff, 6. Gass, 7. Hendricks, 8. Mitchell, 9. Jones. NT

INDY RACE PARTS SEMI: (12 laps, top-7 transfer) 1. Johnson, 2. Layser, 3. Hollan, 4. Elledge, 5. Hendricks, 6. Pierson, 7. Gass, 8. Mitchell, 9. Jones, 10. Buckwalter, 11. Cling, 12. Akard. NT

FEATURE: (30 laps, starting position in parentheses) 1. Tyler Courtney (5), 2. Kevin Thomas, Jr. (6), 3. Chris Windom (11), 4. C.J. Leary (2), 5. Zeb Wise (9), 6. Tanner Carrick (3), 7. Tucker Klaasmeyer (1), 8. Chad Boat (4), 9. Tanner Thorson (17), 10. Jerry Coons, Jr. (10), 11. Cole Bodine (8), 12. Logan Seavey (14), 13. Tyler Thomas (16), 14. Jesse Colwell (15), 15. Sam Johnson (13), 16. Karsyn Elledge (21), 17. Karter Sarff (22), 18. Holley Hollan (18), 19. Zane Hendricks (12), 20. Adam Pierson (19), 21. Andrew Layser (7), 22. Noah Gass (20).
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**Mitchell flipped during the third heat. Cling flipped during the semi.

FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-4 Klaasmeyer, Laps 5-30 Courtney.

KSE RACING PRODUCTS HARD CHARGER: Chris Windom (11th to 3rd)

WILWOOD BRAKES 13TH PLACE FINISHER: Tyler Thomas

SALDANA RACING PRODUCTS FIRST NON-TRANSFER: Ethan Mitchell

PROSOURCE HARD WORK AWARD: Karter Sarff

NEW USAC NOS ENERGY DRINK MIDGET NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS: 1-Courtney-83, 2-K. Thomas-81, 3-Windom-68, 4-Leary-68, 5-Wise-63, 6-Carrick-63, 7-Boat-61, 8-Klaasmeyer-59, 9-Thorson-53, 10-Coons-49.

NEXT USAC NOS ENERGY DRINK MIDGET NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP RACE: February 9, 2019 - Bubba Raceway Park - Ocala, Florida - "Winter Dirt Games X"

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Contact: Richie Murray - USAC Media / richie@usacracing.com

2018 'Turkey Night Grand Prix' winner Christopher Bell of Norman, Oklahoma. (Ryan Northcote Photo)

BELL TOLLS TWICE IN A ROW AT TURKEY NIGHT G.P.

By: Richie Murray - USAC Media

Ventura, California.....November 22, 2018 - Christopher Bell struck history Thursday night at Ventura Raceway, becoming just the third 3-time "Turkey Night Grand Prix" winning driver in the 78-year history of the famed race.

For the second consecutive Thanksgiving night, however, Bell had to fend off a familiar foe who was on a quest to reach the same exclusive club of three-time winners in Keith Kunz Motorsports/Curb-Agajanian teammate Kyle Larson.

After applying relentless pressure to Larson throughout much of the second half of the 98-lap event, with just 12 laps remaining, and mired in lapped traffic, Bell slipped underneath Larson between turns three and four to grab a lead he wouldn't relinquish, adding a third "Turkey Night" trophy to his ever-growing collection following previous wins in 2014 and 2017.

Bell, the 2013 USAC P1 Insurance National Midget champion from Norman, Okla., sang the praises of playing the role of the chaser in traffic, as a cop would in the hot pursuit of a suspect on the lam.

"I just got lucky there being in second," Bell admitted. "Someone was making the bottom work underneath me in three and four and I figured it was going to get better and better. I trapped Kyle up there with a lapped car and I was able to squeak by in the rubber, stay down there and not miss my marks."

Bell, always the hard charger, began the race from the ninth position, but steadily climbed his way up the scoring pylon into the top-three as outside front row starter Chad Boat held the advantage up front for the first half of the main.

Larson, a two-time "Turkey Night" victor in 2012 and 2016, had already begun his surge to the front by that point, continuously taking peeks at the lead. Nonetheless, Boat was able to dodge every lawn dart thrown in his direction to remain at the point as he aimed to join his father, three-time winner Billy Boat, as a fellow "Turkey Night" winner.

Yet, on lap 51, Larson finally got it rolling on the top side to drive around Boat for the lead exiting turn two, then immediately darted across Boat's nose to steal the bottom entering the third turn to secure the position. Bell and Tucker Klaasmeyer followed suit on the following lap by getting around Boat for second and third, respectively.

Now, the duel would commence between two giants of dirt track midget racing discipline, each at the peak of their prime. Following fourth-running Shane Golobic's spin on lap 68, the race transformed into just your weekly 30-lap affair, albeit with a nice payday and a prestigious attachment being placed next to the eventual winner's name. That's when Bell turned up the wick.

On the lap 71 restart, Bell took a run at Larson, sliding side-by-side with his teammate into turn one to no avail. Bell stuck with it again in turn one the next lap around the 1/5-mile dirt oval, unable to make the pass stick, but sending a message to Larson that it was game on.

On the 74th circuit, Bell slid past Larson on the entry into turn one, but Larson ably countered by driving underneath Bell off turn two to retake the lead, closing the door on Bell in the process into turn three as the pair's wheels glanced off each other.

Bell ramped up the momentum, running his No. 21 high and wide off turn four as he rocketed down the front straightaway, which gave him a full head of steam as he dove to the bottom of Larson into turn one. He did so on lap 80 as he slid past Larson once again to snag the race lead just long enough for the flashbulbs from the photographers to light up the sky before Larson crossed over and raced back to the lead on the back straight with lapped traffic quickly coming into view.

With 12 laps remaining, Larson entered turns three and four on the high line to get around fellow teammate Sam Johnson. The line proved to be too long of a way around as Bell stuck his racecar underneath Johnson's against the bottom berm and propelled himself to the lead.

Traffic still loomed for Bell, however, as he carefully and successfully maneuvered under teammate Ryan Robinson and Golobic into the first turn with six laps remaining with Larson in tow.

Christopher Bell became just the third driver to win the 'Turkey Night Grand Prix' three times, joining Ron Shuman and Billy Boat. (Rich Forman Photo)

As 2018 USAC National Midget champ, and sixth-place runner, Logan Seavey sat sideways in turn one to bring out the yellow on lap 96, it put a halt to the traffic situation, but Bell had to endure a test of his patience as two more additional cautions and two more restarts weighed on his mind.

"I knew there was a chance he was going to circle me on the top," Bell explained. "I just wanted to see that race end because you can't keep giving him try after try after try."

Larson greeted the opportunity on the final restart, hitting the top and used a huge drive off the exit of turn two before diving down to the bottom in three to get underneath Bell. The meticulous Bell was well-equipped to handle the charge, occupying the bottom and thwarting any chance of Larson attempting a slider.

Larson made one final run at Bell off two on the final lap, closing right on the tail of Bell midway down the back straight before splitting to the bottom of the entry of three, slightly scraping his left front wheel on the top of the berm before banging his right front wheel into Bell's left rear. The contact knocked Larson slightly askew, but Bell took a lickin' and kept on tickin', bringing his ride home for a 1.5 car-length victory over Larson, Boat, Klaasmeyer and Tyler Courtney.

The victory was the 23rd USAC National Midget win for Bell, moving him past Bobby East and Shorty Templeman on the all-time list and into 20th where he's now tied with Tom Bigelow, Pancho Carter, Tommy Copp, Kevin Olson and Billy Vukovich.

For Larson of Elk Grove, Calif., it was his sixth top-four finish in six "Turkey Night" starts, but it was just one lap, one slip-up that might've been the factor in preventing him from becoming a three-time winner.

"I just made a slight mistake in traffic sliding in three and four to clear a lapper," Larson recalled. "He was able to sneak by on the bottom. That's about when it started taking rubber in three and four. I wish I would've done just a little better job in traffic. It seems like every time he beats me, it's because of traffic. I just have to work on my craft some and try to get better and hopefully start beating him here."

For the second time this year in USAC, a rarity occurred with the USAC Light Up The World Western States Midget championship resulting in a tie. Like the USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Car title race between Tyler Courtney and Kevin Thomas, Jr., this year's Western States champ was decided on a tiebreaker with Michael Faccinto being crowned the series titlist over Alex Schutte. Faccinto scored three wins in 2018 to Schutte's two.

Contingency award winners Thursday night at Ventura Raceway were Jesse Colwell (Simpson Race Products First Qualifier Winner), Rico Abreu (Competition Suspension, Inc. Second Qualifier Winner), Zeb Wise (Chalk Stix Third Qualifier Winner), Colby Copeland (Indy Race Parts Semi Winner & Wilwood Brakes 13th Place Finisher), Jerry Coons, Jr. (KSE Racing Products Hard Charger) and Robert Dalby (Saldana Racing Products First Non-Transfer).

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USAC P1 INSURANCE NATIONAL & LIGHT UP THE WORLD WESTERN STATES MIDGETS presented by CBD Living Water RACE RESULTS: November 22, 2018 - Ventura Raceway - Ventura, California - 78th "Turkey Night Grand Prix"

WOODLAND AUTO DISPLAY QUALIFYING (Top-10 Locked Into Feature): 1. Tanner Carrick, 71K, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-12.425; 2. Chad Boat, 84, Tucker/Boat-12.426; 3. Kyle Larson, 1, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-12.444; 4. Shane Golobic, 17w, Clauson Marshall/Wood-12.457; 5. Tanner Thorson, 3c, Tri-C-12.464; 6. Tucker Klaasmeyer, 27, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-12.487; 7. Ryan Robinson, 71, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-12.537; 8. Tyler Courtney, 7BC, Clauson Marshall-12.548; 9. Christopher Bell, 21, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-12.555; 10. Brady Bacon, 76m, FMR-12.570; 11. Jesse Colwell, 71x, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-12.601; 12. Rico Abreu, 97K, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-12.625; 13. Zeb Wise, 39BC, Clauson Marshall-12.629; 14. Carson Garrett, 15c, Garrett-12.638; 15. Cole Bodine, 17BC, Clauson Marshall-12.650; 16. Cody Swanson, 71s, Campbell-12.657; 17. Justin Grant, 76E, FMR-12.680; 18. Colton Heath, 99, Stewart-12.684; 19. McKenna Haase, 85, Tucker/Boat-12.691; 20. Jason McDougal, 15, Petry-12.692; 21. Michael Faccinto, 9D, Dodenhoff-12.697; 22. Spencer Bayston, 97, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-12.708; 23. Jerry Coons, Jr., 25, Petry-12.716; 24. Colby Copeland, 87, Tucker/Boat-12.737; 25. C.J. Sarna, 20, Sarna-12.750; 26. Grady Chandler, 7u, Trifecta-12.755; 27. Logan Seavey, 67, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-12.775; 28. Dustin Golobic, 17G, Wood-12.803; 29. Maria Cofer, 57, Cofer-12.807; 30. Robby Josett, 68, Six8-12.830; 31. Austin Liggett, 67x, Bock-12.852; 32. Holley Hollan, 35, Petry-12.856; 33. Chris Sheil, 91, Mason-12.892; 34. Ryan Bernal, 73T, Ford-12.963; 35. Holly Shelton, 67K, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-12.951; 36. Sam Johnson, 72, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-12.959; 37. Blaze Bennett, 10B, Bennett-12.963; 38. Jake Morgan, 45, Morgan-12.964; 39. Carson Macedo, 73x, Ford-12.978; 40. Damion Gardner, 25x, Rodela-13.033; 41. Robert Dalby, 4D, Dalby-13.047; 42. Michelle Decker, 4m, Meents-13.047; 43. Kyle Beilman, 31, Beilman-13.055; 44. Johnathon Henry, 1x, LKK-13.057; 45. Randi Pankratz, 8, Pankratz-13.090; 46. C.J. Leary, 55, Bowman-13.100; 47. Dylan Ito, 73, Ford-13.111; 48. Sheldon Haudenschild, 17s, Clauson Marshall-13.129; 49. Geoff Ensign, 3F, Finkenbinder-13.143; 50. Daniel Anderson, 7, McQueen-13.174; 51. Jesse Fernandez, 97F, Fernandez-13.177; 52. Mike Leach, 33p, Leach-13.192; 53. Ricky Lewis, 1p, Nichols-13.197; 54. Alex Schutte, 28, Schutte/McElwee-13.221; 55. Sterling Cling, 5, Petry-13.238; 56. Lance Bennett, 10, Bennett-13.241; 57. Jake Swanson, 68w, Six8-13.295; 58. Buddy Kofoid, 73K, Ford-13.426; 59. Bryan Drollinger, 71D, Drollinger-13.428; 60. Kevin Woody, Jr., 2, Dukes-13.625; 61. Olivia Bennett, 77B, Bennett-13.842.

SIMPSON RACE PRODUCTS / EXTREME MUFFLERS FIRST QUALIFYING RACE: (12 laps, top-4 transfer to feature) 1. Colwell, 2. Grant, 3. McDougal, 4. Coons, 5. Garrett, 6. Shelton, 7. Dalby, 8. Morgan, 9. Chandler, 10. Henry, 11. Hollan, 12. Cofer, 13. Ito, 14. Anderson, 15. L. Bennett, 16. Lewis, 17. Drollinger. 2:31.84

COMPETITION SUSPENSION (CSI) / KEIZER ALUMINUM WHEELS SECOND QUALIFYING RACE: (12 laps, top-4 transfer to feature) 1. Abreu, 2. Bodine, 3. Seavey, 4. Faccinto, 5. Copeland, 6. Josett, 7. Heath, 8. Decker, 9. Johnson, 10. Haudenschild, 11. Schutte, 12. Pankratz, 13. Fernandez, 14. Woody, 15. Sheil, 16. Macedo, 17. J. Swanson. NT

CHALK STIX / COMPETITION SUSPENSION (CSI) THIRD QUALIFYING RACE: (12 laps, top-4 transfer to feature) 1. Wise, 2. Bayston, 3. Leary, 4. C. Swanson, 5. D. Golobic, 6. Liggett, 7. Haase, 8. Bernal, 9. Gardner, 10. Sarna, 11. O. Bennett, 12. Beilman, 13. Cling, 14. B. Bennett, 15. Ensign, 16. Leach, 17. Kofoid. NT

INDY RACE PARTS / ROD END SUPPLY SEMI: (15 laps, top-4 transfer) 1. Copeland, 2. Garrett, 3. Josett, 4. Liggett, 5. Dalby, 6. Decker, 7. Haudenschild, 8. Bernal, 9. Gardner, 10. Haase, 11. Chandler, 12. Johnson, 13. Heath, 14. Morgan, 15. Sarna, 16. D. Golobic, 17. Henry, 18. Shelton. NT

FEATURE: (98 laps, starting position in parentheses) 1. Christopher Bell (9), 2. Kyle Larson (3), 3. Chad Boat (2), 4. Tucker Klaasmeyer (6), 5. Tyler Courtney (8), 6. Tanner Carrick (1), 7. Brady Bacon (10), 8. Jason McDougal (17), 9. Jerry Coons, Jr. (20), 10. Justin Grant (14), 11. Cole Bodine (15), 12. Jesse Colwell (11), 13. Colby Copeland (23), 14. Robert Dalby (30), 15. Cody Swanson (22), 16. Logan Seavey (18), 17. Spencer Bayston (16), 18. Michael Faccinto (21), 19. Shane Golobic (4), 20. C.J. Leary (19), 21. Ryan Robinson (7), 22. Rico Abreu (12), 23. Sam Johnson (27), 24. Zeb Wise (13), 25. Tanner Thorson (5), 26. Robby Josett (25), 27. Austin Liggett (26), 28. Carson Garrett (24), 29. Alex Schutte (28), 30. Holley Hollan (29). NT
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**Pankratz flipped during qualifying. Shelton flipped during the semi. Henry flipped during the semi. D. Golobic and Sarna flipped during the semi.

FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-50 Boat, Laps 51-86 Larson, Laps 87-98 Bell.

DON BASILE ROOKIE OF THE RACE: Jason McDougal

KSE RACING PRODUCTS / SALDANA RACING PRODUCTS / RACING OPTICS HARD CHARGER: Jerry Coons, Jr. (20th to 9th)

WILWOOD BRAKES 13TH PLACE FINISHER: Colby Copeland

SALDANA RACING PRODUCTS FIRST NON-TRANSFER: Robert Dalby

FINAL USAC P1 INSURANCE MIDGET NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS: 1-Seavey-1019, 2-Boat-918, 3-Bacon-903, 4-Courtney-862, 5-Bayston-862, 6-Carrick-846, 7-Grant-845, 8-Kevin Thomas, Jr.-711, 9-Wise-632, 10-Coons-606.

FINAL USAC LIGHT UP THE WORLD WESTERN STATES MIDGET POINTS: 1-Faccinto-753, 2-Schutte-753, 3-Dalby-613, 4-Josett-593, 5-Sarna-538, 6-David Prickett-509, 7-Beilman-438, 8-Frankie Guerrini-370, 9-Ronnie Gardner-370, 10-Shannon McQueen-370.

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Contact: Richie Murray - USAC Media / richie@usacracing.com

#67 Logan Seavey battles #97K Rico Abreu for the lead on his way to victory during Saturday night's 'November Classic' USAC P1 Insurance National & Light Up The World Western States Midget feature at Bakersfield (Calif.) Speedway. (Devin Mayo Photo)

By: Richie Murray - USAC Media

Bakersfield, California.....November 17, 2018 - For 29 and three-quarters of a lap, Logan Seavey was staring straight at the tail tank of his teammate Rico Abreu's car as he followed him lap-after-lap around the Bakersfield Speedway 1/3-mile dirt oval.

But all it took was one quarter, and one big run off the high side of turn four, for Seavey to race around the 2014 series champ for the lead and score his third victory of the year by a .292-second margin.

Though the Sutter, Calif. driver was steadfast in his approach down the stretch, Seavey admitted he nearly gave up on the high line. But he stuck with it and stuck his Keith Kunz Motorsports-Curb-Agajanian/Mobil 1 - JBL Audio/Bullet by Spike/Speedway Toyota in victory lane at Saturday's "November Classic" USAC P1 Insurance National and Light Up The World Western States Midget event.

"I was just kind of riding behind him," Seavey recalled. "On that last run, got away from me, so I kept working the top. I almost gave up on it, but on the last lap, I fully committed, and I got a bunch of drive off exit. I definitely wasn't expecting that. It looked like he maybe bobbled a little bit, but sometimes, that's what it takes."

Seavey ran second for and played the role of the chaser, which afforded him the opportunity to dust off a few trails of his own as he sought a way around Abreu.

"Racing with Rico so long, you learn how his driving style works," Seavey explained. "He was committed to the bottom and he's really good on top. Obviously, Rico's known for that. Luckily, I was the one running second and I was able to search. He had to commit to his line and do what was working for him. That's the bad part about leading these races because we've all lost them that way. Tonight, we got one that way."

With the victory and the subsequent addition of maximum feature points to his credit, Seavey has essentially clinched the USAC P1 Insurance National Midget championship, carrying a 137-point advantage into Thursday's season finale, the 78th "Turkey Night Grand Prix" at Ventura (Calif.) Raceway.

It's been an amazing journey for the quick study who started his first USAC Midget race just a calendar year ago. On this night, the series Rookie became the first driver to reach victory lane for the third time in 2018 in what has been an incredibly-balanced season. With a National title now in his back pocket, he has reached a stratosphere that few have ever achieved as a USAC National Midget champion in his Rookie season, following in the tracks of Danny Caruthers in 1971 and Christopher Bell in 2013.

"It's pretty dang cool," Seavey exclaimed. "Not too long ago, I didn't even have a midget ride. I was just hoping one day to be able to race midgets. Now here we are with the best team in the world and we're USAC national champions!"

Although Seavey began the feature event from the pole position, it was outside front row starter Abreu who looked every bit the dominator on this night as he locked in on winning his first series race in over 16 months. Abreu rocketed around the outside of Seavey on the first and second tries at the green, which were called back due to multiple stoppages, the first of which saw Western States Midget point leader Michael Faccinto get upside down. He finished 24th and now trails Alex Schutte by four points in the standings entering the finale.

The third time was a charm as Seavey slid up further to prevent Abreu's charge off turn two, but Abreu quickly countered and dove back under Seavey off turn two to snag the lead once again, then immediately headed to the bottom entering turn three. Abreu would play the balancing act of entering high in turn one and rolling the bottom of turn three for the duration.

Through the mid-portion of the race, Seavey was engaged with Zeb Wise for the runner-up spot with fellow series Rookie Wise momentarily possessing the position on lap 13 with ta turn one slider, but Seavey was able to punch his way back by on the back straight with Wise, Chad Boat and Shane Golobic hanging in the not-so-distant rear.

With ten to go, Seavey ramped up the pressure as he shadowed Abreu on both ends of the racetrack, high in one and low in three. Following a Ryan Robinson spin in turn three with nine laps remaining, the top-three of Abreu, Seavey and Wise were in freight-train mode as they battled for the lead. Seavey broke from the tracks and went topside in turn three on lap 23, diamonding off midway between three and four which resulted in a him gaining a big run that allowed him to close right on the rear bumper of Abreu exiting off the bottom of four. Seavey kept the train a rolling all the way into turn one, sliding up in front of Abreu, but again, Abreu put on his bulletproof vest and put a stop to Seavey's Bullet (By Spike), countering back by and driving past Seavey to retake the point.

After Wise slowed to a stop on lap 24 to bring out the final yellow, the score would be settled between Abreu and Seavey. Abreu utilized a quality start off the blocks at the drop of the green to gain a half-second advantage right off the bat, but that's where Seavey went to work, searching high, low and everywhere in between.

On the last lap, Seavey stalked Abreu through turns one and two, but as Abreu headed for the bottom of three, Seavey had no doubts in his mind about heading to the top. He nailed it as perfect as perfection can be, ripping past Abreu off the final turn to score the victory by two car lengths over Abreu, with S. Golobic a close-by third, Spencer Bayston fourth and Chad Boat fifth.

'Not too long ago, I didn't even have a midget ride. I was just hoping one day to be able to race midgets. Now here we are with the best team in the world and we're USAC national champions!' - Logan Seavey (Devin Mayo Photo)

For Rico, it was a tough one to take as he appeared to be in control as others made runs at him throughout the event. But, as you'll hear drivers say, being in the lead can become a disadvantage at times on a dirt track, not knowing where your nearest competition is and not being able to see where the fastest line is at the moment.

"I just tried to be as patient as I could throughout the race," Abreu remembers. "When you get all these cautions, it changes the momentum of everything. I felt like we were good enough for a l0ittle five-lap dash there at the end. I should've moved around a lot more, but we never caught lapped traffic, so I couldn't judge my pace off anybody. I just set my own pace and waited for someone to drive around me, so I could race with them. Logan got by at the perfect time."

"I just made the wrong mistakes at the wrong times," Abreu continued. "If the roles were reversed, I would've been doing the same thing by moving around a lot more. You get trapped when you're leading, though. My car felt really good on the bottom of three and four. I had that diamond line in one and two where I could get such a big run down the back stretch and then slam on the brakes and slow it down. Another Kunz car won and, if you're going to run second, you might as well run second to one of your guys.

Contingency award winners Saturday night at Bakersfield Speedway were Michael Faccinto (Simpson Race Products First Heat Winner), Tyler Courtney (Competition Suspension, Inc. Second Heat Winner), Alex Schutte (Chalk Stix Third Heat Winner), Cody Swanson (Indy Race Parts Fourth Heat Winner & Wilwood Brakes 13th Place Finisher), Jason McDougal (KSE Racing Products Hard Charger) and Holly Shelton (Saldana Racing Products First Non-Transfer).

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USAC P1 INSURANCE NATIONAL & LIGHT UP THE WORLD WESTERN STATES MIDGET presented by CBD Living Water RACE RESULTS: November 17, 2018 - Bakersfield Speedway - Bakersfield, California - "November Classic"

WOODLAND AUTO DISPLAY QUALIFYING: 1. Chad Boat, 84, Tucker/Boat-12.536; 2. Holly Shelton, 67K, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-12.724; 3. Sam Johnson, 72, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-12.729; 4. Shane Golobic, 17w, Clauson Marshall/Wood-12.756; 5. Damion Gardner, 25x, Rodela-12.782; 6. Zeb Wise, 39BC, Clauson Marshall-12.786; 7. Brady Bacon, 76m, FMR-12.807; 8. Tucker Klaasmeyer, 27, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-12.811; 9. Dustin Golobic, 17G, Wood-12.829; 10. Rico Abreu, 97K, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-12.831; 11. Ryan Robinson, 71, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-12.850; 12. Logan Seavey, 67, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-12.867; 13. Spencer Bayston, 97, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-12.872; 14. Colton Heath, 99, Stewart-12.890; 15. Justin Grant, 76E, FMR-12.911; 16. Tanner Carrick, 71K, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-12.931; 17. Michael Faccinto, 9D, Dodenhoff-12.935; 18. Tyler Courtney, 7BC, Clauson Marshall-12.942; 19. Alex Schutte, 28, Schutte/McElwee-13.000; 20. Cody Swanson, 71s, Campbell-13.039; 21. Holley Hollan, 35, Petry-13.048; 22. Sterling Cling, 5, Petry-13.049; 23. Jesse Colwell, 71x, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-13.056; 24. Michael Pickens, 67z, Kahne-13.061; 25. Jason McDougal, 15, Petry-13.094; 26. Robert Dalby, 4D, Dalby-13.145; 27. Kyle Beilman, 31, Beilman-13.148; 28. Daniel Anderson, 7, McQueen-13.180; 29. C.J. Leary, 68, Six8-13.216; 30. Cole Bodine, 17BC, Clauson Marshall-13.230; 31. Jerry Coons, Jr., 25, Petry-13.239; 32. C.J. Sarna, 20, Sarna-13.304; 33. Jake Swanson, 68w, Six8-13.307; 34. Maria Cofer, 57, Cofer-13.465; 35. Ashley Hazelton-Heredia, 15x, Hazelton-13.903; 36. Jesse Fernandez, 97F, Fernandez-14.309; 37. Shawn Jones, 10w, Jones-14.661; 38. David Prickett, 24x, Neverlift-NT; 39. Ricky Lewis, 1p, Nichols-NT; 40. Tanner Thorson, 3c, Tri-C-NT.

SIMPSON RACE PRODUCTS / EXTREME MUFFLERS FIRST HEAT: (8 laps, top-4 transfer to feature) 1. Faccinto, 2. D. Golobic, 3. Bayston, 4. Hollan, 5. Boat, 6. Gardner, 7. J. Swanson, 8. McDougal, 9. Leary, 10. Jones. 1:44.15

COMPETITION SUSPENSION (CSI) / KEIZER ALUMINUM WHEELS SECOND HEAT: (8 laps, top-4 transfer to feature) 1. Courtney, 2. Abreu, 3. Wise, 4. Cling, 5. Shelton, 6. Heath, 7. Dalby, 8. Bodine, 9. Cofer. 1:43.59 (New Track Record)

CHALK STIX / COMPETITION SUSPENSION (CSI) THIRD HEAT: (8 laps, top-4 transfer to feature) 1. Schutte, 2. Grant, 3. Bacon, 4. Coons, 5. Robinson, 6. Colwell, 7. Johnson, 8. Lewis, 9. Beilman, 10. Hazelton-Heredia. 1:47.84

INDY RACE PARTS / BUTLERBUILT SEATS FOURTH HEAT: (8 laps, top-4 transfer to feature) 1. C. Swanson, 2. Seavey, 3. Pickens, 4. S. Golobic, 5. Carrick, 6. Klaasmeyer, 7. Sarna, 8. Anderson, 9. Fernandez, 10. Thorson. 1:48.80

PYROTECT RACING CELLS C-MAIN: (8 laps, top-4 transfer) 1. Bodine, 2. J. Swanson, 3. Cofer, 4. Sarna, 5. Fernandez, 6. Hazelton-Heredia, 7. Lewis, 8. Jones. NT

ROD END SUPPLY SEMI: (12 laps, top-6 transfer) 1. Boat, 2. Carrick, 3. Robinson, 4. Klaasmeyer, 5. McDougal, 6. Johnson, 7. Shelton, 8. Gardner, 9. J. Swanson, 10. Dalby, 11. Leary, 12. Bodine, 13. Cofer, 14. Colwell, 15. Sarna, 16. Beilman. NT

FEATURE: (30 laps, starting position in parentheses) 1. Logan Seavey (1), 2. Rico Abreu (2), 3. Shane Golobic (6), 4. Spencer Bayston (11), 5. Chad Boat (7), 6. Tanner Carrick (13), 7. Brady Bacon (4), 8. Holly Shelton (25), 9. Jason McDougal (21), 10. Tucker Klaasmeyer (9), 11. Jerry Coons, Jr. (22), 12. Cole Bodine (23), 13. Cody Swanson (17), 14. Sam Johnson (8), 15. Dustin Golobic (3), 16. Robert Dalby (24), 17. Alex Schutte (16), 18. Holley Hollan (18), 19. C.J. Sarna (26), 20. Zeb Wise (5), 21. Ryan Robinson (10), 22. Tyler Courtney (15), 23. Sterling Cling (19), 24. Michael Faccinto (14), 25. Justin Grant (12), 26. Michael Pickens (20). NT
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**Jones flipped during the C-Main. Beilman flipped during the semi. Faccinto flipped on the opening lap of the feature.

FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-29 Abreu, Lap 30 Seavey.

KSE RACING PRODUCTS / SALDANA RACING PRODUCTS / RACING OPTICS HARD CHARGER: Jason McDougal (21st to 9th)

WILWOOD BRAKES 13TH PLACE FINISHER: Cody Swanson

SALDANA RACING PRODUCTS FIRST NON-TRANSFER: Holly Shelton

NEW USAC P1 INSURANCE MIDGET NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS: 1-Seavey-988, 2-Bacon-851, 3-Boat-849, 4-Bayston-833, 5-Courtney-804, 6-Grant-802, 7-Carrick-785, 8-K. Thomas-711, 9-Wise-609, 10-Robinson-569.

NEW USAC LIGHT UP THE WORLD WESTERN STATES MIDGET POINTS: 1-Schutte-730, 2-Faccinto-726, 3-Dalby-578, 4-Robby Josett-570, 5-Sarna-528, 6-Prickett-509, 7-Beilman-428, 8-Frankie Guerrini-370, 9-Ronnie Gardner-370, 10-Shannon McQueen-370.

NEXT USAC P1 INSURANCE NATIONAL AND LIGHT UP THE WORLD WESTERN STATES MIDGET RACE: November 22 - Ventura Raceway - Ventura, California - 78th "Turkey Night Grand Prix"

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Contact: Richie Murray - USAC Media / richie@usacracing.com

78TH TURKEY NIGHT REPRESENTED BY 14 STATES, 2 COUNTRIES

By: Richie Murray - USAC Media

Ventura, California (November 14, 2018).........Turkey Night is a destination race. It's one any driver wants to add to his or her resume when the helmet is hung up.

That's a major reason why drivers come from all over each Fall to race midgets in southern California when Thanksgiving Night rolls around each year, as will happen on Thursday, November 22, when top guns from the USAC P1 Insurance National Midgets, Light Up The World Western States Midgets and other racing disciplines converge on Ventura Raceway for the 78th edition of this grand event.

This year's pre-entry list features drivers from 14 different states and two countries (United States and New Zealand). Unsurprisingly, the home state of California leads all states with 33 drivers representing the Golden State. The remaining states are spread fairly evenly with six each from Colorado and Oklahoma, five from Indiana, a pair from Washington, and one apiece from Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nevada, New York and Ohio.

Six of the 14 states in this year's field have never produced a "Turkey Night" winner: Alabama, Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Ohio and Washington. Although, Iowa was the residence of two-time winner Mel Kenyon for a period at the beginning of his career before he made his home in Lebanon, Ind.

There has never been a foreign-born winner, although Michael Pickens is highly-capable of changing that stat this year! Meanwhile, the states of Missouri and New York have had quite a hiatus from "Turkey Night" glory. Missouri's last triumphs were with Roy Russing, who went back-to-back in 1940-41. "Bullet" Joe Garson scored in 1958 as New York's lone winner.

Eighteen states have had a driver claim a "Turkey Night" victory, with California leading the way at 24. Indiana sits in second with 12, nine of which have occurred since the turn of the century. Arizona has 11, but what makes it even more impressive is that all 11 of them were accomplished by just two drivers! Ron Shuman leads all drivers with eight while Billy Boat has three. Illinois chimes in at six and Wisconsin at four.

Oddly enough, all seven states with exactly two "Turkey Night" wins have just one driver representing them as two-time winners of the race: Parnelli Jones (Arkansas), Dave Steele (Florida), Bob Swanson (Minnesota), Roy Russing (Missouri), Ronney Householder (Nebraska), Christopher Bell (Oklahoma) and A.J. Foyt (Texas).

Notching a single in the win column over the years are Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada, New York, Oregon and South Dakota.

Fans come from all over to witness this event in-person too! Turkey Night tix can be purchased at: www.eventbrite.com/e/78th-annual-turkey-night-grand-prix-tickets-42401301434?fbclid=IwAR3f5z07dJt8vp7zb46bY3wbWghCfr_naegvhVoi4OSJ0WlaXaIqpSBSfp4

On Thursday, November 22, it's a full program for the Midgets, plus semis and a feature for the USAC West Coast/VRA Sprint Cars. Pits open at 11:45am, drivers meeting at 2:45pm, front gates at 3pm and cars on track at 3:15pm. General admission tickets are $35. Reserved tickets are $45 for adults and $25 for children 12 and under. Pit passes are $50 for VRA and USAC members. $50,000 will go to a driver if he or she can win both main events.

All the action will be live on http://www.SpeedShiftTV.com/ with live audio for free on the USAC app. As always, all USAC National and Western States events will be available to view within a day following the race on http://www.Loudpedal.TV/.

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2018 TURKEY NIGHT ENTRIES (BY STATE):

ALABAMA: (1) Kevin Thomas, Jr.

ARIZONA: (3) Chad Boat, Sterling Cling & Jerry Coons, Jr.

CALIFORNIA: (33) Rico Abreu, Daniel Anderson, Kyle Beilman, Ryan Bernal, Tanner Carrick, Maria Cofer, Colby Copeland, Robert Dalby, Bryan Drollinger, Michael Faccinto, Damion Gardner, Dustin Golobic, Shane Golobic, Frankie Guerrini, Ashley Heredia, Dylan Ito, Chase Johnson, Robby Josett, Buddy Kofoid, Kyle Larson, Mike Leach, Jr., Austin Liggett, Carson Macedo, Randi Pankratz, David Prickett, Ryan Robinson, C.J. Sarna, Alex Schutte, Logan Seavey, Holly Shelton, Cody Swanson, Jake Swanson & Brad Sweet

COLORADO: (6) Blaze Bennett, Lance Bennett, Olivia Bennett, Jesse Fernandez, Carson Garrett & Chris Sheil

ILLINOIS: (1) Brayton Lynch

INDIANA: (5) Spencer Bayston, Cole Bodine, Tyler Courtney, C.J. Leary & Zeb Wise

IOWA: (1) McKenna Haase

KANSAS: (1) Tucker Klaasmeyer

MISSOURI: (1) Sam Johnson

NEVADA: (1) Tanner Thorson

NEW YORK: (1) Kevin Woody, Jr.

OHIO: (1) Sheldon Haudenschild

OKLAHOMA: (6) Brady Bacon, Christopher Bell, Grady Chandler, Michelle Decker, Holley Hollan & Jason McDougal

WASHINGTON: (2) Tristin Thomas & Colton Heath

NEW ZEALAND: (1) Michael Pickens

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1934-2017 TURKEY NIGHT WINNERS (BY STATE):

ARIZONA: (11) Billy Boat (3) & Ron Shuman (8)

ARKANSAS: (2) Parnelli Jones (2)

CALIFORNIA: (24) Dick Atkins, George Benson, Billy Cantrell, Jay Drake, Edgar Elder, Rick Goudy, Perry Grimm (2), Chuck Gurney (2), Jordan Hermansader, Brent Kaeding, Kyle Larson (2), Jason Leffler (2), Danny McKnight, Danny Oakes, Johnnie Parsons, Gary Patterson, Tony Simon, Ted Sizemore, Bill Vukovich & Bill Zaring

FLORIDA: (2) Dave Steele (2)

ILLINOIS: (6) Gary Bettenhausen (2), Tony Bettenhausen, Bubby Jones, Johnny McDowell & Kevin Olson

INDIANA: (12) Caleb Armstrong, Bryan Clauson (2), Dave Darland (2), Bobby East, Mel Kenyon (2), Warren Mockler, Michael Lewis, Tony Stewart & Billy Wease

MASSACHUSETTS: (1) Bobby Santos

MICHIGAN: (1) Sam Sessions

MINNESOTA: (2) Bob Swanson (2)

MISSOURI: (2) Roy Russing (2)

NEBRASKA: (2) Ronney Householder (2)

NEVADA: (1) Tanner Thorson

NEW YORK: (1) Joe Garson

OKLAHOMA: (2) Christopher Bell (2)

OREGON: (1) George Amick

SOUTH DAKOTA: (1) Mel Hansen

TEXAS: (2) A. J. Foyt (2)

WISCONSIN: (4) Billy Engelhart (2) & Stan Fox (2)