Turkey Night Grand Prix facts for kids

The Automotive Racing Products Turkey Night Grand Prix is a yearly race for small, powerful cars called midget cars. It is one of the oldest races in the United States. Only the Indianapolis 500 and the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb have been around longer.

This exciting race has been held on Thanksgiving night most years since 1934. It was started by Earl Gilmore at his Gilmore Stadium in Los Angeles. The race stayed there until 1950. Since then, it has moved to different race tracks in southern California.

Since 1955, the race has been organized by the J. C. Agajanian family. Today, J.C.'s son Cary runs the event. The Turkey Night Grand Prix usually takes place on a dirt track. However, around the year 2000, it was sometimes held on asphalt tracks. It returned to dirt tracks in 2012. The main race is 98 laps long. This number was chosen because it was the same number J.C. Agajanian used for his own racecars.

The Turkey Night Grand Prix is often the last big race of the midget and sprint car season in North America. Many top drivers then take a short break. After that, they travel to Australia or New Zealand for their summer racing season. This "international season" usually begins on Boxing Day.

The race was not held in 1942, 1943, or 1944 because of World War II. It was also canceled in 2020 due to California's pandemic rules.

In 2021, the race changed its schedule. Other USAC Midget races were added around Thanksgiving week. This included the Hangtown 100 and a race at the Merced County Fairgrounds. Because of this, the Turkey Night Grand Prix became a two-day event. It moved away from Thanksgiving night. Now, practice and support races are on Friday. The main heat races and feature race are on Saturday. This change created a "California Midget Week." It means there are three big midget races in eight days. This is similar to the "Indiana Sprint Week" for USAC's non-winged sprint cars.

The Turkey Night Grand Prix is seen as one of the three most important midget races each year. The other two are the Chili Bowl in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and the Bryan Clauson Classic at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Drivers and Their Achievements

This event is a very important race in the midget car series. It often brings in famous drivers from other types of racing. Many of these drivers have raced at the highest levels of auto racing. This is because their main racing seasons usually end before Thanksgiving. So, they are free to compete in the Turkey Night Grand Prix.

Many well-known drivers have raced in this event. These include Parnelli Jones, A. J. Foyt, Johnnie Parsons, Bill Vukovich, Danny Oakes, Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart, J. J. Yeley, Jason Leffler, Kasey Kahne, and Kyle Larson.

In 2021, something special happened. Kaylee Bryson was the fastest driver in qualifying for the 80th Turkey Night Grand Prix. This made her the first woman to start in the pole position (first place) in the race's history. Her teammate, Taylor Reimer, qualified second. This was the first time in USAC National Midget history that two women started in the first and second positions. Kaylee Bryson then led the first 17 laps of the race. This made her the first woman to lead the Turkey Night Grand Prix.

Race Locations Over the Years

The Turkey Night Grand Prix has been held at several different tracks.

• Gilmore Stadium (1934–1950) (This is now Television City Studios)
• Gardena Stadium (1955–1959)
• Ascot Park (1960–1974, 1976–1990)
• Speedway 605 (1975)
• Saugus Speedway (1991)
• Bakersfield Speedway (1992–1995, 1998)
• Perris Auto Speedway (1996, 2012–2015)
• Ventura Raceway (1997, 2016–present)
• Irwindale Speedway (1999–2011)

List of Winners