VENTURA, Calif. — The ARP Turkey Night Grand Prix Presented by the West Coast Stock Car/Motorsports Hall of Fame annually presents the Don Basile Rookie of the Race Award, honoring the top performance by a first-time feature starter in the 98-lap classic each year.
This year’s crop of 26 Turkey Night rookies arrive to stake their claim and make their initial mark on the great race featuring USAC’s NOS Energy Drink Midget National Championship, which will take place for the 82nd time Saturday at California’s Ventura Raceway.
No Rookie has won the race since Warren Mockler’s last lap heroics in 1986. Jake Andreotti topped the field of Turkey Night debut starters in the 2022 race, finishing fourth.
Nearly half of this year’s 53-car field is among the abundance of Rookie of the Race contenders. In this year’s group are newly crowned USAC National Midget Rookie of the Year for 2023, Gavin Miller, plus 2023 ARCA Menards Stock Car champion Jesse Love and 2023 NARC Sprint Car titlist Corey Day.
Xtreme Outlaw Midget winner Chase McDermand will make the trip out west as will 2016 USAC CRA Sprint Car Rookie of the Year Max Adams and Ricky Lewis who stands as the winningest sprint car driver in the United States for 2023 with 18 feature victories.
Blake Bower, the 2021 USAC Western States Midget champ will take his shot at cracking the Turkey Night field for the first time as will 2022 USAC West Coast Sprint Car king Ryan Timmons.
Hayden Reinbold, one of the most improved drivers on the tour, will shoot for his first Turkey Night start along with Rocky Mountain Midget Racing Association winner Jake Bubak. New Zealand’s Peter Hunnibell is the lone international representative in the event.
The award, named in memory of track owner, promoter and 1999 National Sprint Car Hall of Fame inductee Don Basile, made its debut in 1998 with Kasey Kahne the first recipient.
Over the years, the Don Basile Rookie of the Race honors at Turkey Night have been awarded to some of the most talented young racers in America. A glance at the list reveals some of the top names from the sport over the past two decades, including one race winner – Kyle Larson (2011) – and five others who’ll be in this year’s field.
Furthermore, there are a talented bunch of past rookies who’ll all be in the hunt for a first Turkey Night win this Saturday night, including, Carson Macedo (2016), Cannon McIntosh (2019), Mitchel Moles (2021) and Andreotti (2022).
Midget practice, plus USAC West Coast Sprint Car heat races, qualifiers and dash will take place on Friday, Nov. 24 with the sprint car semi-feature and feature events, and the 98-lap USAC Midget season finale taking place on Saturday, Nov. 25.