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USAC: Turkey Night Preview
Written by: Robin Miller   
11/26/2008
Irwindale, Calif.
 
Tracy Hines is trying to capture his third different USAC title and join a select club. (LAT Photo) ยป More Photos

The 68th annual Turkey Night Grand Prix midget race at Irwindale has almost as many interesting storylines as it does former USAC champions.

Point leader Tracy Hines is trying to capture his third different USAC title and join a select club.

Cole Whitt, a dazzling 17-year-old rookie, is only 21 points behind Hines and is trying to become USAC’s youngest champion.

Chuck Gurney Jr., whose father won this prestigious event 20 years ago for the first time, is leading the Toyota Challenge, which pays $25,000 to the winner.

Kasey Kahne, who finished second here a year ago, is back trying to move up one spot and add his name to the impressive list of past winners.

And, after 29 years, 130 wins and 10 USAC championships, car owner Steve Lewis is retiring.

After suffering serious injuries to his lower extremities in a motorcycle accident in 2007, Hines has made a strong comeback with Tony Stewart Racing.

Although the 36-year-old veteran from New Castle only has one victory in ’08, his consistency has him atop the standings. If the 2000 Silver Crown champ and 2002 sprint king can hang on, he’ll join Pancho Carter, Dave Darland, J.J. Yeley, Jerry Coons Jr. and Stewart as the only drivers to wear three different USAC crowns.

Whitt, who looks 12 but drives like he’s 30, is wrapping up an amazing season that’s seen him score a pair of midget wins, a USAC sprint feature and several triumphs in weekly Indiana sprint shows.

Gurney,
who serves as Whitt’s chief mechanic for those Indiana short track races, is the feel good/little guy story. He captured his initial USAC midget win last July at ORP in his own car and leads Bobby Santos by 12 points.

Toyota pays $25,000 to the driver earning the most points in two ORP events and Turkey Night and there are still 10 driver/team combinations mathematically alive for this prize – including Bobby East, always tough on the pavement.

Lewis, whose Nine Racing has dominated USAC for the better part of two decades, is quitting to devote more time to his son’s racing career. But he will be remembered as the guy who put a lot of young racers on the road to success.

Stan Fox, Kenny Irwin Jr., Mike Bliss, Stevie Reeves, Jason Leffler, Yeley, Darland, East, Kahne and Stewart have all put Nine Racing in victory lane on their way up racing’s ladder.

With Bob East preparing the cars since the late 1980s, Lewis’ polished operation recorded all 10 of its USAC championships and his three-car armada of No. 9-19-91 were usually the ones to beat by main event time.

“I’m glad I’ve lived so much of my life in racing because you’ll never meet a more extraordinary bunch of people than racers,” said Lewis, who began stooging for Doug Caruthers as a teenager and bought his first car from Don Edmonds in 1979 with Fox on board.

“It all started with Stan at Ascot Park and it’s been a great run with a lot of great drivers.”
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