It's that time of the year again: Thanksgiving. The special day of the year when families and friends gather for a feast while expressing thanks for all of the positives in their personal lives. It's also a page from our American history book taking us back to the time when colonial settlers sat down with their Native American neighbors to share food. The traditional Thanksgiving dinner can often resemble one of those inspirational Norman Rockwell paintings.
But sometimes this traditional family feast can turn into a war zone with mashed potatoes often being the weapon of choice. It usually starts when everyone at the table is asked to list the things they're the most thankful for. By the way, that leads to a Thanksgiving hint: anyone who takes more than 60 seconds to address that question is usually full of crap.
Somewhere in this process a family member is bound to open an old wound from yesteryear. The type of issue that instantly raises the ire of opposing family members. Meanwhile non family invited guests at the dinner table are getting nervous because they know that the first volley of a major food fight could be coming at any moment.
Over the years I've enjoyed the family warmth of a Thanksgiving dinner and I have also found myself quickly exiting my chair to avoid scalding hot mashed potatoes flying across the room. Don't even get me started on the quality of turkey surprise Thanksgiving left overs that I was expected to eat all weekend long.
Quite some time ago I discovered there was a perfect alternative to all of this potential drama. The answer was auto racing. I don't mean to disrespect any one's Thanksgiving memories or their hopes for the Thanksgiving day to come. I'm just simply saying that hot dogs, accented by the pungent aroma of racing fuel and well cooked rubber from racing tires, is my ideal of a perfect holiday weekend.
The holiday weekend begins on Thanksgiving night at the Toyota Speedway At Irwindale. The fastest half mile paved oval in the southwest, located near Los Angeles, will be presenting the annual Lucas Oil Turkey Night Grand Prix, presented by Agajanian Promotions. This event features the very best sprint car talent from USAC, United States Auto Club, and draws drivers and teams from all over the country as well as Canada. The very best from the USAC Sprints, Midgets and the K&N Ford Focus Midget Series will take center stage during this special event.
For those of you who believe that dirt is for racing and asphalt is for getting you to the race track parking lot, then check out the special show being offered by the Perris Auto Speedway on Saturday November 28th. The one third mile dirt oval will be presenting the Glenn Howard Memorial featuring the high flying, dirt slinging, sprint cars from the USAC/CRA Series.
Another outstanding show for lovers of dirt track racing is the annual Turkey Classic that will be held November 27th through the 29th at the Victorville Auto Raceway, the three eighths of a mile dirt oval located at the San Bernardino County Fairgrounds. Friday's action features a massive practice session for the teams. The heat races will be held on Saturday to determine the line up for Sunday's main events. The Turkey Classic has a full load of racing divisions that includes late models, modifieds, sport modifieds, super street stocks, street stocks, sport compacts, dwarf cars, mini dwarfs and all American stocks vying for their shared of a combined $20,000 purse. This weekend is very lucrative for the drivers. The late model main event alone pays $2,000 to the winner.
For racing fans who prefer their stock car racing on tightly wound asphalt ovals, the Lucas Oil 10 Speedway in Blythe will be presenting their annual Thanksgiving 200 November 28th on their quarter mile oval. The Pro Shoot Out, full sized stock cars with four cylinder engines, will highlight this show with a 50 lap feature. Also running 50 lap mains will be the Southwest Tour Trucks, the street stock and the legend divisions. The youngsters in their small, but very fast, bandolero cars will race a 25 lap feature.
There's also a big holiday weekend show at the Havasu 95 Speedway, a quarter mile paved oval located in Lake Havasu City-Arizona, on November 28th. This show features the Gene Price Motorsports Late Model River Series running a 50 lap feature with the winner receiving $1,000. The modified and factory stock cars will have be a part of this program.
For you lovers of road course racing the Buttonwillow Raceway Park, north of Bakersfield, will be offering two days, November 28th and 29th, of action from the Green Flag Driving Association. This Santa Clara based racing group features a combination of vintage race cars along with hi performance sedans and sports cars.
For lovers of vintage racing cars you may want to take in the annual Walt James Classic, November 28th, at the three eighths of a mile dirt track located within the mammoth Willow Springs International Motor Sports Park in Rosamond. This annual event features the open wheel race cars from the 1940's and 50's from the WRA: Western Racing Association. This group is dedicated to the preservation of these open wheel sprint cars and put on racing exhibitions at tracks all over the southwest.
This particular year the Walt James Classic will be a special memorial. Walt James passed away this past September at the age of 86. James was an icon in the world of open wheel racing both on and off the track. He continued to drive, with his beloved WRA, all the way to his recent passing.
Whatever your plans are for this upcoming holiday weekend, I wish you all a happy Thanksgiving. Be thankful that you are a citizen of the greatest country on earth and give thanks to the dedication of the men and women of our armed forces who will not be home for Thanksgiving because they're very busy protecting our way of life.
I'm now wondering if someone is promoting a race Christmas weekend.
