USAC: Stewart Wins 'Turkey Night'; Pankratz, Ercse and Kahne Take Titles
25 November 2000
Posted By Terry CallahanMotorsports Editor, The Auto Channel
Irwindale, Calif., -- NASCAR standout Tony Stewart won the 60th "Turkey Night Grand Prix" at the Irwindale Speedway Thursday evening--the final event of the 2000 MCI WorldCom Midget Car Series.
Stewart, a former two-time series champion, led the first 38 and the final 26 laps of the 100-lap race to score the win. In between he was challenged by newly crowned national champion Kasey Kahne, who led laps 39 - 74. The win meant more to Stewart than some might have guessed.
"I've waited 365 days for this," Stewart commented after climbing from his car. "You wouldn't think a full-time Winston Cup driver would even think twice about this but it's all I thought about since last year."
The race may have commanded much of his attention throughout the year, but it was Kasey Kahne he had to think about during this race.
"I was not the fastest car tonight, especially when my fuel got low," Stewart admitted. "I really didn't think I could catch Kasey after he got by me and stretched out his lead. On the final restart, I dove low to get out of the oil dropped in the upper groove and got a bite. I got by Kasey who was spinning his tires in the oil and was able to hold on. My only chance to get him was to miss the oil and it worked."
Kahne held on to finish second ahead of Coors Light Silver Bullet Series champion Tracy Hines, former champion Jason Leffler and Michael Lewis.
Although Kahne had previously locked up the national title, Wally Pankratz and Bobby Boone played out the real championship drama in the battle for the western title. Pankratz may not have any fingernails left, but the veteran finally scored his first USAC title, but by only two points! Pankratz left the door open with a 16th-place finish, but Boone's impressive sixth-place came up just short.
Another driver aiming for USAC history had a bittersweet evening. Jay Drake opened the evening by leading all 20 laps to win the MCI WorldCom TQ Midget Car feature that preceded the 100-lap midget main event. The win was the 19th USAC win of the season for Drake, tying the USAC single-season win record held by A.J. Foyt and Sleepy Tripp. Later, in his bid to break the record by winning the evening's main event, Drake broke a timing gear on lap 46 to end a phenomenal season.
The other tight championship battle decided at Irwindale was that of the TQ midgets. J.J. Ercse also took a nail biter from Walt Johnson by just two points!
(Be sure to catch the evening's action on ESPN2 this Sunday night at 10 p.m. Eastern.) -USAC
In honor of the historic 60th running of the event, all 22 living winners of Turkey Night were invited by the track management to a special luncheon (Turkey and all the trimmings of course!) at the Speedway on Thursday afternoon and 11 of them were able to join in the festivities at Irwindale: Danny Oakes (1945), Mel Kenyon (1963 & 75), Parnelli Jones (1964 & 66), Tony Simon (1972), Rick Goudy (1978), Kevin Olson (1983), Brent Kaeding (1984), Chuck Gurney (1988 & 89), Jordan Hermansader (1994), Drake (1998) and Leffler (1999).
A special autograph session was staged in front of the grandstands featuring these past champions and the line of fans seemed endless.
Only the crackling start of the first Midget heat race could break up the crowd of true fans waiting patiently for their handshake and treasured autograph from a Turkey Night Champion. 1994 champ Jordan Hermansader later said that he had never signed that many autographs (even when he won the race!) as he did that night, and Danny Oakes visited the press box and mock-complained of "writer's cramp" when you could see from the smile on his face how much he appreciated the fans remembering him and his win of the first Turkey Night race after WWII way back in 1945.
Among other notables on hand to celebrate the occasion were perennial Midget Champion Sleepy Tripp, and two-time Indy 500 winner Rodger Ward.
Just prior the racing a special moment were taken by the ESPN "booth talent" (Bob Jenkins, Larry Rice, Gary Reed, & Amy East) to introduce Cody Unser, the teenage daughter of Al Jr. and Shelly Unser, the packed house. Cody was stricken last year with Transverse Myelitis, a paralyzing disease of the nervous system.
Refusing to just accept her fate, Cody and her mother formed a non-profit organization (The Cody Unser First Step Foundation) to help find a cure for the debilitating disease which strikes many thousands of people annually.
Sixteen of the top drivers took time before the race to walk through the aisles at Irwindale "passing the helmet" among the fans who responded with great generosity stuffing everything from pennies to hundred dollar bills into the helmets for the cause. Racing fans never looked so good.
The race was declared an official capacity crowd sell-out at 7,500.
Text provided by Doug Stokes
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