TEAM MOPAR NEWS - TURKEY NIGHT GRAND PRIX AT IRWINDALE SPEEDWAY

November 22, 2006                           
Contact:         
Misha Geisert, 317-432-4110

                                                                                    
MoparPR@aol.com

 

 

TEAM MOPAR® GEARS UP FOR USAC 
NATIONAL MIDGET SERIES CHAMPIONSHIP BATTLE

 


Mopar’s Coons Jr. and Wise Lead 
Championship Chase Into Final Stretch 
Mopar’s Presence Dominates Earl’s 
Fast Qualifying Championship 
Event 
Information 
About DaimlerChrysler’s Mopar 
Brand
 

Center Line, Mich. — Team Mopar has its sights set on another USAC National 
Series Championship, as the 66th Annual Turkey Night Grand Prix event will see 
Jerry Coons Jr., and defending USAC National Midget Car Series champion Josh 
Wise go head-to-head in a battle for the 2007 title. Coons Jr., and the 
Wilke-PAK Racing team hold a 54-point lead over Tony Stewart Racing Enterprises' 
Wise, as the USAC National Midget Car Series rolls into Irwindale Speedway for 
the annual Thanksgiving night event. With 66 points available for Thursday 
night’s race, the stage has been set for a showdown between the two Team Mopar 
powerhouses. 

 

While Coons Jr., and 
Wise are doing battle for 100 laps on the half-mile paved oval of Irwindale 
Speedway for the title, Tony Stewart Racing Enterprises’ Levi Jones will be 
contesting a battle of his own. Currently ranked in sixth place in the points 
championship, Jones is only 38 markers behind fifth-place ranked Bryan Clauson. 
With a strong performance on Thursday, Jones could earn his first USAC National 
Midget Car Series championship Top-five finish. 

 

Mopar’s Presence Dominates Earl’s 
Fast Qualifying Championship

 

Wise and Coons Jr., will also be 
battling for another championship on Thursday, as Wise leads Coons Jr., in the 
Earl’s Fast Qualifying Championship for the USAC National Midget Car Series 
division. Wise, with 87 points, leads Coons Jr., by 35 points heading into the 
final qualifying event of the season. Already having locked up the USAC National 
Sprint Car Series division of the Earl’s Fast Qualifying Championship, Wise will 
look to end the year by earning his second title. 

 

Earl’s Fast Qualifying Championship 
points will be available for Thursday’s race, as points are awarded for each 
USAC event. Points are based on an international system that awards the top-six 
qualifiers at each event with the following:  1st– 9, 2nd– 6, 3rd– 4, 4th– 3, 5th– 2, 
6th– 1. All Earl’s Qualifying Champions will be honored at the USAC Champions 
Night ceremony in Indianapolis, Indiana, in January 2007. 


 

Event 
Information

 

The 66th running of the Turkey Night 
Grand Prix will take place on Thursday, November 23, at Irwindale Speedway in 
Irwindale, California. A practice night is scheduled for 
Wednesday, November 22, from 3 to 7 p.m. 
PST. Gates will open to the public at 4 p.m. PST on Thursday, 
November 23. An autograph session is scheduled for 5:45 p.m. PST, with racing set to begin at 
7 p.m. PST on Thanksgiving 
night. 

 

The event will feature a 100-lap 
feature for the USAC National Midget Car Series, a 40-lap feature for the USAC 
Western States Sprint Car Series and a 50-lap feature event for the USAC Ford 
Focus Midget Series. For entry lists, a schedule of events, or to purchase 
tickets, log on to www.irwindalespeedway.com. For 
information regarding USAC Racing or the Earl’s Fast Qualifying Championship, 
log on to www.usacracing.com. 

 

About DaimlerChrysler’s Mopar 
Brand

 

When Chrysler bought 
Dodge in 1928, the need for a dedicated parts supplier led to the formation of 
the Chrysler Motor Parts Division. In 1937, Mopar (a simple contraction 
of the words MOtor and PARts) was created for the business 
of distributing parts through a depot system and car divisional 
wholesalers. 

 

Mopar made its mark in 
the 1960s—the muscle car era. Beginning in 1962, Mopar 
carried a line of “Special Parts” for super stock drag racers and developed its 
racing parts division called Mopar Performance Parts to enhance speed and 
handling for both road and racing use.  


 

Today, the Chrysler 
Group’s Global Service & Parts division is responsible for the manufacturing 
and distribution of nearly 250,000 authentic Mopar replacement parts, components 
and accessories for Chrysler, Jeep® and Dodge vehicles sold around 
the world. To assure quality, reliability and durability, 
all Mopar parts and accessories are designed in strict adherence to 
DaimlerChrysler engineering standards. 

 

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or http://www.moparspeed.com.