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Saturday, November 27, 2010

Turkey Night Grand Prix highlights and interviews

Tony Hunt wins USAC Western Sprint Car championship

Bryan Clauson wins second straight Turkey Night Grand Prix race in a row

Thursday, November 25, 2010

Clauson wins USAC Midget race at Turkey Night Grand Prix in Irwindale


Bryan Clauson of Noblesville, Ind., capped a championship season by winning the USAC National Midget portion of the Turkey Night Grand Prix at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale on Saturday night.
Clauson took the lead on lap 9 and held it for the last 89 laps of the race. He finished well ahead of Caleb Armstrong in second and Dalton Armstrong in third.
Clauson came into the Turkey Night Grand Prix with the USAC National Midget championship wrapped up. He had a 100-point lead over Jerry Coons Jr., who could only earn 66 points in the final race of the year.
Clauson had the fourth fastest qualifying time. Kody Swanson of Kingsburg, Calif., was the fastest qualifier and led the first lap of the race.
Dakoda Armstrong took the lead on lap 2 and held it for one lap. Cole Whitt passed Dakoda Armstrong on lap 4 and was out front until lap 8. Clauson took the lead on lap 9 and was out front for the rest of the race.
Swanson was pulling double duty and won the USAC Western Sprint Car race of the Turkey Night Grand Prix. He was the second-fastest qualifier and took the lead on lap 6. Swanson was out front for the remaining 34 laps of the race.
Tony Hunt from Lincoln, Calif., was second, followed by Bobby East from Brownsburg, Ind., in third.
Hunt won the USAC Western Sprint Car championship by 58 points over Luis Ramos III of Clovis.
Jake Blackhurst of Mapleton, Ill., won the USAC Ford Focus Midgets race, taking the lead from Nick Drake on lap 19.
The Ford Focus Midget race was red-flagged twice because of crashes. Michael Steele, Winn Frazin and Guy Sainsbury were involved in a three-car crash on lap 6. Two laps later, Taylor Ferns, Garrett Peterson and Cody Gerhardt collided. Peterson was running in seventh and Gerhardt was in eighth when they crashed.
Both red flags delayed the race for 20 minutes.
Michael Lewis from Laguna Beach was second in the Ford Focus Midgets race. Drake, who was the fastest qualifier, was third.

Photo: Bryan Clauson won the USAC Midget race of the Turkey Night Grand Prix and the National Midget championship at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale.