Category: Dirt

Corey Day’s first try at the ARP Turkey Night Grand Prix Presented by the West Coast Stock Car/Motorsports Hall of Fame in 2023 marked a grand entrance to the event for the Clovis, Calif. native.

In his encore performance on Saturday night at California’s Ventura Raceway, Day rose to the occasion quite literally and figuratively as he made the winning move 17 laps from the finish line to earn $15,000 and become a first-time winner of the 83rd running of the prestigious event.

In doing so, Day became the youngest winner in the history of the Turkey Night Grand Prix after celebrating his 19th birthday just two days earlier. Caleb Armstrong was the previous record holder, having won the 2011 event at the age of 19 years, 3 months and 8 days.

Furthermore, Day secured the fifth consecutive Turkey Night USAC Midget feature victory for a driver from the state of California, following in the footsteps of Kyle Larson (2019), Logan Seavey (2021), Justin Grant (2022) and Kyle Larson (2023).

Meanwhile, Daison Pursley finished off a remarkable personal comeback from injury to capture the 2024 USAC NOS Energy Drink Midget National Championship for himself and his CB Industries team with a third-place showing in the season finale.

Less than a week after supplying car owner Willie Kahne his first career USAC National Midget triumph at California’s Merced Speedway, Day delivered once more in the 98-lap event at Ventura’s 1/5-mile dirt oval with a 20-year-old powerplant – a full year older than Day himself – at the wheel of his Durst – Four CCCC’s Construction – Sander Engineering/Triple X/Wirth Mopar.

“Hats off to Willie Kahne, Will Durst and Bob Wirth for giving me a good motor that no one thought would work, and it does,” Day said.

Day also admitted that he’d never before capped off a season with a victory. To do it in one of the most prestigious motorsports events on the calendar, that’s icing on the cake for the driver who was a regular with the Kubota High Limit Series throughout the year and also made a handful of NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and ARCA Menards Series starts.

“This was my last race of the year, and I’ve never ended the year with a win in all my years racing,” Day noted. “To do that feels really, really good. I look forward to this swing so much, and to just be able to come race and almost relax. It’s not as high pressure as the normal stuff I’m doing and I’m just really glad Willie and I could get a couple wins down here, and I’m glad to be one spot better here this year.”

Starting eighth, Day steadily moved forward and had worked himself into the top-five by the midway point on the 49th lap. Jacob Denney flexed his muscles early by leading the initial 25 laps as he exchanged the low and high lines with constant pursuer Pursley.

As the front-runners worked a gauntlet of traffic, Buddy Kofoid advanced his way to the head of the herd as he worked under Pursley for second on lap 23, and shortly thereafter, went to the high side to travel around Denney for the race lead on the 26th circuit.

Suddenly, four-time Turkey Night winner Kyle Larson appeared in the frame as he slotted into fifth by lap 44 after starting in the 10th position. However, just three trips later on lap 47, Larson’s reign, for all intents and purposes, ended when a chain reaction starting from Pursley to Larson to Day resulted in rear bumper contact from Day to Larson. That chrome to chrome contact sent Larson into a 360 degree spin in turn two. By rule, Larson had to restart the race from the tail where he managed only to get back to the 20th spot after dropping out with 21 laps remaining, his first Turkey Night finish outside the top-five in 12 starts.

Following the restart, Tanner Thorson emerged as a contender and was able to slide Kofoid the lead, albeit briefly, in turns three and four on the 49th lap before Kofoid cut back under to reassume the lead. While those two duked it out up top, Denney was constantly crawling the infield berm. After Thorson slammed the turn two cushion with his right rear tire on lap 50 and dropped back to fourth, Denney disposed of Thorson, then surpassed Kofoid to retake the number one spot.

When Kofoid bounced off the back straightaway wall on lap 55, Day took advantage of his fellow competitor’s white wall misfortune to grab second, then set his sights on Denney who patrolled the low line as the leader with 43 to go. As the rubber began to become a prominent streak around the inner perimeter, Day stalked Denney from a mere single car length behind.

“I knew that the rubber was going to come in, unfortunately,” Day explained. “With so many laps on this place, you just really can’t keep it off it. I knew it was going to come in; it was just a matter of when it was. I tried the bottom and then I’d move up, then I kept trying the bottom just to see. I saw Denney down there get by a couple of cars, so I knew it was in. I knew I needed to get down there and get my tires worked in for it.”

On lap 82, Denney drifted ever so slightly off the bottom line and opened the door for Day to pounce. Pulling even with Denney exiting turn two and down the back straightaway, Day slipped past for the lead entering turn three before crossing the line, with Denney just behind, to complete the lap just as seventh running Cannon McIntosh slowed with a flat right rear tire, which necessitated a yellow flag, ending any sliver of title hopes he held on to.

From the lap 83 restart onward, Day was untouchable as he pulled out to a full second lead almost instantaneously. At that moment, Denney began to fade as Kofoid (lap 84) and Pursley (lap 87) followed suit past him into second and third, respectively. Yet, the field bunched one final time on lap 90 after Rookie Broedy Graham (18th) spun to a stop in turn one. During the caution period, Thorson (5th) slowed with a shredded right rear tire.

Despite seeing his one second lead evaporate with the yellow, Day got back on the horse and rode it to the finish line over the final nine laps to score a 1.009s margin of victory over Kofoid and Pursley with Denney fourth and Seavey rounding out the top five.

It was also a big night for Pursley’s CBI teammate Zach Wigal, who doubled up the honors on Saturday night. His 11th-place result made him the 2024 Don Basile Rookie of the Race. Adding to the accolades, Wigal also finished the year by locking up the Max Papis Innovations USAC National Midget Rookie of the Year award.

Tanner Carrick’s return to Turkey Night after a three-year hiatus was a solid one. After starting 19th, Carrick advanced +9 to finish 10th, which earned him hard charger honors for the evening.

On Friday, Dalten Gabbard found himself upside down on the track’s exit ramp following a flip during practice. After thrashing to get the car repaired overnight, he transferred his way into his first career USAC National Midget start on Saturday night at Ventura. That earned him the Inferno Armor Fire Move of the Night.

RESULTS:

SIMPSON RACE PRODUCTS FIRST QUALIFYING RACE: (12 laps, top-4 transfer to the feature) 1. Zach Wigal, 2. Jake Swanson, 3. Dalten Gabbard, 4. Emerson Axsom, 5. Cade Lewis, 6. Ronnie Gardner, 7. Austin Torgerson, 8. Kyle Busch, 9. Randi Pankratz, 10. Stevie Sussex, 11. Drake Edwards, 12. Abby Hohlbein, 13. Bryan Drollinger, 14. Peter Paulson. NT

ROD END SUPPLY SECOND QUALIFYING RACE: (12 laps, top-4 transfer to the feature) 1. Tyler Courtney, 2. Justin Grant, 3. Kaylee Bryson, 4. C.J. Leary, 5. Chase McDermand, 6. Caden Sarale, 7. Broedy Graham, 8. T.J. Smith, 9. C.J. Sarna, 10. Dane Culver, 11. Ty Gibbs, 12. Mathew Radisch, 13. Todd Hawse, 14. Barrie Valentino. 2:35.259

T.J. FORGED/CAR IQ THIRD QUALIFYING RACE: (12 laps, top-4 transfer to the feature) 1. Logan Seavey, 2. Ryan Timms, 3. Tanner Carrick, 4. Zach Daum, 5. Jake Andreotti, 6. Carson Macedo, 7. Brody Fuson, 8. Alex Karpowicz, 9. Cale Coons, 10. Michael Faccinto, 11. J.J. Yeley, 12. Kyle Hawse, 13. Jim Vanzant. 2:40.057

ELLIOTT’S CUSTOM TRAILERS & CARTS SEMI: (15 laps, top-4 transfer to the feature) 1. Chase McDermand, 2. Cade Lewis, 3. Ronnie Gardner, 4. Broedy Graham, 5. Caden Sarale, 6. Austin Torgerson, 7. Dane Culver, 8. T.J. Smith, 9. Brody Fuson, 10. Michael Faccinto, 11. C.J. Sarna, 12. Randi Pankratz, 13. Stevie Sussex, 14. Cale Coons, 15. Alex Karpowicz, 16. Kyle Busch, 17. Jake Andreotti. NT

FEATURE: (98 laps, starting positions in parentheses) 1. Corey Day (8), 2. Buddy Kofoid (3), 3. Daison Pursley (2), 4. Jacob Denney (1), 5. Logan Seavey (13), 6. Gavin Miller (9), 7. Justin Grant (15), 8. Kale Drake (7), 9. Jake Swanson (14), 10. Tanner Carrick (19), 11. Zach Wigal (11), 12. Cannon McIntosh (6), 13. Tyler Courtney (12), 14. Tanner Thorson (4), 15. Zach Daum (21), 16. Cade Lewis (23), 17. C.J. Leary (20), 18. Dalten Gabbard (17), 19. Broedy Graham (25), 20. Kyle Larson (10), 21. Emerson Axsom (26), 22. Kevin Thomas Jr. (5), 23. Ronnie Gardner (24), 24. Chase McDermand (22), 25. Kaylee Bryson (18), 26. Ryan Timms (16). NT

FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-25 Jacob Denney, Laps 26-49 Buddy Kofoid, Laps 50-81 Jacob Denney, Laps 82-98 Corey Day.

Jacob Denney laid down the fastest lap during Friday night’s USAC NOS Energy Drink Midget National Championship practice at California’s Ventura Raceway.

The four practice sessions were held in preparation for the series’ season finale on Saturday night, Nov. 30 — the $15,000-to-win 83rd running of the ARP Turkey Night Grand Prix Presented by the West Coast Stock Car/Motorsports Hall of Fame.

Denney paced the 50 cars that took time with a lap of 12.016 seconds around the 1/5-mile dirt oval in his Tom Malloy/Trench Shoring – Rodela Specialty Fabrication – Race for Chase/LynK/Ed Pink Toyota.

Following Denney was the 2023 Don Basile Rookie of the Race, Corey Day, in second with a 12.039s. USAC National Midget point leader Daison Pursley was third at 12.118s, just ahead of his primary championship challenger, Cannon McIntosh, in fourth at 12.190s. Buddy Kofoid rounded out the top five at 12.355s.

Other notables include four past Turkey Night winners. Four-time victor Kyle Larson was ninth overall in practice while Logan Seavey was 11th and Tanner Thorson was 23rd. Justin Grant did not participate in practice.

Two Turkey Night Rookies and NASCAR Cup Series regulars took their first laps at Ventura on Friday. Two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Busch  was 31st in practice while NASCAR Xfinity titlist Ty Gibbs was 32nd.

Two drivers flipped during the night in very similar fashion. Tyler Edwards clipped the turn three cushion and flipped several times before landing on all four wheels in the pit exit ramp. Later on, Dalten Gabbard clipped the wall and flipped several times before he too landed in the exit ramp. Both drivers walked away.

The grandstands open Saturday at 3pm local time with cars on track at 3:30pm featuring the USAC NOS Energy Drink Midget National Championship and the Ultimate Sprint Car Series.

The Turkey Night Grand Prix will be streamed live on FloRacing.

It was shocking but not surprising when news of Malcolm Smith’s passing was confirmed on November 27. From the onset, he and his family had put up a long and heroic battle against the unrelenting ravages of Parkinson’s. For Malcolm, in the end it was one of the few races he couldn’t win.

Considering her age and recent health challenges, receiving word of Mary McGee’s death just a few hours later was also gut-wrenching but not unexpected. She died in her Nevada home at the age of 87. McGee was inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 2018, and the Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame in 2023.

The motorsports world has now lost two pioneering trailblazers that led by example and shaped the sport’s path with different, but equally powerful legacies. Smith was a huge figure for much of his life, while McGee’s remarkable story seemed to have reached a greater audience only in recent years.

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They shared a love of motorcycles, desert riding, Baja and two influential relationships with Steve McQueen.

Mary McGee (main image) was the truly the first female of the sport. Not just as a figurehead, but as a gifted competitor. Looking back on her amazing life, it’s hard to fathom her lifetime of historic off-road firsts:

* First woman to race Motocross in the US
* First woman to compete with Europeans in International motocross in the United States
* First women off-road truck/vehicle racer (1967 NORRA Mexican 1000)
* First women off-road factory truck racer (1967-1969 NORRA BRE Datsun team)
* First women off-road major race finisher (1968 NORRA Mexican 1000)
* Only woman to ride/finish the SCORE Baja 500 solo (1975)

Born in Alaska, McGee’s road to motorsports fame started in the golden age of road racing. Introduced to the sport by her husband, Mary began racing sports cars with the SCCA driving a Mercedes 300SL. She consistently won her races in events all over the west, earning an SCCA class championship by 1961. Her journey was supported by famed Porsche factory team and dealership owner Vasek Polak, who fielded McGee’s Porsche 550 Spyder.

It was Polak who suggested Mary start motorcycle racing to improve her skills. A female road racer in the United States was a new phenomenon, but trailblazing McGee was keen to give it a try. The American Federation of Motorcyclists (AFM) made the now famous sports car champion conduct a try-out (which she aced) and in 1960 she became the first women to road race and hold an FIM license in the United States.

That type of moxie was at the heart her tenacity and willingness to try anything. She once shared a story of how she made the transition to dirt bikes. In 1963 she was a at New Year’s Eve party attended by Hollywood stars who raced both cars and motorcycles. None other than Steve McQueen came up to her and said: “McGee, you’ve got to get off that ***** road-racing bike and come out to the desert.”

“Isn’t that just a pisser?” she concluded, laughing, and demonstrably pleased at the 60-year-old memory.

McGee then became first women to enter an organized desert race in 1964. It was a District 37 race known as the Simi Valley Hare & Hound event, and she competed on a Triumph. She didn’t win anything, but she later explained; “They phoned to invite me to the awards dinner dance. I was called up to the stage and they gave me an award anyway. Some of the wives and girlfriends told me later it was so they could see what I looked like. Many of those women were inspired enough to try racing themselves.

1967 was a defining year in off-road motorsports history, as a small group of pioneer racers gathered in Baja for the inaugural NORRA Mexican 1000. Malcolm was there. Mary was too – the only female driver in the field of 68 entries. She had been asked by iconic factory Datsun race team owner Peter Brock to pilot a humble 510 sedan in the new form of racing.

In typical fashion, she agreed before truly understanding what she had signed up for. Mary later explained, “I think back now to how truly primitive Baja was in those early days and say, ‘What was I thinking?”

The Datsun was admittedly not suitable for the task at hand, and McGee car sheared off an upper front A-arm – ending her day before the La Paz finish.

In 1968 she returned as part of a strengthened and expanded BRE effort, this time driving a Datsun pick-up with co-driver John Timanus. This time, McGee overcame some obstacles and a long night of driving to go down in the history books to become very first female driver to complete a major desert race or Mexican/Baja 1000.

There are images from both their lives that are not etched, but seared, into our collective memories.

For Malcolm, it is the legendary 1971 Ed Horne shot of Malcolm tearing across Baja’s Lake Chapala on the Husqvarna 400 he co-rode with Gunnar Nilsson to a NORRA Mexican 1000 victory. Or the baby-faced youngster who lite up the screen and countless imaginations in the movie On Any Sunday. The heartfelt story he shared with son Alex at the little Mexican orphanage in the 2005 documentary Dust to Glory.

To me, it was Mary’s devil may care approach to everything she did. It was not about the win, but the willingness to try. She was a human livewire, a female pistol always willing to share a good laugh or a fabled story.

In contrast, Malcolm was the sport’s immensity gifted version of James Taylor. He was a humble and quiet warrior, a gentleman in every lost meaning of that word. Nobody had single bad thing to say about American motorcycling’s most influential personas. I never heard him swear, or ever raise his voice.

Malcolm was thrust into the spotlight early in his career thanks to his appearance in Bruce’ Brown’s 1971 film On Any Sunday.

Tragically, McGee’s passing came the day before today’s Thanksgiving release of the short documentary Motorcycle Mary on ESPN’s YouTube channel. Seven-time Formula 1 champion Lewis Hamilton was an executive producer on the film, which is now available globally. (See below)

“I’m deeply saddened to hear that Mary McGee, the first woman to road race motorcycles in the U.S and the first person to solo the Baja 500 has passed on,” Hamilton wrote on Instagram. “My condolences to her family and everyone who she’s inspired. Her legacy will live on as a trailblazer in the world of motorsports and beyond.”

Bruce Brown once summed up Malcolm’s endearing impact best, “Malcolm says On Any Sunday made him, but I think Malcolm helped make the movie. He was the guy with the smile, the guy who did it all, and he really resonated with moviegoers. Folks expected Steve McQueen (who also stared in the film) to be good, and he was. But Malcolm was a star too.”

Online tributes attest to the same feeling. To us mere mortals, Malcolm could make the impossible look effortless – all while clearly drinking in the fun of it all. He was joy, technique and respect all at the same time. Yet underneath that endearing persona beat the determination all the great ones share.

His constant smile and positive attitude never wavered, even at the onset of his disease. As he wrote in his 2015 book Malcolm! The Autobiography, “The Parkinson’s worries me, but meds help keep it mostly under control. Hey, that’s just life, and I accept it. Still, I wouldn’t trade my life for anything. Like I keep saying, ‘What a wonderful life, and what a wonderful way to live it.”

On a day in which Americans gather to give thanks, the motorsports world owes a great deal of gratitude to Malcolm and Mary, two lost legends that lived their best lives to the betterment of us all.

Malcolm Smith, a true off-road icon on two wheels and four, died on November 26 at the age of 83 following a long battle with Parkinson’s disease.

Born on March 4, 1941, in British Columbia, Canada, Smith was a pioneering figure in the sport of motorcycle racing and desert off-road competition. Considered by many to be one of the best riders of all time, Smith parlayed an early career into legendary status with decades of winning performances, becoming of North America’s most beloved motorcycle superstars in the process.

The talented rider won eight gold medals at the International Six Day Trials in Europe from 1967 through ’76, making him the most successful Americans in the event’s history. Smith also found great success on North American soil, winning his class at the Mexican 1000/Baja 1000 on both motorcycles and open-wheel buggies.

That list of accomplishments included the inaugural NORRA Mexican 1000 in 1967, where he teamed with J.N. Roberts on a Husqvarna to win the motorcycle category and take second place overall. He repeated his first place NORRA Mexican 1000 motorcycle overall finish again in 1971 teamed with Gunnar Nilsson. By 1975 Smith made the switch to four wheels, taking the Baja 1000 race victory with Bud Feldkamp. It was a performance they would repeat at the 1977 Baja 1000. Under the watchful eye of ABC’s “Wide World of Sports,” Smith and Bob Gordon took another Baja 1000 class win and second overall in Gordon’s Chenowth-Porsche.

The role that made Smith the most famous, however, was as a co-star with actor Steve McQueen and others in Bruce Brown’s classic documentary film “On Any Sunday.” Released in 1971, the movie would inspire motorcycling for generations to follow, as Smith’s talent on two-wheels was on display in movie theaters around the world.

Shortly thereafter Smith purchased a motorcycle dealership in Riverside, California that today stands as one of the most successful in the country. He also founded the Malcolm Smith Racing line of motorcycle apparel and accessories.

Smith was inducted into the Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame in 1978, the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 1996 and the Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 1998.

Always anxious to give back to his beloved Baja peninsula, his non-profit foundation supported the El Oasis Orphanage, home to approximately 50 children.

Smith passed away at home in Riverside, peacefully and surrounded by family. He is survived by his wife Joyce, daughters Louise and Ashley and sons Joel and Alexander.

The world’s oldest and most prestigious off-road race is set to reset the history books this morning, as nearly 300 entries from around the globe (32 U.S. states, and 18 countries) will take the green flag for the 57th BFGoodrich SCORE Baja 1000. Pre-running over a 864.13-mile course that begins and ends in Ensenada, Baja has taken place for the past two weeks, with pre-race qualifying for the top two truck categories set the grid on Tuesday afternoon.

Despite some dire predictions that a sinking economy would dampen a sport largely funded by well-heeled private teams, the race will feature 35 entries in the premiere SCORE Trophy Truck division (Including eight in SCORE TT Legend for SCORE Trophy-Truck drivers over 50 years old).

Indeed, the SCORE Baja 1000 today is not our father’s versions of this vaunted endurance classic. It isn’t even our older brother’s.

For greater perspective, most of the top Trophy-Trucks are all-wheel drive machines featuring carbon fiber bodies, 1,100hp Joe Gibbs Racing engines, paddle-shift five-speed Xtrac gearboxes and electronics packages that rival the most sophisticated in racing. All of this comes at a cost, of course, as the newest trucks now eclipse the $1 million price tag without a spares package.

Besides SCORE Trophy Truck, the other Pro four-wheel vehicle classes with double figure entries and their totals are Trophy Truck Spec with 26 entries, Pro UTV FI with 20 entries, Pro UTV Open with 19 entries, Class 10 with 14 entries, and Pro UTV Stock with 14 entries.

Among two-wheel classes in this race, Pro Moto Unlimited has 14 entries, Pro Moto 30 has 11, and Pro Motorcycle Ironman (solo riders) has a SCORE-record 32 entries.

On Tuesday 24-year-old phenom Christopher Polvoorde gave notice that his growing reputation for performance is well earned. The former short-course off-road star piloted the No.1 Red Bull/Optima/Toyo Tire all-wheel drive Ford Raptor to first starting position for Las Vegas-based Menzies Motorsports. Polvoorde will join current SCORE Trophy Truck points leader Bryce Menzies in splitting driving duties.

Polvoorde completed the four-mile Method Wheels qualifying course in 5m09s, taking pole position by more than 5s.

“It is always a little scary qualifying another man’s truck, but overall, pretty good. It is just so much different; such a different package than what I am used to, but I am thankful to Bryce for trusting me,” said Polvoorde. “I grew up watching Bryce, and he comes on the radio and says, ‘Nice job, bud’. It is a surreal moment.”

Also laying down a wicked qualifying lap was off-road legend Rob MacCachren, who, at 59 years old, piloted the McMillin Racing Beast Unleashed/BFGoodrich No. 83 all-wheel drive Ford Raptor. MacCachren is teamed with Luke McMillin, with the team hoping to repeat the duo’s consecutive overall Baja 1000 race victories in 2021 and ’22.

The potent McMillin Racing team also claimed the third-fastest time, with Luke’s cousin Andy McMillin driving the nearly identical No. 23 Monster Energy/BFGoodrich Ford Raptor. Keeping it all in the family, Andy will be joined by Luke’s brother Dan McMillin to split time behind the wheel.

While most racers will admit that winning the Baja 1000 trumps any SCORE season title, Menzies will be trying to maintain his prestigious red No.1 number plate that designates the defending series champion. Going into the final event of a four race 2024 SCORE season, Menzies is tied with talented Mexican racer Alan Ampudia, who is just five points ahead of fellow countryman Tavo Vildosola.

In 2024, the economic landscape is skewed with a distinctively unique tilt. While the unlimited class are primarily supported by private funding and endemic lifestyle and industry sponsors, there are several factory efforts of note in the more restricted categories. Ford has come into the sport in a serious manner with the birth of high-performance factory off-road production trucks like the Raptor (now in its third generation). In recent years that focus has shifted to the Ford Bronco, and there are two of these race prepared machines in Baja.

This season an even more serious and well-funded factory effort has been put forth by Polaris. With a large full time staff based in Vista, California and even two dedicated race engineers within Polaris Minnesota headquarters, the once lauded performance of these ubiquitous side-by-sides has shaken the sport at its core. The factory Polaris team has won all three SCORE races in 2024 and is bringing their latest and best to Baja for the 1000.

SCORE’s Internationals ambitious live coverage package incorporates live drones, live tracking, and event cameras around the course, along with a separate game day studio steaming from the San Diego. Viewers can watch the action on the SCORE website or the SCORE International YouTube channel.