MOTOR RACING : Ascot Puts Forth the Prestige

The two most prestigious midget auto races in the country are the Turkey Night Grand Prix, which is the oldest, and the Belleville Nationals, which is the richest.

Chuck Gurney, who won the Turkey Night 100-lap race last Thanksgiving at Ascot Park and the Belleville race this summer in Kansas, hopes to keep his streak going when he wheels his Larry Howard-owned midget to the starting line tonight for the 49th Turkey Night event at Ascot.

Gurney, 40, a carpenter from Livermore, Calif., also won the United States Auto Club’s Silver Crown championship for dirt-track cars this year to go with the USAC super modified title he won in 1985.

“It’s been a good year, but winning Ascot again would make it a great year,” Gurney said. “Any time you win at Ascot, it’s great, what with all the tradition it’s got. You know you’ll go down in history if you win there.”

Gurney will be in a new chassis built by Dave Ellis, but it will be as similar to last year’s winning car as possible. Rich Vogler, a five-time USAC midget champion from Indianapolis, wrecked last year’s car two weeks ago when he flipped during a hot lap session in Yuma. Vogler, who lost last year’s race on the final lap when he drifted wide enough to let Gurney pass, will also be in a Howard car tonight as a teammate of Gurney’s.

Both cars will be powered by Joe Fontana Arias engines.

Howard has a history of fielding Ascot winners. In addition to Gurney’s exploits last year, Ron Shuman drove four Howard midgets to victory during his amazing stretch of six wins between 1979 and ’87.

Shuman, who repeated as California Racing Assn. sprint car champion by winning last week’s Don Peabody Memorial race at Ascot, will be trying for his seventh Turkey Night victory in a Pontiac owned by Indianan Carl Runyon.

In the last 10 years, the Tempe, Ariz., veteran has led 633 of 1,000 laps in Turkey Night races--more than all the other drivers combined.

Russ Gamester of Peru, Ind., who clinched his first USAC midget championship Nov. 11 at Ventura, will be in tonight’s race, but the VW power in his midget is not likely to be as effective on Ascot’s big half-mile oval as it is on the smaller tracks where most USAC races are contested.

Curiously, in Shuman’s first appearance at Ascot in 1977 he was driving for George Gamester, Russ’ father. He finished sixth.

Gurney foresees an eight-car race tonight, with Western States favorites Robby Flock of Industry and Sleepy Tripp of Costa Mesa in the hunt along with himself, Shuman, Vogler, Stan Fox of Janesville, Wis., and former winners Kevin Olson of Machesney Park, Ill., and Brent Kaeding of Campbell Calif.

A sentimental entry will be that of Chris Malone, 20, of Indianapolis. Malone’s father, Shim, was the head starter for Indy car races before he was killed in an air crash in 1978 with five other USAC officials. The elder Malone got his start at Ascot and the old Gardena Stadium track.

The USAC midget season will end Saturday night with a 40-lap feature at Imperial Raceway in El Centro, a three-eighths-mile dirt oval.

SPRINT CARS--Looking ahead to the not-too-distant day when Ascot Park, with its dirt track, closes for good, the California Racing Assn. will hold two weekends of racing on the asphalt at Mesa Marin Raceway in Bakersfield. Rich Vogler and Indianapolis 500 veterans George Snider and Billy Vukovich III will join the CRA regulars for non-winged racing on the half-mile paved oval Sunday and Dec. 3. Frank Lewis, president of the CRA, has posted $25,000 in prize money for the two 30-lap main events. . . . Ron Shuman, who had nine wins in the Parnelli Jones Firestone-sponsored CRA season, finished with 4331 points to 4269 for Jerry Meyer of Chino and 4166 for Rip Williams of Yorba Linda.

MOTOCROSS--Glen Helen Park in San Bernardino has been awarded the U.S. 500cc round of the world Grand Prix series Aug. 26. It will mark the return of motocross’ most prestigious event to Southern California after an absence of three years. It was held at Carlsbad from 1973 through ’86. Five-time world champion Roger DeCoster will promote the event. . . . Round 4 of the Continental Motosport Club’s Dodge Truck fall series will be held Sunday at Perris Raceway. . . . Broc Glover, 29, of El Cajon, who won six national championships, has retired from racing in the United States although he may continue to ride in exhibition events in Europe and Japan.

OFF-ROAD--Robby Gordon, who swept both the stadium and desert off-road truck racing championships, will be replaced on the Toyota stadium team by Jeff Huber of Apple Valley, who won the truck championship in 1987 driving a Mazda. Gordon has signed with Ford to drive both stadium and desert races next year. . . . Roger Mears and Ivan Stewart will appear Friday between noon and 3 p.m. at the Long Beach International Auto Show’s Motorsports Day at the Long Beach Convention center.

LAND SPEED--For the fifth year in a row, the Carr & Kaplan AA Lakester set the top speed of the season in SoCal Timing Assn. competition at El Mirage dry lake. Don Carr of Montrose drove it 273 m.p.h. in the season-ending trials Sunday.

SPORTS CARS--The California Sports Car Club’s annual enduro will be held this weekend at Willow Springs Raceway.

MOTORCYCLES--Pro stock cycles will be added to the National Hot Rod Assn.’s 1990 schedule in eight national events. . . . The 1990 U.S. Grand Prix road race at Laguna Seca Raceway has been moved from April 22 to April 8 to accommodate riders’ travel arrangements.