Traditional race set for Thanksgiving night at Irwindale
MOTOR RACING
Leading sprint car and midget car racers will take part in the 68th running of the Turkey Night Grand Prix. It is the final event this year at the half-mile Toyota Speedway paved oval.
Leading sprint car and midget car racers return to Toyota Speedway at Irwindale on Thursday night for the 68th running of the Turkey Night Grand Prix.
The race, the final event this year at the half-mile Toyota Speedway paved oval, is a holiday tradition that features USAC National and Western series drivers.
Over the years, some NASCAR Sprint Cup and Indy car drivers also have made cameo appearances in the race, including Tony Stewart and Casey Mears.
Gates open at 4 p.m. and the racing starts at 7 p.m.
Sprint cars also will be racing Saturday night at Perris Auto Speedway, a half-mile clay oval in Riverside County.
The race is scheduled to be the last for Tony Jones of Norco, the 2007 USAC/CRA sprint car champion, who is retiring at age 38.
Sam Schmidt award
Sam Schmidt, a former Indy car driver who was paralyzed from the chest down in a practice-session crash in 2000, is scheduled to receive the 2008 Visionary Leadership Award from the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation on Dec. 2 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.
Schmidt was injured when his race car spun and hit the wall at Walt Disney World Speedway in Orlando, Fla. He later started the Sam Schmidt Paralysis Foundation to broaden awareness and research of spinal cord injuries.
Christopher Reeve, who died in 2004, was an actor best known for his "Superman" films. He likewise was paralyzed in a 1995 horseback riding accident and established a similar foundation with his wife, Dana Reeve, who died in 2006.
Peltz is a Times staff writer.
james.peltz@latimes.com
