Story By: USAC – VENTURA, CA – Motorsports legends Jimmy Sills and Ron Shaver have been named co-grand marshals of the 83rd running of the ARP Turkey Night Grand Prix Presented by the West Coast Stock Car/Motorsports Hall of Fame at California’s Ventura Raceway on Saturday night, November 30.
Sills, of Placerville, Calif., was USAC’s first three-time Silver Crown champion, in 1990, 1994 and 1996. Until surpassed by Dave Steele, he was the all-time lap leader in Silver Crown history. A six-time champion of the prestigious Dirt Cup at Washington’s Skagit Speedway, Sills also won the 1978 Grand Annual Sprintcar Classic in Australia and is a former champion of the famed Oval Nationals in 1996 at California’s Perris Auto Speedway.
In 1982, Sills won the championship at Baylands Speedway in Fremont, Calif., and the following year, scored a significant opening night win at the Knoxville Nationals in Iowa.
The leader of one of America’s most renowned Sprint Car Racing Schools, Sills was inducted into the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame in 2006, the Knoxville Raceway Hall of Fame in 2007 and the USAC Hall of Fame in 2018.
Over the past 30 years, Shaver has been one of the leading engine builders for many championship winning teams with USAC, the World Of Outlaws, the All Star Circuit of Champions, NARC, CRA, SCRA, NCRA, NHRA and SCORE.
The Shaver family has been involved in motorsports since the 1930s when Offenhauser racing engines came to them for manufacturing and machining and continuing through the 1950s with drag racing engine work for Drake Engineering.
In 1976, Shaver began development for his first sprint car engine built for Tommy Hunt of Hunt Magnetos, and later, Dean Thompson and Bruce Bromme.
He and his Shaver Racing Engine teams compiled over 30 open wheel championships throughout the 1980s and 1990s. Now, in the 21st century, Shaver Engines have proven themselves time and time again by claiming victories at the most prestigious races across the country, including the Knoxville Nationals, Kings Royal, World 100, Gold Cup, Dirt Cup and at the Syracuse Mile in New York.
Agajanian Promotions presents the 2024 Turkey Night Grand Prix at Ventura (Calif.) Raceway, which begins on Friday, November 29, with midget practice, plus USCS Sprint Car racing.
On Saturday, November 30, the Turkey Night Grand Prix final night consists of midget hot laps, qualifying, last chance qualifiers, semis and the 98-lap feature, plus sprint car semis and main events.