(Lakeside, CA, November 23, 2023) USAC/CRA Sprint Car Series Rookie of the Year Grant Sexton will close his 2023 season this Friday and Saturday in the 82nd running of the Turkey Night Grand Prix at the Ventura Raceway. Unfortunately, the 19-year-old’s father Brent saw his season come to a premature end when he was injured in a nasty flip at the Placerville Speedway last Friday night.
Attached to this release is a Doug Allen photo of Grant Sextonand the Sexton Gatlin Racing team logo.
Grant, who lives in Lakeside, California, will be making his second appearance in the popular Thanksgiving weekend event. His first effort in the holiday special came last season. In that endeavor, he finished third in his heat race and fifth in his qualifier on the first night. At the Saturday finale, the well-spoken teen, who finished eighth in USAC/CRA points this year, had to race in one of the 12-lap B mains. The 2021 POWRi Southwest Lightning Sprint Car Series champion started fifth in the race and moved forward. However, it was a night where survival of the fittest was a big part of the show. Throughout the race, he maintained one of the transfer spots and seemed assured of qualifying for the finale. With a couple of laps left, two cars tangled directly in front of him in turn three. The young driver had nowhere to go and got snared into the incident ending his night.
Brent’s season came to a scary end in his heat race on the first night of the Hangtown 100 at Placerville last Friday. The track had been pounded by rain and it was a “Cowboy Up” surface that would bite numerous drivers throughout the night. Unfortunately, one of those drivers was Brent. He started on the pole in the second heat on the Lightning Sprint Car portion of the doubleheader show. The 50-year-old was the first to turn one, but when he got there, his car bicycled and then went into a series of violent flips. Much to the relief of the crowd on the cold night, he climbed out of the car under his own power.
While he seemed uninjured, something was not right. Forty-eight hours after the crash he decided to visit the E.R. near his home. As it turned out, he broke two ribs and injured his shoulder and legs.
Fortunately, the Placerville crash came three nights after Sexton, the 2022 POWRi Southwest Lightning Sprint Car Series champion, sewed up second overall in the SWLS standings with a fourth-place finish at the Bakersfield Speedway. That finish also sewed up fourth for him in the six-race Best of the West Series that matched the SWLS vs the California Lightning Sprint Cars. Earlier in the night before his fourth-place finish in the main, Sexton was the ninth-fastest qualifier in the 16-car field with a time of 13.206. He also won the second heat race.
To see rising star Grant Sexton in action at the Turkey Night Grand Prix at Ventura, spectator gates will open at 3:00 p.m. each night with racing at 5:00. Advance tickets are available and advised at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/82nd-annual-turkey-night-grand-prix-tickets-629591554287?aff=oddtdtcreator. The track is located on the Ventura County Fairgrounds at 10 W. Harbor Boulevard (93001). The website is http://venturaraceway.com/ and the office phone number is (805) 648-RACE.
For fans who cannot make it, both nights will be streamed live on Flo Racing. For more information or to order please visit https://www.floracing.com/.
If you are looking for a top-of-the-line lightning sprint car with the best of everything, Brent has one car left. If interested, use his contact information in this release.
If you or your company are interested in becoming a partner with Sexton Gatlin Racing in 2023, please call (619) 454-6945 or E-mail mailto:sextonfire@cox.net or mail to.
Sexton Gatlin Racing would like to thank the following companies for making the 2022 season possible. Keys Brothers, East County Electric Works, Maxima Oil, Automated Interiors, Sexton Fire Protection, BK Wings, Troy Dirt, Victory Graphix, and Swift Powdercoat.
Sexton Gatlin Racing 2023 Results
Brent Sexton
3-10-23 Imperial Valley Raceway POWRi Southwest Lightning 4th A Main
3-10-23 Imperial Valley Raceway POWRi Southwest Lightning 2nd A Main
4-1-23 Mohave Valley Raceway POWRi Southwest Lightning 1st A Main
4-15-23 Perris Auto Speedway POWRi Southwest Lightning 1st A Main
5-27-23 Perris Auto Speedway POWRi Southwest Lightning 2nd A Main
6-3-23 Bakersfield Speedway California Lightning Sprints 6th A Main
6-10-23 Perris Auto Speedway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars 7th A Main
6-10-23 Perris Auto Speedway PAS Senior Sprint Cars 2nd A Main
7-8-23 Barona Speedway POWRi Southwest Lightning 2nd A Main
7-15-23 Perris Auto Speedway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars 18th A Main
8-10-23 Devils Lake Raceway Minn-Kota Summer Nationals 6th A Main
8-11-23 River Cities Raceway Minn-Kota Summer Nationals 11th B Main
8-12-23 Greenbush Race Park Minn-Kota Summer Nationals 2nd A Main
8-14-23 Buffalo River Speedway Minn-Kota Summer Nationals Rained Out
8-19-23 Perris Auto Speedway POWRi Southwest Lightning Rained Out
9-23-23 Perris Auto Speedway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars 17th A Main
10-14-23 Mohave Valley Raceway POWRi Southwest Lightning Sprints 6th A Main
10-20-23 Imperial Valley Raceway POWRi Southwest Lightning Sprints 1st A Main
10-21-23 Imperial Valley Raceway POWRi Southwest Lightning Sprints 3rd A Main
11-11-23 Perris Auto Speedway POWRi Southwest Lightning Sprints 6th A Main
11-14-23 Bakersfield Speedway POWRi Southwest Lightning Sprints 4th A Main
11-17-23 Placerville Speedway California Lightning Sprints DNS
Dalton Sexton
3-10-23 Imperial Valley Raceway POWRi Southwest Lightning 14th A Main
4-1-23 Mohave Valley Raceway POWRi Southwest Lightning DNS
4-15-23 Perris Auto Speedway POWRi Southwest Lightning 3rd A Main
8-22-23 Perris Auto Speedway POWRi Southwest Lightning Rained Out
Grant Sexton
1-27-23 Cocopah Speedway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars 16th A Main
1-28-23 Cocopah Speedway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars DNS
3-18-23 Perris Auto Speedway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars 19th A Main
4-1-23 Mohave Valley Raceway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars 13th B Main
4-15-23 Perris Auto Speedway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars 12th A Main
4-22-23 Kings Speedway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars 7th A Main
4-29-23 Kern County Raceway Park USAC/CRA Sprint Cars 12th A Main
5-6-23 Mohave Valley Raceway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars 6th A Main
5-20-23 Thunderbowl Raceway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars 14th A Main
5-27-23 Perris Auto Speedway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars 9th A Main
6-10-23 Perris Auto Speedway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars 15th A Main
6-17-23 Ventura Raceway USAC West Coast Sprints 21st A Main
6-24-23 Bakersfield Speedway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars 5th A Main
7-15-23 Perris Auto Speedway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars 16th A Main
8-10-23 Devils Lake Raceway Minn-Kota Summer Nationals 6th A Main
8-11-23 River Cities Raceway Minn-Kota Summer Nationals 10th A Main
8-12-23 Greenbush Race Park Minn-Kota Summer Nationals 19th A Main
8-14-23 Buffalo River Speedway Minn-Kota Summer Nationals Rained Out
8-19-23 Perris Auto Speedway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars Rained Out
9-23-23 Perris Auto Speedway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars 13th A Main
10-14-23 Mohave Valley Raceway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars 20th A Main
10-20-23 Imperial Valley Raceway So Cal Open Comp Sprint Cars 5th A Main
11-3-23 Cocopah Speedway ASCS Sprint Cars 7th A Main
11-3-23 Cocopah Speedway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars 22nd A Main
11-4-23 Cocopah Speedway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars 15th A Main
11-11-23 Perris Auto Speedway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars 8th A Main
AJ Bender
3-10-23 Imperial Valley Raceway POWRi Southwest Lightning 1st A Main
3-10-23 Imperial Valley Raceway POWRi Southwest Lightning 7th A Main
4-1-23 Mohave Valley Raceway POWRi Southwest Lightning DNS
Robby Brockman
3-10-23 Imperial Valley Raceway POWRi Southwest Lightning 13th A Main
3-10-23 Imperial Valley Raceway POWRi Southwest Lightning 5th A Main
4-1-23 Mohave Valley Raceway POWRi Southwest Lightning 8th A Main
Darren Brown
7-8-23 Barona Speedway POWRi Southwest Lightning 1st A Main
Braden Chiaramonte
3-10-23 Imperial Valley Raceway POWRi Southwest Lightning 1st A Main
6-3-23 Bakersfield Speedway California Lightning Sprints 16th A Main
Geoff Dale
5-27-23 Perris Auto Speedway POWRi Southwest 4th A Main
