2020-21 Round 6

Turkey Trot - Infield Road Course at South Shore Superspeedway - Saint Francis, WI

November 19, 2020

Round 6 of 15

2020 Turkey Trot

Margetta Gets The Bird

Saint Francis, WI - Dan Margetta won his second race of the 20-21 IndySlotCar Season after holding off a late charge from Ev Kamikawa to take

the Turkey Trot victory on the Infield Road Course at South Shore Superspeedway. The two long time veterans of the series battled it out

over the 20 minute race with Kamikawa coming up about a track section short of capturing what would have been his seventh win in the 28th

running of the event. Margetta hoisted what is rumored to be the largest turkey, the trophy for the race, in victory lane for the third

time in his career.


Margetta started off strong at his home track with a pole winning run in qualifying, beating Bill Black by just over seven hundredths of a

second. Winning the pole and the race allowed Margetta to be able to take home 52,000 IndySlotCar-Bucks accumulated because Margetta is the

first driver this season to win the pole and the race at the same event.


Racing in the first two heat races was sadly uncompetitive as the drivers tried to just finish the race in the de-slot format. Drivers

were eliminated from the race after their third de-slot so drivers tried to stay away from the limits so as not to suffer that fate.


Mike Kristof took the early lead in the opening heat race with a three lap lead over Black by the halfway point. The second half of the race

was a different story as Kristof received his third de-slot while battling with a hard charging Black and was done for the night. Black

took the heat win with John Wiedemann trying to get enough laps to make the transfer.


The second heat race ended early for Steve Rist. Rist, who had never raced at the track before, found the one spot where Margetta forgot to

put up a safety fence and rolled his car off the track and on to the floor, ending his night. Kamikawa led from the start and cruised to the

checkers, ten laps ahead of second place Pete Dorn.


The third heat race finally gave the fans some action to watch as Margetta and Mike Lack battled side by side for the lead. Margetta took

control of the point, but as he came up to try to put Lack a lap down the battle resumed. With Margetta complaining that Lack wouldn’t let

him by, the two continued to race side by side all the way to the halfway point with Margetta finally getting in front by two car lengths.

At the start of the second half, Lack got the jump to try and get back on the lead lap but he hit Margetta’s not yet started car giving Lack

his first de-slot. Moments later as he was trying to get back up to speed, Lack suffered his second de-slot. With the threat of the next

de-slot ending his race, Lack slowed down to recovery mode and Margetta was able to cruise to the heat win. Lack held on to second place ahead

of Dean Strom.


The final was set with heat winners Black, Kamikawa and Margetta joined by transfer winner Wiedemann.


Margetta took to the lead right at the start followed by Wiedemann while both Kamikawa and Black suffered their first de-slots. Kamikawa was

able to recover and move into second ahead of Wiedemann by a lap as the field raced to halfway. During pitstops both Margetta and Kamikawa were

flawless with under ten second stops. That luck would not fall on Wiedemann and Black as they both were in for twenty seconds with Black

needing to come back in for a stop-and-go penalty.


Kamikawa started the second half only two laps behind Margetta and quickly closed in to get back on the lead lap. But, as he worked to

battle for the top spot, the 180 degree turn proved to be difficult and Kamikawa spun there multiple times giving Margetta back precious

distance on the track. With time running out and Margetta driving cautiously, Kamikawa made his final charge and finished in his nemesis

turn, just inches behind winner Margetta. While all the excitement and attention was focused at the front, a battle brewed for third with Black

running blistering laps to pass Wiedemann and take over third as the race ended.


Margetta’s victory made him the first multi-race winner this season. The feature win, heat win and pole added to his series lead in all three

categories on the all-time stats list.


With Wiedemann finishing fourth, Lack fifth and Strom in sixth, the championship point battle tightened just a bit. Strom maintains the top

spot just three points ahead of Lack with Wiedemann now five points behind Lack. With his third place finish, Black jumps up to fourth at

24 points behind Wiedemann and seven points ahead of Rist.


Up next is the open class race at The Road Course at Badger Raceway, the Duane Sweeney Memorial Grand Prix on December 3rd. Lack, still looking

for his first win this season, is the defending champion of the race having won it the last two seasons.

Turkey Trot Fast Facts

Race date: Thursday, Nov 19

Track: South Shore Superspeedway Infield Road Course, 2.4 mile Temporary Road Course in St. Francis, WI

Race distance: 20 minutes

Twitter: @indyslotcar

IndySlotCar Website: indyslotcar.com

2019 race winner: Matt Hayek, (No. 15 Alter Ego Racing Dallara-Honda)

2019 Firestone P1 Award winner: Dan Margetta (No. 88 Hardly Steinbrenner-Margetta Racing Dallara-Honda)

One-lap qualifying record: Mark Walczak, 2.852 seconds, 2008

Race record: Ev Kamikawa, 323 laps, 2015

YouTube Broadcast: IndySlotCar Channel

At-track schedule (all times local):

6:00 – Gates Open

6:30 – Driver introductions

7:00 – Drivers’ meeting/Chassis distribution

7:05 – IndySlotCar Series Practice

7:30 – Qualifying for the Firestone P1 Award (group qualifying/ fastest single lap)

8:00 – Heat races

8:45 – Turkey Trot (20 minutes)

Race Notes:

· Five different drivers have won the first five races of the season: Dan Margetta, Dean Strom, Matt Hayek, Steve Rist and John Wiedemann.

· Three previous seasons have started with six different winners, 07-08, 15-16 and 18-19, can it happen again?

· Dean Strom holds a five point lead in the Husarsbilt Cup championship over Mike Lack, both have made four of the first five finals.

· Lack has moved into a tie for third on the all-time Pole Positions list with 41. Bill Black’s heat win and final appearance at the Turtle Grand Prix moves him into 20th on both all-time lists. Dean Strom has passed Phil Cianciola for 11th on all-time starts with 174, Steve Rist moves ahead of Mike Prelozni for 33rd in starts with 14.

TURKEY TROT HISTORY (27 events, 1993 - Present)

Date Race Winner Event Title Track

11/18/93 Phil Cianciola Texaco Turkey Trot Shrine Road Course

11/17/94 Dave Austin Hobby Town Turkey Trot Inside Edge

11/30/95 John Shea Hobby Town Turkey Trot Inside Edge

11/14/96 Ev Kamikawa Hobby Town Turkey Trot Inside Edge

11/20/97 Ev Kamikawa Hobby Town Turkey Trot Inside Edge

11/12/98 Jim Kaehny Hobby Town Turkey Trot Inside Edge

11/18/99 Ev Kamikawa Hobby Town Turkey Trot Inside Edge

11/16/00 Ev Kamikawa Turkey Trot presented by Model Empire Inside Edge

11/15/01 Larry Rotter Turkey Trot presented by Model Empire Inside Edge

11/14/02 Jim Iverson Model Empire Turkey Trot Inside Edge

11/20/03 Jim Iverson Model Empire Turkey Trot Inside Edge

11/18/04 Phil Cianciola Model Empire Turkey Trot Inside Edge

11/10/05 Mark Walczak Model Empire Turkey Troy South Shore Superspeedway Infield Road Course

11/9/06 Jim Iverson Model Empire Turkey Troy South Shore Superspeedway Infield Road Course

11/8/07 Mike Fitzlaff Model Empire Turkey Troy South Shore Superspeedway Infield Road Course

11/20/08 Mark Walczak Turkey Trot South Shore Superspeedway Infield Road Course

11/12/09 Mark Walczak Turkey Trot South Shore Superspeedway Infield Road Course

11/11/10 Mark Walczak Turkey Trot South Shore Superspeedway Infield Road Course

11/10/11 Mark Walczak Turkey Trot South Shore Superspeedway Infield Road Course

11/8/12 Dan Margetta Turkey Trot South Shore Superspeedway Infield Road Course

11/6/13 Mike Fitzlaff Turkey Trot South Shore Superspeedway Infield Road Course

11/20/14 Ev Kamikawa Turkey Trot South Shore Superspeedway Infield Road Course

11/12/15 Ev Kamikawa Turkey Trot South Shore Superspeedway Infield Road Course

11/12/16 Dan Margetta Turkey Trot South Shore Superspeedway Infield Road Course

11/9/17 Mike Lack Turkey Trot South Shore Superspeedway Infield Road Course

11/8/18 Mike Lack Turkey Trot presented by Firehouse Subs “

11/7/19 Matt Hayek Turkey Trot South Shore Superspeedway Infield Road Course

Most Wins: 6 – Ev Kamikawa; 5 – Mark Walczak; 3 – Jim Iverson; 2 – Mike Lack, Dan Margetta, Mike Fitzlaff, Phil Cianciola