 Ken Baldwin and Justin Grant have joined forces for 2010. Justin will be driving the Baldwin Brothers #5 for Ken Baldwin during the 2010 season. They plan to bring the cars out to California for the USAC Oval Nationals and the USAC National Event at Tulare. Detailed plans for 2010 and a schedule will be released over the winter, but they plan to run on a regular bases in the Indiana area, and plan to run a large number of USAC National races. Check back soon for more information. |
Great run, disappointing finish: Justin had a great run at Hanford in his short visit back to California. He started back in the field and worked hard to get through traffic. Once he got by Scott Nail and Matt Streeter he set his eyes on pole sitter and leader Alex Schutte. Justin tracked him down with about 4 laps to go and quickly opened up a sizeable lead. Then with 2 laps to go the Battery went away causing the car to miss and backfire for the remaining two laps, dropping his lap time by over a second per lap. This allowed Alex (Schutte) to catch the Thurston #17, and edge out a 2 foot advantage at the line. Justin headed back to Indy to finish putting together a good deal, and full time ride for next season in a 410 non-wing sprint car. (Photo by MMRACINGPHOTOS.com) |
After the hanford race Justin will return to Indiana. |
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 Justin returned to Indiana and his job after the Petaluma race. He got an opportunity to run the Jeff Walker #11 at Kokomo Speedway. Justin ran very strong and turned a lot of eyes in the Indiana area as he battled Cole Witt and Hunter Schurenberg down to the final laps. Justin took a commanding lead at  the start and then got held up in lap traffic allowing Cole and Hunter to close in. Cole got by Justin in lap traffic, but Justin battled back to regain the lead. In the closing laps Justin was battling with Hunter when the two made slight contact and before justin regained total control, he found himself spinning in turn 4. He was able to keep it running but was placed in the rear on the restart for causing the yellow. Click on this link for a video of the race, then click on the August 2nd race from Kokomo. http://millsvideoproductions.com/VideoClips.html |
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Justin climbs in the Jack Yeley #1 Sprint Car June 20th! . Justin will have the chance to run for Jack Yeley on Saturday June 20th in Illinois. Jack and Justin have worked together in the past but not as an owner/driver combo. Jack called Justin this week and they set up a deal. Justin is really looking forward to the chance to race with Jack. check back for more information. |
 Jimmy Sills will come out of retirement, (not sure he ever really retired), to run the Dave Thurston #17 Midget at Placerville Speedway on June 27. With Justin still back in Indiana and not able to return to California for this event, Justin, Dave, and Wendy discussed the chance to put Jimmy in the car. Justin has worked for Jimmy the past two summers, and Jimmy has given Justin a lot of very valuable advice, and race day support. This is a great way to give something back to Jimmy, and everyone in the Thurston camp is really looking forward to the event. |
| Justin will be racing Cottage Grove Oregon on Saturday June 6th, and then returning to Indiana for a full race schedule in the month of June. The schedule in Indiana includes a portion of the Midget speed weeks and some Powri Midget races. Justin hopes to finishing putting a sprint car effort together and should be running the sprint car in Indiana shortly. |
Returning to California and what could be considered his home track, Justin passed early race leader Randy Pankratz, and went on to lead the last 15 laps of the Midget |
| May 23, 2009: Dave and Justin pieced together a older TCR chassis with spare parts and an old Gearte motor. THey headed for Ventura to shake the car down and see how it ran. The car was good in hot laps and he won his heat race over Tyler Edwards and Tanner Swanson. The track officials stopped the action and reworked the track before the main event. The track was in great shape and the racing was fantastic. With the passing point system for this race, Justin was high point after the heat races, and started 10th with the 10 car inversion. He'd worked his way up to 5th but faded with an ill handling car the second half of the race. With the track changing so much and no in board adjustments on this car, the handling went south. Car ran good, better than expected for the something pieced together out of spare parts. It's a great little car, and will likely make it's way back to Chili Bowl and some more events this summer. |
 Justin returned to Kings Speedway, his favorite track in California. The USAC event drew 30 cars and the track was tacky and fast. No sprint cars for this show, and the focus division running on the inside track, the track was going to stay great all night. Justin started 4th and won his heat race over Cory Kruseman, Ricky Shelton, and Bud Kaeding. Things looked great for the feature, the line-up was posted with Justin on the pole. As the cars were staging the line-up was changed. Justin now started deep in the pack, (14th or 16th), due to all B-Main cars getting their times back, putting Justin out of the inversion. Car was great, and Justin started marching through the pack with Robby Flock in tow. The two battle back and forth while working their way up. Robby used lap traffic to make his move on Justin late in the race and finished 4th with Justin finishing 5th. The car was fast, and coming from 16th to 5th was a great run on this fast track. |
April, 1 8, 2009: Justin Grant Racing honors two Fallen Heroes at Marysville.  Justin ran memorials for fallen hero Kristofer Thomas and fallen hero Joseph Graves at Marysville Raceway in Dave/wendy and Bruce Thurstion's #17 Midget. Justin hosted the two families for the event. The #17 car was fast right out of the trailer, and Grant won his heat race from the back of the field. With the BCRA inversion process Justin started deep in the pack. By lap 6 he had worked his way to second and went to work on front row starter John Sarale. Justin got under Sarale a number of times but was unable to complete the passes, and the two finally made contact three laps later sending both cars to the back. On the restart Sarale and Grant split a Ford Focus car running with BCRA for the evening. In an effort to avoid contact with Sarale the car suddenly moved high and collected Justin who got upside down ending his night. |
Justin has another solid performance at the 2009 ChiliBowl.  Dave Thurston, Justin and Dave's brother Bruce hauled the car back to Tulsa Oklahoma for the 2009 Chili-bowl. After a very good run in his rookie year at Chili-bowl in 2008, Justin had high expectations for 2009. Justin drew for the Tuesday night program, and after starting last in his heat race, he ran 4th gaining valuable points for the A-qualifier race. Justin ended up with a flat right front after contact with another car, and that placed him in the back of the B-Main. He ran a great race, and rebounded from the disappointment of the A-qualifier race to finish third. Justin was able to move from 16th to 3rd in 10 laps, gaining a well earned transfer to the A-Main. Again starting at the rear of the field, Justin was marching forward until he got tangled up with another car and sent to the back. He was able to climb back to 19th. That placed him in the D-Main for Saturday, where he finished 4th behind Cory Kruseman, and in front of Kevin Swindell gaining a transfer. His night ended in the C-Main after climbing as high as 7th or 8th before making contact with another spinning car. Justin kept the car going as the yellow came out for the incident, but was still relegated to the rear. He was marching forward again but ran out of laps finishing 11th. Solid run, but he fell well short of his own goal. A Special thanks to Dave, Wendy, Bruce and Skip Thurston, Jimmy Sills, and Jimmy Boyd. More |
Justin Grant crowned 2008 Dirt Midget Champion for 2nd straight year.
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Justin Grant Wins at Hanford in the #22 Racing For The Troops Sprint
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Justin has strong run at Hanford after early evening gremlins. |
Justin wins at Petaluma in Dave/Wendy/Bruce Thurston's #17. After starting 8th, Justin steadily moved forward and by lap 8 he went around Jimmy Christian and Floyd Alvis for the lead. The track had gone away a bit and it turned into a car control race. Justin was able to use the bottom to pull away from the field. Scott Pierovich mounted a late race challenge, but could only gain to within 3 or 4 seconds of the lead. Justin took the checkered flags in the 30 lap Midget feature. Pictured here in the winners circle is Kyle Harris, Dave Thurston, and Steve Harris. ...Full Story |
Justin debuts Paul Eskesen's refurbished Stealth Midget. Paul Eskessen selected Justin to run his newly refurbished Stealth/Mopar #10 Midget. Justin clocked in second quick and started deep in the pack for the main event. He steadily moved forward and after getting by Marco DeGeorge about mid way, Justin was in 2nd behind early race leader Michael Faccinto. Justin drove under Faccinto in turn 1 for the lead. He was stretching his lead and all looked great for the cars first time on the track, then a fuel pick-up issue sidelined the car, and Justin pulled off while leading. Paul has put together a real nice car, and given Justin a commitment for the rest of '08 and Turkey Night. Due to a schedule conflict, Justin lobbied to have Paul put Bobby Grewohl in the car at Altamont to shake out a few minor bugs. ...Full Story |
Justin comes from the back twice to finish third at Placerville.
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Justin Grant started out the season on a high note. Piloting the Dave & Wendy Thurston, “Racing for The Troops” #17 Midget, Justin claimed the first of four races at the lightning fast Kings Speedway in Hanford, Ca. Justin, Chris Rahe, and Dallen Mckenney swapped positions 1,2 & 3 a number of times. Justin passed Chris for the lead on lap 23 and stretched his lead slightly. Justin held off a late race run by Chris and finished maybe a car length in front of Chris with Dallen maybe a car length behind Chris. ...Full Story "This was a very special win for two reasons. Dave, (Thurston), is going into surgery Monday, and Steve, (Harris), is in major battle against brain cancer. This is a Special "Get Well Soon to DAVE THURSTON, and STEVE HARRIS!" ...Justin Grant |
October 03, 2009. Justin will return to California for three of four days to run the Dave/Wendy and Bruce Thurston #17 midget at Hanford. Justin, who normally honors fallen heroes on this car, will instead be honoring Mike Pollard. Mike was the son of Art Pollard, and lost his battle against throat cancer suddenly last month. A good portion of the family will be there, and we know there are probably still a lot of Art Pollard fans in the Hanford area. 
Friday September 18th, 2009. Justin suffered what would be the worst crash of his short career at Bloomington in the Ken Baldwin owned #5. Justin is just fine suffering only from Bloodshot and Black and Blue Eyes. Feel free to get all the information from these Indiana Open Wheel links. 
August 15, 2007: The night got off to a rough start as Justin had a brake rotor brake during qualifying, and almost loaded it up for the night, but with the help of Larry Petersen and his friends, the car was repaired as the heat race was pushing off. Larry is a long time friend of Dave's and was driving Dave's #17 TCR car for the evening. Justin also ran for Lonnie Lopez in the Lite division. It was a 2.1.1.2 night for Justin as he ran the Lonnie Lopez car from last to 2nd in the 
heat race and then ran from last to 1st in the midget heat race in #17 Thurston owned midget. In the main event Justin ran the Lopez #11 car from last to first and claimed the Lite main event. Then in the midget main he fought hard to get around Scott Pierovich, but just could not get around Scott in the closing laps and finished second. Justin was carrying 
feature at Placerville Speedway. Driving the Dave/Wendy and Bruce Thur
ston #17 Midget, Justin ran 2nd to Bud Keading in the heat race, and the two swapped spots for the main event. Grant started 5th in the main, with Kaeding right behind him. After taking the lead on lap 17, Justin pulled away from the rest of the field. Bud Kaeding was making a late race charge as Justin picked his way through lap traffic. Justin's maintained his 1 or 2 second lead through the final laps. Justin once again carried the memorial for Kristofer Thomas who was Killed in Action in Afghanistan 02-07. 
Justin Grant secured the 2008 BCRA dirt Championship for the second consecutive season. After winning the overall, dirt, and asphalt championship in 2007, Justin focused on other venues this season, but still ran Dave and Wendy Thurston's #17 Midget as often as possible. Dave and Justin won at Hanford and Petaluma to highlight the season and the Championship. Dave and Justin will be at the Chili-Bowl in Tulsa Oklahoma this winter. 
