Author: thepitwindow

I'm a retired educator and lifelong racing fan. I hope to return to fostering greyhounds in the near future. Living mainly in Indy and wintering in Florida. I attend about 10 Indycar races a year as well as some sports car events

Grant Hangs on to Win Sizzling Feature to Open BC39 at IMS 

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From IMS:

 INDIANAPOLIS (Tuesday, July 1, 2025) – Justin Grant endured constant pressure from rivals, numerous caution flags and heavy traffic to win a wild USAC NOS Energy Drink Midget National Championship feature Tuesday night that opened the BC39 Presented by Avanti Windows & Doors at The Dirt Track at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Grant, who started second, used nearly every inch of the racetrack to earn $5,000 for another win at IMS in the No. 87 CB Industries car owned by Chad Boat, the son of 1998 Indianapolis 500 pole sitter Billy Boat. He also won the BC39 main feature in 2023 on the 1/5th-mile dirt oval inside Turn 3 at IMS.Gavin Miller finished second in the No. 97 Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports entry, and Kyle Cummins was third in the No. 3G Glenn Styres Racing car.
“It was a lot of fun,” Grant said. “I had no idea what to do. I felt like I could make better speed up top, but you could just get pocketed so easy by guys running the slider there.
“I almost felt like I slowed down. I felt like early I was able to run pretty good pace around the top, and it felt like as the pace of the race slowed down, I had to slow down and start doing things a little differently. I felt like I was almost running easier at the end than at the beginning, but just trying to be fast in the spots where you can get past.”
The 30-lap feature looked anything but slow, especially over the frantic final 15 laps.
Grant drove under pole sitter Logan Seavey on Lap 3 and took the lead, which he held until a restart with 12 laps to go. Daison Pursley then drove his No. 86 CB Industries machine under Grant in Turns 3 and 4 for first place.That pass started a ferocious duel between Pursley and Grant. The two drivers swapped the lead at least three times over the next five laps, using every available line on the clay oval.With five laps to go, Pursley slid high in Turn 4 and banged wheels with Grant in the high groove while they dueled for the lead. That slight loss of momentum let Kale Drake squeeze past to take the lead in the No. 97K Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports car.
But Drake drifted high in Turn 1 on the very next lap and spun, collecting Pursley and Seavey while Grant drove low to avoid the snarl and take the lead as the caution flags flew.Grant kept the lead on the restart and appeared to be headed to a smooth drive to victory when the No. 19M Bundy Built Motorsports entry driven by Ethan Mitchell stopped in Turn 4 with one lap to go, triggering a caution period and the first of two green-white-checkered restarts.California native Grant hung on to the lead on both restarts and was never challenged.
Levi Ballard won the inaugural Stoops Junior Sprint Invitational feature for young drivers. Ballard, who started 14th, took the lead on Lap 16 of the 20-lap feature when pole sitter and leader Owen Larson clipped a tire on the inside of the exit of Turn 2 and lost his momentum. Larson, son of reigning Brickyard 400 presented by PPG winner Kyle Larson, rallied to finish second.
Championship night of the BC39 on Wednesday, July 2 will consist of full programs for both the USAC NOS Energy Drink Midget National Championship and the Stoops Junior Sprint Invitational.
Public gates open at 4 p.m., followed by a driver autograph session at 4:30 p.m. in the driver merchandise area and hot laps at 6 p.m. Racing starts immediately after the opening ceremonies at 7 p.m., culminating in a 39-lap feature event for the midgets paying $20,039 to win.Grant and 2024 winner Cannon McIntosh will try to become the first two-time winner of the BC39, which honors late USAC champion and three-time Indianapolis 500 starter Bryan Clauson.
Tickets are on sale at ims.com/BC39. Spectators must enter IMS via Gate 10 off 30th Street to access The Dirt Track. No entrance will be allowed through Gate 2.For more spectator information, fans should visit the Plan Ahead site for the BC39.

45 Years Ago- IndyCar’s First Race at Mid-Ohio

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Source: “Rutherford Road Races To First,” by Dave Overpeck, Indianapolis Star, July 14, 1980

Photo: Rutherford’s championship car from 1980.

A hot track, a race of attrition, and off-track turmoil didn’t stop Johnny Rutherford from taking his first road race victory at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in the Red Roof Inns 250 on July 13, 1980. Driving a Chaparral prepared by Jim Hall, Rutherford led the last 19 laps. taking the lead when Rick Mears, who had led for 32 laps, spun in turn 12. as the heat caused him to lose focus. Eight laps later, Mears collided with the spinning car of Rick Muther.

Rutherford and Mears had the best duel of the day. Rutherford passed Mears, only to lose the lead on the same lap.

” I passed him once off the long (3,000-foot) straightaway, but then I went wide on a turn and he went back around me,” said Rutherford.

Coming on the heels of his third win in the Indianapolis 500, Rutherford beat Gordon Johncock by 23 seconds in a race where only seven cars were running at the finish. Roger Rager, the last car running was eight laps behind. Vern Schuppan. credited with fifth place, ran out of fuel just before the finish. Pole sitter Al Unser had suspension problems and retired on lap 27.

Four drivers- Sheldon Kinser, John Wood, Tim Richmond, and Danny Ongais- did not complete a lap, and Gary Bettenhausen and John Mahler completed fewer than 10 laps.

Rutherford averaged 86.601 mph for the 65 lap race, which was witnessed by 45,00 spectators.

The race was the final race of the season for USAC. Rutherford easily won the championship over Tom Sneva. The rival CART series had seven more races scheduled, and Rutherford won that championship also.

The split between USAC and Cart had created a temporary organization, The Championship racing League, to form. It did not last long.

The hangup seemed to be IMS president John Cooper, who had not decided which sanctioning body the Speedway would recognize. Both groups were in a sort of limbo.

Despite the off-track wrangling, Mid Ohio put on a good race, and IndyCar has returned every year with the exceptions of 1981 and 1982 and 2004-2006. Sunday’s race will be the 42nd IndyCar race at Mid -Ohio.

F1-Movie Review

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Five minutes into F1- The Movie, I had a conversation with Inner Racing Nerd.

“Stop rolling your eyes. You knew this wasn’t going to have any connection to reality. Just relax and enjoy it for what it is.”

And that is what he did, for the most part. F1 is a light summer entertainment, nothing more. If you were looking for a film to show what racing is all about, pick some other movie.

The story centers on Sonny Hayes, who 30 years ago was an upcoming F1 driver. His career ends after a horrific crash in Spain. Since then, he is an itinerant driver, have helmet, will race. Sonny has no interest in a full time gig or sticking to any particular series.

He is a character we have seen before-the washed-up athlete with a jaded attitude, called in to help a younger version of himself, or help an old friend. He is Crash Davis from Bull Durham, and he is Norman Dale from Hoosiers.

Just after helping a GT team win the Rolex 24, Sonny sets off for Mexico to drive in the Baja rally. He encounters a friend from his F1 days, who now is the proud owner of the worst team on the grid. He begs Sonny to come back and help him.

After showing initial reluctance, Sonny joins the team, bringing an unorthodox style to the races in order to help his young teammate. Again, I had to quiet Inner Racing Nerd, who said, “He’s going to set a record for the fastest driver to 12 penalty points!” I could not argue, but again, let’s just go with what happens.

The racing scenes are fun and exciting but have no connection to reality. We see the obligatory airborne car, and the even more obligatory car bursting into flames.

In the end, Sonny brings the team to respectability and sets up his teammate for a successful F1 career. Sonny then returns to North America and heads for the Mexican desert to try to get a ride for the next cross-country rally.

Brad Pitt is adequate as Sonny Hayes, and Damson Idris does a decent job as Joshua Pearce, his teammate. The best performance is by Kerry Condon as the team’s chief engineer.

The photography creates thrilling, up close racing scenes, which makes the film worth seeing.

I would recommend F1 as a light summer entertainment, and a good chance to see race cars on screen. If you are looking for a more serious movie about racing, watch Rush.

Elite USAC Midget Field Set To Race July 1-2 in BC39 at IMS

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 INDIANAPOLIS (Friday, June 27, 2025) – A field of more than 70 cars is expected to compete July 1-2 at The Dirt Track at Indianapolis Motor Speedway for one of the most prestigious prizes in the United States Auto Club NOS Energy Drink Midget National Championship – victory in the BC39 Presented by Avanti Windows & Doors.
The list of past winners is impressive, with stars Brady Bacon (2018), Zeb Wise (2019), Kyle Larson (2021), Buddy Kofoid (2022), Justin Grant (2023) and Cannon McIntosh (2024) kissing the bricks on the outside wall at the start-finish line of the 1/5th-mile dirt oval inside Turn 3 at IMS.
Grant and McIntosh are among the drivers competing this year, trying to become the first two-time winners of this event that honors late USAC champion and three-time Indianapolis 500 starter Bryan Clauson.
Drivers representing 18 states and three countries (USA, Canada, England) are entered, with more expected early next week.On-track action begins Tuesday, July 1 at IMS with a full program of events for both the USAC NOS Energy Drink Midget National Championship and the Stoops Junior Sprint Invitational. Owen and Audrey Larson, the young son and daughter of NASCAR superstar and BC39 winner Kyle Larson, are expected to drive in the Junior Sprint race.
Public gates open at 4 p.m. ET Tuesday, with hot laps at 6 p.m. and competition at 7 p.m. A 30-lap feature for the midgets will be the main event of the evening. Fans then can enter the track after the checkered flag for the feature and talk with drivers and see the race cars up close.
Championship night of the BC39 on Wednesday, July 2 will consist of full programs for both the USAC NOS Energy Drink Midget National Championship and the Stoops Junior Sprint Invitational. Public gates open at 4 p.m., followed by a driver autograph session at 4:30 in the driver merchandise area and hot laps at 6 p.m. Racing starts immediately after the opening ceremonies at 7 p.m., culminating in a 39-lap feature event for the midgets paying $20,039 to win.
Tickets are on sale at ims.com/BC39. Spectators must enter IMS via Gate 10 off 30th Street to access The Dirt Track. No entrance will be allowed through Gate 2.For more spectator information, fans should visit the Plan Ahead site for the BC39.
2025 BC39 PRESENTED BY AVANTI WINDOWS & DOORS ENTRIES(As of June 26, 2025)
00 BRECKEN REESE/Canyon, Texas (Chandler Grand Prix)
0G GLENN STYRES/Ohsweken, Ontario (Glenn Styres Racing)
2 KYLE SIMON/Covington, Ohio (Nick Poe)
3G KYLE CUMMINS/Princeton, Indiana (Glenn Styres Racing)
3J J.J. YELEY/Phoenix (Petty Performance Racing)
3p JUSTIN PECK/Monrovia, Indiana (Team Petty-Rossi Racing)
4 STEVEN SNYDER JR./Rising Sun, Maryland (RMS Racing)
4B CHELBY HINTON/Dubberly, Louisiana (Klatt Enterprises)
5 P.J. GARGIULO/Morton, Pennsylvania (P.J. Gargiulo)
5J JOSH HODGE/Brownsburg, Indiana (Josh Hodge)
7s CHASE STOCKON/Fort Branch, Indiana (Tim Engler)
7x THOMAS MESERAULL/San Jose, California (Tim Engler)
8 ZACH WIGAL/Belpre, Ohio (Cornell Racing Stables)
8D MILES DOHERTY/Delmar, Iowa (Miles Doherty Racing)
8J COOPER MILLER/Graham, Texas (Cooper Miller)
8K JEFFREY ABBEY/Rhome, Texas (Jeffrey Abbey)
8m KADE MORTON/Coweta, Oklahoma (Blane Morton)
11 KAYLEE BRYSON/Muskogee, Oklahoma (Abacus Racing)
11G LANE GOODMAN/Broken Arrow, Oklahoma (Blane Morton)
14 KEVIN THOMAS JR./Cullman, Alabama (4 Kings Racing)
14B JONATHAN BEASON/Broken Arrow, Oklahoma (Holley Hollan)
14JB JAKEB BOXELL/Zanesville, Indiana (4 Kings Racing)
16 ZACH DAUM/Pocahontas, Illinois (Dan Minear)
16TH KEVIN NEWTON/Farmersburg, Indiana (2nd Law Motorsports)
17K COLE PARKER/Coal City, Indiana (Robert Cummings)
17L TBA (Robert Cummings)
19 MITCHEL MOLES/Raisin City, California (Reinbold-Underwood Motorsports)
19AZ HAYDEN REINBOLD/Gilbert, Arizona (Reinbold-Underwood Motorsports)
19m ETHAN MITCHELL/Mooresville, North Carolina (Bundy Built Motorsports)
19R RICKY THORNTON JR./Chandler, Arizona (Reinbold-Underwood Motorsports)
20w CODY WEISENSEL/Sun Prairie, Wisconsin (Bill Burrington Motorsports)
21 CORD KISTHARDT/Hershey, Pennsylvania (Cord Kisthardt)
23 DEVON DOBIE/Wapakoneta, Ohio (Dennis Dobie)
26 CORBIN RUESCHENBERG/Mesa, Arizona (Scott Rueschenberg)
27x KYLE JONES/Kennedale, Texas (Joyner Motorsports)
35s CHRIS HARTMAN/Boulder, Colorado (Josh Hodge)
36 CHRIS BAUE/Indianapolis (Bill Baue)
40 CHASE McDERMAND/Springfield, Illinois (Chase McDermand Racing)
40x BRIGGS DANNER/Allentown, Pennsylvania (Chase McDermand Racing)
41 CONNOR WOLF/Lafayette, Indiana (OMR / Rase Motorsports)
41B CLINTON BOYLES/Greenwood, Missouri (Scott Beierle)
43 GUNNAR SETSER/Columbus, Indiana (Kevin Arnold)
45 BRADLEY COX/Burkburnett, Texas (Lonnie Cox)
55 TREVOR CLINE/Mooresville, North Carolina (Troy Cline)
57 LOGAN SEAVEY/Sutter, California (Abacus Racing)
57F TYLER FITZPATRICK/Columbia City, Indiana (Tyler Fitzpatrick)
60 DUSTY YOUNG/Benton, Arkansas (Chappue Motorsports)
60x DILLON WELCH/Carmel, Indiana (John LeVecque)
61 CHRIS SHEIL/Aurora, Colorado (Cappy Mason)
63 CALE COONS/Greencastle, Indiana (Joe Dooling-Curb/Agajanian)
63G FRANKIE GUERRINI/San Rafael, California (Frankie Guerrini)
67 JACOB DENNEY/Galloway, Ohio (Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports)
67K COLTON ROBINSON/Titusville, Florida (Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports)
71B BRAXTON CUMMINGS/Bedford, Indiana (Robert Cummings)
C71 CARTER JENSRUD/River Falls, Wisconsin (Carter Jensrud)
71K CANNON McINTOSH/Bixby, Oklahoma (Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports)
81G RYLAN GRAY/Greenfield, Indiana (Gray Brothers Racing)
83 DRAKE EDWARDS/Peoria, Arizona (CB Industries)
86 DAISON PURSLEY/Locust Grove, Oklahoma (CB Industries)
86x MACK LEOPARD/Beavercreek, Ohio (CB Industries)
87 JUSTIN GRANT/Ione, California (CB Industries)
91 LANCE BENNETT/Aurora, Colorado (Cappy Mason)
92 MIKE HESS/Petersburg, Illinois (Stephen Fairfield)
95 CHRIS ANDREWS/Tulsa, Oklahoma (Jim Miller)
97 GAVIN MILLER/Allentown, Pennsylvania (Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports)
97K KALE DRAKE/Collinsville, Oklahoma (Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports)
98 BRANDON CARR/Sheffield, England (Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports) 

IndyCar Notes- New Car, Schedule News

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Photo: Alex Palou celebrates his win at the Thermal Club

There is now a target date for a new Indycar, although it is still quite a way off from racing. On Saturday, during qualifying at Road America, IndyCar sent a press release outlining the features of the new machine, and a proposed timeline for preparation.

If you missed the release, you can find it here:

NTT INDYCAR SERIES Prepares To Introduce Innovative New Car for 2028

I like a lot of what is proposed on the new car, especially the lower weight and more power. The car should have a sleeker profile with an integrated aeroscreen.

I found the timing of this announcement strange. It emerged as the teams were preparing to qualify, and there were no drawings of the design. It appears to the public that this project is still an abstraction.

IndyCar seems to be moving forward assuming that Honda will stay beyond 2026, when their current contract ends

If the series is going to announce something as major as its next generation racer, I would think they would have a prototype on site and present it during the pre race show when the most eyeballs could see it.

I hope we will see what the car looks like before the end of the season. Surely there is a mockup or a car or two in production right now.

Thermal Out, Mexico City In?

News broke a couple hours ago that Thermal will not host an IndyCar race in 2026. I cannot help but wonder if this opens a spot for the long anticipated race in Mexico City.

Club owner Tim Rogers told KESQ in Coachella Valley that he hopes the race can return in 2027. IndyCar had an exhibition race at the club near Palm Springs, California, in 2024, and a points paying grand prix on March 23 this year.

I am glad the race will not return. The venue does not present an image of a major league sporting event. The price point of n early $500 held attendance to only about 3,000 fans.

It’s a fine facility for Spring Training, but that is as far it goes.

As far as the race in Mexico City, it would make sense to slot it in March just before the Grand Prix of Arlington in Texas. With the season opener vat St. Pete scheduled for March1, it looks like the early season gap might be filled in.

Road America Wrap Up- Palou Flies Solo

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The air was hot, the track was hot, and t5he action was hot. Teams played Pit Stop Roulette, but in the end, we saw the same result.

The fuel save master just missed, and the tire master came out on top again. In an entertaining, action packed race at Road America where the winner wasn’t decided until the last three laps. Alex Palou won his sixth race of the year after Scott Dixon fell two laps short on fuel.

Some thoughts:

The chaotic start with eight laps of caution in the first 12 laps led to a wide mix of pit and tire strategies, which in turn led to a lot of on track battles. From my view in turn 5, I’m surprise there were only five caution periods. Drivers were pushing each other to the outside with lots of contact. I have never seen so much dust kicked off at the exit of the turn as I did yesterday.

I had a good view of Sting Ray Robb’s incident. he was fortunate that he scrubbed off some speed on the concrete barrier before he hit the tire wall. It appeared he couldn’t brake. It seems I say this every race, but hats off to the safety design features of this chassis. Robb stopped in a place where the AMR safety stations a truck, but still it seemed as if they were headed to Robb before he came to an abrupt stop.

Great Drives

Santino Ferrucci finished third after starting 18th. Scott Dixon finished ninth from 25th on the grid, and he had a chance to win because of pit strategy. Rinus VeeKay started 22nd and finished 10th, overcoming three penalties.

David Malukas started seventh, went off track on lap 1, and roared back to end the race where he started. Malukas complained of the heat affecting him. While no other driver mentioned it, I’m sure heat was a factor for many.

Penske’s Lost Year

For the last two races, I have thought that Team Penske would begin a comeback to being a factor. At Gateway the trio of Will Power, Scott McLaughlin, and Josef Newgarden qualified first, second, and fifth. None finished the race.

Yesterday the team started fourth, eighth, and 10th. They finished 12th, 14th, and 25th. Josef Newgarden has four results lower than 20th and is 17th in points. McLaughlin and Power are still in the top 10 in points, but ypoun have to wonder for how long?

Even before the organizational shakeup in May, the team seemed not quite up to their usual standards. It is sad to see a team decline as rapidly as they have.

MSR Rising

Felix Rosenqvist finished second as he continues to quietly stay in the top five in points. Rosenqvist is now fourth in the standings, and teammate Marcus Armstrong’s fifth place result has him standing 11th for the year.

MSR has thrived in their relationship with Chip Ganassi Racing.

Foyt Ascending

It ius ironic that A. J. Foyt Racing is doing better tha the team they have atechnical alliance. The association with Team Penske has yielded marked improvement for one of the smallest teams in the paddock.

As not6ed earlier, Santino Ferrucci and David Malukas both had top 10 results yesterday. Ferruci is now ninth in points and Malukas is 12th, a far cry from the years when this team hovered on the brink of missing out on the Leaders ‘Circle.

After seven rather mundane races, IndyCar has produced two very good, exciting races with lots of passing, position battles, and doubts about who would win until near the end of the race. I hope this trend continues when the series goes to Mid-Ohio in a couple of weeks.

Results

Race Day at Road America

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Today’s schedule: All Times Central Warmup and IndyNXT on FS!; IndyCar race on FOX.

Good morning from an already warm Road America. The temperature should be around 91 degrees by the green flag. If you’re at the track, remmeber to hydrate early and often.

There will actually be a third race today, as many fans from Indianapolis will be racing home to watch Game 7 of the NBA Finals. I will be among them, so there will be a very brief post race report. Go Pacers!

As for the featured race, could this be a very good day for Louis Foster? He has looked strong all weekend. Alex Palou looks to be in position to shake off his post 500 funk and return to victory lane. Kyle Kirkwood starts right behind Palou, and the two title contenders might have an interesting battle today.

Tire strategy will be key this afternoon. Graham Rahal ran the Fast Six on primaries, so he has plenty of alternate tires to se in the race. Other drivers used scuffed alternates. We will have a better idea of tire plans when the starting tire compounds are declared after warmups.

I will be back with warmup results and starting tire choices later. stay safe out there today.