Tag: BC39

Rain Washes Out BC39 Activity; Racing To Resume Saturday at IMS 

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From IMS:

 INDIANAPOLIS (Friday, Sept. 27, 2024) – Persistent rain and high winds from Hurricane Helene forced the cancellation of all track activity Friday, Sept. 27 for the Driven2SaveLives BC39 presented by Avanti Windows & Doors at The Dirt Track at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
A doubleheader for the USAC NOS Energy Drink Midget National Championship is planned for Saturday, Sept. 28 at the quarter-mile dirt oval inside Turn 3 of the famed paved oval at the Racing Capital of the World, weather permitting.
An update on the event schedule will be provided at 6 p.m. ET Friday, with more information released at 10 a.m. ET Saturday.
“Our priority is to ensure the safety of all participants and fans, and we are committed to delivering this major event over the next few days, if required,” IMS President J. Douglas Boles said. “We will be doing everything in our power to ensure a successful event.”
Customers with Friday products (tickets, pit passes and parking) will be contacted by the IMS Ticket Office with options.
The highlight of Saturday’s competition will be the 39-lap feature, which pays $20,039 to win and has become a must-win for any USAC Midget competitor since the inaugural event in 2018.Chase McDermand won the 30-lap preliminary feature
Thursday night at The Dirt Track at IMS. Local hero C.J. Leary made history by winning the inaugural Stoops Sprint Car Invitational, the first time USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Cars have raced at IMS.
The Driven2SaveLives BC39 presented by Avanti Windows & Doors continues to honor late USAC champion and three-time Indianapolis 500 starter Bryan Clauson. In addition, it increases awareness of the Indiana Donor Network and its Driven2SaveLives campaign, sponsors of the event since its inception.
Visit IMS.com to buy tickets and pit passes or for more information.

USAC Sprint Cars Competing Sept. 26 at IMS During BC39  

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Stopped for coffee on the road and saw this great news from IMS.

INDIANAPOLIS (Friday, Sept. 13, 2024) – USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Cars are coming to The Dirt Track at Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the first time Thursday, Sept. 26 during the Driven2SaveLives BC39 presented by Avanti Windows & Doors.
The inaugural Stoops Sprint Car Invitational will take place on the 1/4-mile dirt oval located inside Turn 3 of IMS during the opening night of the Driven2SaveLives BC39 presented by Avanti Windows & Doors.
The invitation-only, non-points special event for USAC National Sprint Cars at IMS will feature two heat races followed by a 20-lap main event.
“USAC Midgets have put on an incredible show at IMS since 2018, so we expect wheel-to-wheel action from Sprint Cars on The Dirt Track,” IMS President J. Douglas Boles said.
“The Stoops Sprint Car Invitational is another must-see dirt event at IMS, as this division features great racing with some of the biggest stars of USAC.”
Invitations to compete in the unique event were presented to top-10 teams on the 2024 USAC AMSOIL Sprint Car National Championship tour. Confirmed entries so far have been received from Logan Seavey, Daison Pursley, C.J. Leary, Kevin Thomas Jr., Mitchel Moles, Kyle Cummins, Robert Ballou and Kale Drake.
The Thursday night portion of the BC39 will feature both sprint cars and a full program for the USAC NOS Energy Drink Midget National Championship.
Spectator tickets are on sale for the event at IMS.com.The BC39 will continue to honor the late USAC champion and three-time Indianapolis 500 starter Bryan Clauson.
It also will increase awareness of organ donation and encourage participation in the Indiana Donor Network Driven2SaveLives program, the title sponsor of the BC39 since the inaugural running in 2018.
The final night of the BC39, on Saturday, Sept. 28, includes a 39-lap feature race. Practice, qualifying, heat races and feature races will take place Thursday, Sept. 26 and Friday, Sept. 27. 
 

Driven2SaveLives BC39 Dates Announced for Sept. 26-28 

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From IMS. I am happy that they kept this event in this slot.

 Ticket Renewals, Applications Now Open

INDIANAPOLIS (Thursday, March 28, 2024) – Mark your calendars for the sixth running of the Driven2SaveLives BC39, which will be held Sept. 26-28 at The Dirt Track at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The standalone, three-day event spotlights the wheel-to-wheel racing of the United States Auto Club (USAC) NOS Energy Drink National Midget Championship.Action under the lights will start Thursday, Sept. 26 and continue through the 39-lap feature race Saturday, Sept. 28.
Fans who attended the 2023 Driven2SaveLives BC39 can renew their tickets now at IMS.com/bc39 or by calling 317-492-6700. The renewal window will continue through Friday, April 12.
In addition, fans who did not attend last year’s event can apply for tickets now at the lowest prices of the year.
The event format, ticket information and other event details will be announced in the future.
The event on the quarter-mile dirt oval inside Turn 3 at IMS will continue to honor late USAC champion and three-time Indianapolis 500 starter Bryan Clauson and increase awareness of the importance of organ donation. Race fans can register to be organ donors onsite at the Driven2SaveLives tent.
“It is the generosity of donors and donor families, like Bryan and the Clauson family, that makes saving lives through organ and tissue donation and transplantation possible,” said Indiana Donor Network President and CEO Kellie Tremain. “In 2016, Bryan saved five lives as an organ donor and helped heal countless others as a tissue donor. His decision brought hope and healing to many others. We look forward to honoring Bryan and all donors at this year’s BC39, which helps raise awareness about the importance of organ and tissue donation.”
“The BC39 remains one of my favorite events on the IMS calendar,” IMS President J. Douglas Boles said. “Not only do we get to honor the memory of Bryan Clauson by encouraging fans to register for organ donation through the Indiana Donor Network, but we get to share our passion for short tracks across the country through this incredibly competitive series and its talented drivers.”
Seventy-two cars participated in the 2023 event at IMS, making the Driven2SaveLives BC39 the largest USAC NOS Energy Drink Midget National Championship field of the year.
California racer Justin Grant, a childhood friend and longtime competitor of event namesake Bryan Clauson, won the 2023 Driven2SaveLives BC39 after a fierce duel with teammate Thomas Meseraull. 

A Great Way to End the Racing Season

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IMS photo by Chris Jones

Indycar withdrawal can be a brutal thing, but thanks to IMS, I was able to slowly ease into the off season with two events at the brickyard the Battle on the Bricks featuring the IMSA series and the BC39 Driven to Save Lives USAC midget race last night.

The two events, both far different from Indycar, and miles apart when compared to each other gave me a taste of racing and helped ease me away from Indycar.

I had not attended the BC39 since its first year, when I remember a lot of inaugural event kinks. I’m happy to report, there has been major improvement in the program. More on that in a bit.

I have to get to more midget shows in 2024. The racing is fun, close, action packed. The duel between Thomas Meseraull and eventual winner Justin Grant was edge of your seat thrilling. I wish Meseraull had not hit the wall with right laps left. The finish would have been amazing.

This is pure racing. There are no concerns about saving fuel or having the distraction of calculating pit strategy. The drivers go out and just face full bore.

On the two nights that I attended, the program ran very efficiently. I have been to sprint and midget races in the past where the feature race didn’t get started until almost midnight. I was home by 11 each night.

A friend who has been to the Chili Bowl told me that he wished the Chili Bowl ran as efficiently as the BC39.

Fan Friendly Improvements

The biggest improvement I noticed was moving the Shaw Grandstand to the track’s backstretch. The location provides fora better view of the track. In addition, fans get a view of the pagoda lit up.

The track lighting seemed brighter than I remember it. The midway had more food and merchandise vendors.

Transporting fans from the parking lots to the oval turn 3 area was quick. Vans and carts were waiting in the parking areas to whisk spectators to the track area.

Getting back to cars after the race is an area which needs work. None of the workers seemed to know where fans should stand to get a ride to their parking area. Designated drop off and pick up points for the north and south parking areas would be an easy fix.

Labeling the rows in the infield parking lot would help fans find their cars in the dark. The driver on Friday asked me what row my car was parked in. I had no clue.

I heard talk that this event may move to brickyard week next year to attract some Nascar drivers to participate. I am not in favor of that. This race was a great way to end my season. The weather was pleasant, and I had no other racing distractions. I’m fine with it right here.

A Film Note

Heartland International Film Festival will have the premiere of Lionheart, a documentary about Dan Wheldon, Thursday October 5, at Newfields. The show is sold out, but they have added a second presentation Saturday, October 14, at 7 pm, also at Newfields. Tickets are still available for the second presentation.

Go to https://tickets.heartlandfilmfestival.org/schedule for tickets.

Grant Wins BC39 after Fierce Fight with Teammate 

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IMS photo

From IMS. I will have my thoughts up later.


 INDIANAPOLIS (Saturday, Sept. 30, 2023) – Justin Grant, a childhood friend and longtime competitor of event namesake Bryan Clauson, prevailed in a fierce duel with teammate Thomas Meseraull to win the fifth running of the Driven2SaveLives BC39 feature race Saturday night at The Dirt Track at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Grant, from Ione, California, earned $20,039 for the victory in the 39-lap USAC NOS Energy Drink Midget National Championship feature that honors late USAC champion and three-time Indianapolis 500 starter Clauson while increasing awareness of and participation in the Indiana Donor Network and Drive2SaveLives.
Grant also won the preliminary feature Friday night on the quarter-mile dirt oval inside Turn 3 of IMS.
“He was an awfully good race driver, great person, and it’s an honor to race here in his memory,” Grant said of Clauson, who died in August 2016 after a racing accident. “To come in here and win at IMS, to win a race for Bryan Clauson, everything in his honor, it really means a lot to me.”
Pole sitter Emerson Axsom finished second in the No. 68 Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports car, while Logan Seavey placed third in the No. 57 Abacus Racing car.
Grant won by a comfortable 2.094 seconds even as he navigated heavy lapped traffic over the closing laps. But as with many statistics in racing, that margin of victory was deceptive.Halfway through the feature, teammates Grant and Meseraull were engaged in a ferocious race for the top spot, nearly colliding numerous times and probably causing heartburn for RMS Racing owner Dave Estep. Grant had climbed from the fourth starting spot to duel for the lead against Meseraull, who won the Thursday night preliminary feature and started second in tonight’s feature.
Meseraull slid under Grant in Turn 4 on Lap 25 to take the top spot – one of numerous lead changes between Grant, Meseraull and Axsom from the early going past the halfway point. Grant then tapped a lapped car in Turn 1 on the next lap and lost momentum, giving Meseraull some breathing room out front.
But Grant stayed on his preferred high line around the bullring while lapped traffic slowed Meseraull, and Grant was right back on the rear nerf bar of fellow Californian Meseraull with 11 laps remaining.
The deciding moment occurred with eight laps to go when Meseraull slid high exiting Turn 4 and climbed the wall, with his right-side tires riding the top of the concrete wall while his left tires stayed on the clay oval. Grant squirted past for the lead and never trailed thereafter, while Meseraull kept control of his car after the wild wall ride and stayed in the throttle, eventually finishing fifth.
“I was hustling as hard as I could there, and I know T-Mez (Meseraull) was hustling hard, too,” Grant said. “It was really, really tricky down there. It felt like we got to pushing each other harder and harder and harder. It’s unbelievable.”
From there, Grant deftly navigated tricky lapped traffic in the 25-car field to power to what he called one of the biggest victories of his career.
Grant also has an IMS connection through his late father-in-law, Bubby Jones, who raced in the 1977 Indianapolis 500.
“It was really hard when you get to lapped traffic,” Grant said. “You couldn’t get in at the rate you needed to get in, so your car was unloaded behind those guys. It was almost really hard to pass lapped traffic, so I felt like we kept getting back to each other in lap traffic. Just a ton of fun.”
Grant said one of his turning points in the race came after Daniel Whitley flipped into the fence between Turns 1 and 2 on Lap 4, pausing the race for more than 20 minutes for fence repairs. Whitley was unhurt, and Grant used the down time to settle his mind and prepare for a looming fight.
“We were kind of riding around early,” Grant said. “We weren’t the best car; we weren’t the fastest. But I just knew as soon as it got slick, curved up, technical, I can go to work. We got that yellow there, and OK, it was time to regroup and go to work here.”
Seventy-two cars participated in this three-night event at IMS, making the Driven2SaveLives BC39 the largest USAC NOS Energy Drink Midget National Championship field of the year.

BC39 Championship Night

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Today’s Schedule

All times eastern time

4:00 PM – 10:00 PM GATES OPEN

6:00 PM

HOT LAP SESSIONS (TBD GROUPS)

7:00 PM

OPENING CEREMONIES

7:10 PM

QUALIFYING RACES (TBD RACES)

E Main (if necessary) – 10 Laps

D Main 1 – 10 Laps

D Main 2 – 10 Laps

C Main 1 – 12 Laps

C Main 2 – 12 Laps

B Main 1 – 12 Laps

B Main 2 – 12 Laps

Last Chance Feature – 15 Laps

9:30 PM

DRIVEN2SAVELIVES BC39 FEATURE RACE

39 Laps

* Start Time Approximate

After a rough and tumble, elbows out battle last night the USAC midget drivers vie for a spot in the weekend’s main event tonight. heavy favorite are the preliminary night winners, Thomas Meseraull and Justin Grant.

Logan Seavey will have some work to do to get to the front, but he is in better shape than former winner Brady Bacon. Bacon did not start in last night’s feature and will have to work hard to qualify for the feature.

Might we see the first female winner at IMS? Jade Avedisian won her heat race Thursday night, and Taylor Reimer finished second in Thursday’s feature race.

Grant Rules Feature; Daum Goes Low To Win Stoops Pursuit 

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IMS Photo

From IMS:


 INDIANAPOLIS (Friday, Sept. 29, 2023) – Justin Grant led the last 11 laps to capture the 30-lap feature Friday during the second night of the Driven2SaveLives BC39 at The Dirt Track at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, keeping RMS Racing unbeaten in the two preliminary feature events.
Grant’s teammate, Thomas Meseraull, won the 30-lap preliminary feature Thursday night in the split-field format for the USAC NOS Energy Drink Midget National Championship drivers and teams.
Grant, from Ione, California, powered to a 2.947-second victory over runner-up Cannon McIntosh to earn $5,000 in RMS Racing’s No. 2 car. Emerson Axsom finished a close third to earn a guaranteed starting spot in the 39-lap feature Saturday night along with Grant and McIntosh.
“We’re here racing at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in front of all you great fans, and I’m not going to phone it in and come third if we can help it,” Grant said. “Our RMS race cars are fast. I feel like it could be a slugfest between me and Thomas tomorrow. Neither one of us are very good at playing nice guy. Should be entertaining, should be exciting tomorrow.”
The 39-lap BC39 feature is scheduled to start at 9:30 p.m. ET Saturday on the quarter-mile dirt oval inside Turn 3 of the IMS oval. Twenty-four cars will take the green flag for a winner’s purse of $20,039
.Public gates open at 4 p.m., with access permitted through IMS’ 30th Street entrance. Hot laps begin at 6 p.m. Opening ceremonies are scheduled for 7 p.m., followed by qualifying races. Tickets and paddock passes are available at IMS.com/BC39.
In the Friday night feature, Axsom took the lead from pole sitter McIntosh on Lap 3. Meanwhile, Grant, who started fifth after winning his qualifier and heat race earlier in the evening, bumped past McIntosh for second with 14 laps to go and set sail for Axsom.
With 11 laps to go, Grant slid past Axsom for the lead and never relinquished it despite a restart with seven laps to go. Grant now has a victory in all three USAC National series this season – Silver Crown, Sprint Car and Midget.

Low Rider Daum Powers to Pursuit Victory
Zach Daum never wavered from his preferred low line and drove to victory in the Stoops Pursuit race that closed the evening’s on-track action.
Daum, from Pocohontas, Illinois, earned $2,400 for the victory in the 25-lap race featuring a unique format. Ethan Mitchell finished second, .848 of a second behind. McIntosh placed third.
“That wasn’t a 25-lap setup there,” Daum said. “But it was a good five-lap run before they could get momentum. So, I kind of figured that’s how it was going to play out. So, I went for it, and it worked out.”
The Stoops Pursuit race was comprised of 25 laps split into five-lap segments, with the starting lineup inverted based on each driver’s hot lap times during Thursday and Friday’s programs. Any car involved in a caution was eliminated. Every five laps, a competition yellow flag was displayed, and cars with a net loss in position exited the track.Daum started sixth in the No. 7p car fielded by RAMCO Speed Group and climbed to third by the end of the second five-lap segment. He was one of the few drivers to stay glued to the inside of the track while other cars rode the high line “cushion,” including Mitchell.
Mitchell and Daum were first and second after the end of the third and fourth segments, setting up a fascinating contrast of styles and car placement for the final five-lap sprint to the checkered.
“I didn’t really feel any pressure in the middle part of the race when I was just kind of sizing up Ethan there,” Daum said.
“The last five laps I decided, ‘Just don’t screw up, hit the bottom, slow your entry down, and you can gas on exit.’ We were able to do that.”
With four laps to go, Mitchell lost momentum after brushing the wall, letting Daum pull even at the flag stand and start to drive away with three laps remaining.
“Once you get the lead that early in a format like this, it’s tough to stay out front and fend guys off,” Mitchell said. “Unfortunately, we came back second place, but that’s what Zach does. He rolls the bottom solid, and all it takes is one mistake on my part.”
Seventy-two cars are participating this week at IMS, making the Driven2SaveLives BC39 the largest USAC NOS Energy Drink Midget National Championship field of the year.
The event, which is being held for the fifth time, honors USAC champion and three-time Indianapolis 500 starter Bryan Clauson while increasing awareness of and participation in the Indiana Donor Network and Drive2SaveLives.

BC39 Night 3 with Night 1 Added

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IMS photo

Tonight’s schedule includes the Stoops Pursuit Race, originally scheduled for Wednesday, added to the end of the regular Friday program.

The schedule:

4:00 PM – 10:00 PM

GATES OPEN

Gate RegulationsView Open Gates, Stands

6:00 PM

ENGINE HEAT

6:30 PM

HOT LAP SESSIONS (TBD GROUPS)

7:00 PM

OPENING CEREMONIES

7:10 PM

HEAT RACES (TBD RACES)

Heat Races will be TBD laps each.

View Race Format

8:00 PM

QUALIFYING RACES (TBD RACES)

* Start Time Approximate

C Main (if necessary) – TBD Laps

B Main – TBD Laps

A Main – TBD Laps

View Race Format

9:45 PM

STOOPS PURSUIT

24 Starts – 25 Total Laps

  • Heat Race Winners
  • Top In Qualifying Points From Each Heat
  • Up To Four (4) Promoter Options

Format:

  • 24 Cars Start By Time Inversion
  • Five 5-Lap Segments
  • After each 5-Lap Segment, a competition caution is thrown
  • Cars that have been passed will exit the track
  • Winner receives $1500 PLUS $100 Per Car Passed

The 36 drivers participating tonight did not race last night. Featured tonight are Logan Seavey and Brady Bacon. Entry list for Friday

Meseraull Hangs On for BC39 Opening Night Victory 

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From IMS

 
INDIANAPOLIS (Thursday, Sept. 28, 2023) – Short-track racer Thomas Meseraull escaped several tense moments Thursday night at The Dirt Track at Indianapolis Motor Speedway to win the first night of the Driven2SaveLives BC39, the largest USAC NOS Energy Drink Midget National Championship event of the year.
The driver from San Jose, California had late-race contact with a lapped car, which drew a caution flag, then banged RMS Racing’s No. 7x off the Turn 4 wall. Smoke billowed as he roared down the front straightaway, but he managed to keep the lead. By the time the last corner came, Taylor Reimer was making a late charge on his inside.
Meseraull held on to score his first USAC NOS Energy Drink Midget National Championship race win of the season and earn $5,000 for the 30-lap victory. The win also gained him, along with Reimer and third-place-finishing Chase McDermand, a guaranteed spot in Saturday night’s main event, which pays $20,039 to the winner.Meseraull couldn’t believe where he scored this victory.
“(I) just picked up a win at IMS,” he said in jubilation. “How awesome is that?!”
Reimer started two positions behind Meseraull in fourth, and she, too, delivered her best finish of the year in a USAC midget. Now, it’s time to prepare for Saturday night’s 39-lap main event and the largest purse of the season.
“I honestly felt we were a little bit better than (Meseraull), but we just weren’t able to capitalize on his mistakes,” the driver of the No. 25k Keith Kunz w/Curb-Agajanian Toyota said.
“I tried to do a Hail Mary at the end, but I knew we weren’t close enough to him. It’s just awesome to be racing inside Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Like, this is so cool.”
Seventy-two cars are participating this week on the quarter-mile dirt track inside IMS, making the Driven2SaveLives BC39 the largest USAC NOS Energy Drink Midget National Championship field of the year. The event, which is being held for the fifth time, honors USAC champion and three-time Indianapolis 500 starter Bryan Clauson while increasing awareness of and participation in the Indiana Donor Network and Drive2SaveLives.
The second round of preliminary action will be held Friday night, and the field of 35 drivers is highlighted by Logan Seavey, the series points leader and dominant driver of the season.
Seavey, who earlier in the year won the Chili Bowl Nationals and Indiana Midget Week, became only the third driver in history to win all three USAC features – midgets, sprints and Silver Crown – at last weekend’s 4-Crown Nationals at Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio. The other drivers to do so: Jack Hewitt in 1998 and Kyle Larson in 2011.
Seavey also has won six of his most recent 14 events and has a string of 14 consecutive top-five finishes, the most for a USAC midget driver since Jason Leffler’s championship season in 1997. Leffler had 21 in succession.
Seavey will be joined in Friday’s field by Brady Bacon, the inaugural winner of the Driven2SaveLives BC39 in 2018, and USAC midget feature winners Justin Grant, Ryan Timms, Zach Daum, Emerson Axsom, Daison Pursley and Gavin Miller. Bacon finished third in 2021 and eighth last year.
After Friday’s preliminary feature race, the popular Stoops Pursuit, which was postponed Wednesday by inclement weather, will be held.
Drivers eligible for that special race include all of those in the top 10 of the series’ season point standings, plus all of the heat race and qualifying race winners from Thursday and Friday night. Promoter options will start at the rear of the 24-car field.
The Stoops Pursuit race will be comprised of 25 laps split into five-lap segments with the starting lineup inverted based on each drier’s hot lap times during Thursday and Friday’s programs. Any car involved in a caution will be eliminated. Every five laps, a competition yellow flag will be displayed, and cars with a net loss in position will be asked to exit the track.
A checkered flag will end the final segment with the winner earning $1,500 plus $100 for each position gained.
Public gates open at 4 p.m., with access permitted through IMS’ 30th Street entrance. Hot laps begin at 6 p.m. followed by a series of eight-lap heat races, 10-lap qualifying races, a 12-lap semi-feature and the $5,000-to-win feature race, which will span 30 laps.
Tickets and paddock passes are available at IMS.com/BC39.