Tag: USAC

McIntosh Finally Finds Victory Lane in BC39 at IMS

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From IMS:

Rookie Drake Earns Initial USAC Win in First Feature of Doubleheader

INDIANAPOLIS (Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024) – Relief and joy came in equal measures Sunday night for Cannon McIntosh at The Dirt Track at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.McIntosh passed pole sitter Chase McDermand on the final lap of the 39-lap feature to win the Driven2SaveLives BC39 presented by Avanti Windows & Doors, a USAC NOS Energy Drink National Midget Championship race delayed by rain for one day.
McIntosh had finished second in the BC39 in 2022, in a preliminary feature race in 2023 and in the prelim feature Thursday night on the quarter-mile dirt oval inside Turn 3 at IMS.
“We’ve been so close to winning here, even on prelim nights, and haven’t got it done,” McIntosh said. “I knew I was good enough there. It was hard to get a rhythm and find your way. When someone got a good run on the outside, I had to move around a little bit. I just stayed patient. I knew I had the car to do it.”
Jade Avedisian finished second to Keith Kunz Motorsports teammate McIntosh, with McDermand hanging on for third. Daison Pursley finished fourth, with Kevin Thomas Jr. rounding out the top five.
McDermand dominated the 39-lap feature from the pole. He lost the lead in his family-owned No. 40 machine on Lap 1 to Pursley in the No. 86 CB Industries machine. But McDermand regained the lead on Lap 2 and kept the top spot on five ensuing restarts.
Meanwhile, McIntosh worked his way from the sixth starting position to second with eight laps to go but didn’t look like he would threaten McDermand, who won the 30-lap preliminary feature Thursday night for his first USAC victory.
But heartbreak struck for McDermand on Lap 38. His car got hung up in a rut at the bottom of Turn 4, slowing his momentum. That let McIntosh power even with McDermand on the outside of the main straightaway with the white flag in the air, and McIntosh’s momentum carried him under McDermand in Turn 2 for a lead he would not surrender in the final two corners.
“I ran 38 decent laps and one really, really bad one,” a dejected-yet-classy McDermand said. “It stings, it really stings.”
McIntosh, from Bixby, Oklahoma, earned $20,039 for what he called the biggest victory of his career.
“I just stuck to the line I had,” McIntosh said. “I just waited patiently and drove under him (McDermand) and protected it into (Turn) 3. But I’m so thankful to do this in honor of Bryan (race namesake Bryan Clauson), who was a legend in our sport and a hero. It’s a really cool feeling. I’m just so grateful to be able to race here.”
Avedisian turned her No. 71 Keith Kunz Motorsports car into a thrill ride for most of the feature. She started fifth, next to McIntosh on the third row, and was one of the first drivers to try the treacherous high line.The gamble worked. Avedisian, 17, started to gain ground quickly, sliding inches from the concrete wall in the corners. She passed Pursley for third with seven laps to go and had momentum exiting Turn 4 on the final lap, falling short of catching McIntosh at the line.
“It’s super, super heartbreaking,” Avedisian said. “I wanted this one so bad. You do it for these kind of races, and when you’re in a spot to capitalize and it doesn’t fall your way, it’s heartbreaking. It’s still so cool to race inside IMS.”
Rookie Kale Drake earned his first USAC victory by capturing the 30-lap feature that preceded the BC39. The feature was rained out Friday and Saturday.Drake, who started fourth in the No. 97K car fielded by Keith Kunz Motorsports, passed Gavin Miller for the lead six laps into the feature and stayed out front for the rest of the way despite four caution periods.
“I don’t think there is anything better than it, honestly,” Drake said, his voice cracking with emotion.
“Holy moly. This is unreal. We’re a winner at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. It’s pretty surreal.”
Pole sitter Thomas finished second, while Avedisian finished third. Drake, Thomas and Avedisian earned automatic starting spots in the BC39 feature by placing in the top three.
Drake never was seriously challenged on any of the restarts after he took the lead, and he was able to smoothly navigate the rougher Turn 3 and 4 portion of the racetrack.
“I had the best race car out there,” Drake said. “The entire Keith Kunz Motorsports team gave me the easiest Cadillac to drive through those ruts.”
Like in the BC39, Avedisian was the star of the show in the 30-lap feature. She struggled in her heat race but produced a strong drive from 10th to third in the feature, earning an automatic transfer spot after passing reigning BC39 winner Justin Grant and Miller in the last 11 laps.
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.

BC39 To Resume This Afternoon with Doubleheader at IMS 

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 INDIANAPOLIS (Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024) – Track preparation is underway at The Dirt Track at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday, Sept. 29, as the Driven2SaveLives BC39 presented by Avanti Windows & Doors is scheduled to be the highlight this evening of a doubleheader for the USAC NOS Energy Drink National Midget Championship.
Rain from Hurricane Helene forced the postponement of all action Friday and Saturday on the quarter-mile dirt oval inside Turn 3 of the famed IMS paved oval.
Friday’s originally scheduled program will take place first, starting with hot laps at 3 p.m., weather permitting. Heat races, qualifying races and a B main will follow, capped by a 30-lap feature at 5 p.m.
The BC39 program will start at 6:30 p.m. with hot laps, followed by the C and B Mains and Last Chance Race. The 39-lap BC39 feature is scheduled to start at 9 p.m., with the winner earning $20,039.
Parking opens at 12:30 p.m., with public gates open at 1:30 p.m.
All Saturday products (tickets, pit passes and parking) are valid today. Customers with only Friday products (tickets, pit passes and parking) were contacted by the IMS Ticket Office with options. Tickets for today are available for purchase on IMS.com.
Customers with questions may contact the IMS Ticket Office at tickets@brickyard.com.
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 in 2018. 

BC39 Postponed to Sunday at IMS Due to Continued Weather

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From IMS:
  INDIANAPOLIS (Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024) – Saturday’s Driven2SaveLives BC39 presented by Avanti Windows & Doors has been postponed until mid-afternoon Sunday, Sept. 29 at The Dirt Track at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Rain from Hurricane Helene continues to impact track preparations, causing postponement of today’s event.
“We are still committed to delivering this major event,” IMS President J. Douglas Boles said. “Right now, the track surface is sealed over. If we open the track up to begin to prepare it, and the rain that is forecasted today happens to fall during that process, water will get deep in the track and cause a significant challenge to get it prepped in the near future. Postponing to Sunday gives us the best chance for a successful event.”
Hot laps will start the program Sunday. There will be a doubleheader for the USAC NOS Energy Drink National Midget Championship featuring Friday’s originally scheduled program first, which will be followed by Saturday’s originally scheduled program on the quarter-mile dirt oval inside Turn 3 of the famed IMS asphalt oval, weather permitting.
All Saturday products (tickets, pit passes and parking) will be valid Sunday. Customers with only Friday products (tickets, pit passes and parking) were contacted by the IMS Ticket Office with options.
Tickets for Sunday are available for purchase on IMS.com.
Customers with questions may contact the IMS Ticket Office at tickets@brickyard.com.
The highlight of Sunday’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. 
 
 

BC39 Scheduled To Resume at 4 p.m. Saturday at IMS 

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 INDIANAPOLIS (Friday, Sept. 27, 2024) – The Driven2SaveLives BC39 presented by Avanti Windows & Doors is tentatively scheduled to resume at 4 p.m. ET Saturday, Sept. 28 after persistent rain and high winds from Hurricane Helene forced the cancellation of all activity Friday, Sept. 27 at The Dirt Track at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Hot laps will start the program, with a doubleheader for the USAC NOS Energy Drink National Midget Championship also scheduled for Saturday on the quarter-mile dirt oval inside Turn 3 of the famed IMS asphalt oval, weather permitting.
Another update will be issued at 10 a.m. ET Saturday.
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.

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. 
 

The State Fair Century-A Forgotten Gem of a Race

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Photo: Paul Goldsmith, inaugural winner of the State Fair Century

The Indiana State Fair opens Friday, and once again the only racing will be one horsepower competitors. From 1962 until 1977, The State Fair Century, a USAC stock car race, was part of the state fair or held just after its conclusion.

Paul Goldsmith won the inaugural race, and A. J. Foyt won the next three races. Foyt would win two more times. Don White, however, later won the six times at the fairgrounds He won four in a row beginning in August,1966, a sweep of the two 1977 races, and the June race in 1968. White won 52 races in his ISAC stock career, a record that will stand forever

The 1963 program featured the first winner on the cover

.USAC had a stock car division, which began in 1956, USAC’s first year of operation. NASCAR qat the time was a competitor, but still trying to find its way onto the national stage. Several drivers raced in both series. My favorite State Fair century was 1964. One could say Foyt was having a pretty good year. he won the Indianapolis 500, won seven Indycar races in a row on his way to 10 victories, and he also dabbled in sprints and stock cars

The September 9 event at the fairgrounds began with A. J losing the engine in his car before qualifying. For the race he took over teammate Len Sutton’s car and started last in the 30 car field. I watched as he went outside on the backstretch on lap one and passed four rows of cars. On laps he picked off five more cars. Foyt took the lead with 39 laps to go and won from last place. The 1964 win was the middle of his three consecutive victories in this race.

Foyt after winning his third Sate fair Century in a row in 1965. He took the with less than five laps to go when leader Paul Goldsmith ran out of fuel.

In 1966, a mid summer stock car race was added, the first year in July, The early race did not have a long history. and then in June. No summer race took place in 1971. The race returned in 1972 but ran for just three years.

The race associated with state fair ran through 1977, with the exception of 1976. The final time on the mile dirt oval 1977 in May, just nine days before the Indianapolis 500.

23 stock car races ran at the fairgrounds. The Hoosier Hundred, once the world’s richest dirt track race for Indycar, has also taken its place history’s trophy case.

The decision to remove auto racing from the track was in response to the horse owners, who wanted the track solely for the use of their trotters.

To this day i find it odd that the Indiana State Fair does not include an auto race on their program. Indiana had more than 100 car manufacturers at one time. And there’s that race in May on the other side of town which is kind of a big deal.

The Fair is not a complete showcase of the state without racing. I hope one day there is a path for cars to return. This is Indiana.

Stock Car Winners at the Indiana State Fairgrounds

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.