Big Field Full of Stars Ready To Race for BC39 Victory This Week at IMS
A field of 89 drivers – one of the largest in USAC National Midget Series history – is set to compete Wednesday, Aug. 3 and Thursday, Aug. 4 at the Driven2SaveLives BC39 Presented by WeatherTech at The Dirt Track at IMS.
This is the second-largest field ever for the event on the quarter-mile dirt oval located inside Turn 3 of Indianapolis Motor Speedway, topped only by the record 110 entries for the inaugural event in 2018.
But there’s more to this prestigious event than car count. The star power is very, very bright.
Headlining the drivers who will compete are a pair of BC39 winners, including 2021 winner and reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Larson and four-time USAC AMSOIL Sprint Car National Champion Brady Bacon, who won the inaugural in 2018.
The entry list also consists of three of the seven USAC Triple Crown champions to have won the Silver Crown, National Sprint Car and National Midget titles in their careers – J.J. Yeley, Jerry Coons Jr. and Chris Windom.
Other USAC national champions are sprinkled throughout the field, including defending USAC National Midget champion Buddy Kofoid, Justin Grant, Tyler Courtney of Indianapolis, C.J. Leary of Greenfield, Indiana, Logan Seavey and Russ Gamester of Peru, Indiana.
The field also includes a handful of stars making a rare start in a midget, including Brickyard 400 and Daytona 500 winner Ryan Newman of South Bend, Indiana, and NASCAR Cup Series drivers Chase Briscoe of Mitchell, Indiana and Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
Three notable drivers will make their BC39 debuts this week: 10-time World of Outlaws Sprint Car champion Donny Schatz, four-time Indianapolis 500 starter Zach Veach and 2020 NASCAR Truck Series champion Sheldon Creed.
Seven women also are entered, trying to become the first woman to win a USAC National Midget feature: Shannon McQueen, Michelle Decker, Taylor Reimer, Maria Cofer, Kaylee Bryson, Mariah Ede and Jade Avedisian.
Three countries (United States, Australia and New Zealand) are represented, along with 18 states (Arizona, California, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Texas, Washington and Wisconsin).
Public gates open at 4 p.m. ET Wednesday, with hot lap sessions starting at 6 p.m., followed by opening ceremonies at 7 p.m. Heat races and the exciting Stoops Pursuit feature race will conclude the night’s racing action. 2013 Indianapolis 500 winner Tony Kanaan will turn exhibition laps in the Driven2SaveLives Clauson Marshall Racing midget between the heat laps and the Stoops Pursuit.
Gates open again at 3 p.m. Thursday, with practice at 4 p.m. Qualifying races start at 5 p.m. Opening ceremonies are scheduled for 7:30 p.m., immediately followed by the main feature events, the semi-feature and the 39-lap main event.
This event seeks to honor the memory of USAC champion Bryan Clauson, who died after a racing accident in August 2016, by promoting organ donation through the Indiana Donor Network. Clauson saved multiple lives as an organ donor.
Tickets are available at IMS.com.
ENTRY LIST FOR THE DRIVEN2SAVELIVES BC39 PRESENTED BY WEATHERTECH:
(89 Entries)
- 0G J.J. YELEY/Phoenix, AZ (Glenn Styres Racing)
- 01 BRYANT WIEDEMAN/Colby, KS (Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports)
- 06 RYLAN GRAY/Greenfield, IN (Gray Racing)
- 08 CANNON McINTOSH/Bixby, OK (Dave Mac Dalby Motorsports)
- 08s RICKY STENHOUSE JR./Olive Branch, MS (Dave Mac Dalby Motorsports)
- 08x TREY GROPP/Lincoln, NE (Dave Mac Dalby Motorsports)
- 1 RYAN THOMAS/Indianapolis, IN (Wingo Brothers Racing)
- 2J JUSTIN GRANT/Ione, CA (RMS Racing)
- 3G KYLE CUMMINS/Princeton, IN (Glenn Styres Racing)
- 5 CHASE BRISCOE/Mitchell, IN (Chase Briscoe Racing)
- 5J JOSH HODGE/Brownsburg, IN (Bill Rose Racing)
- 5LK JORDAN KINSER/Bedford, IN (Chase Briscoe Racing)
- 6 BILL ROSE/Plainfield, IN (Bill Rose Racing)
- 6K KYLE KEATON/Wheelersburg, OH (Kyle Keaton)
- 6x ISAAC CHAPPLE/Willow Branch, IN (Doug & Wanda Hall)
- 7 SHANNON McQUEEN/Tehachapi, CA (McQueen Racing)
- 7BC TYLER COURTNEY/Indianapolis, IN (Clauson Marshall Racing)
- 7D MICHELLE DECKER/Guthrie, OK (Michelle Decker)
- 7m JADON ROGERS/Worthington, IN (RAMCO Speed Group)
- 7MR CASEY BURKHAM/Combine, TX (RAMCO Speed Group)
- 7NZ TRAVIS BUCKLEY/Auckland, NZ (BSL Racing)
- 7R A.J. HOPKINS/Brownsburg, IN (RAMCO Speed Group)
- 7T ADAM TAYLOR/Channahon, IL (Adam Taylor Motorsports)
- 7x THOMAS MESERAULL/San Jose, CA (RMS Racing)
- 7u KYLE JONES/Kennedale, TX (Trifecta Motorsports)
- 8x JEFF SCHINDLER/Evansville, IN (Jeff Schindler)
- 9m ZACH DAUM/Pocahontas, IL (Bundy Built Motorsports)
- 11 CLINTON BOYLES/Greenwood, MO (Big Dog Racing)
- 11T ALEX WATSON/Columbus, OH (Team Taylor)
- 15 DONNY SCHATZ/Fargo, ND (Mark Cooper)
- 15F MICHAEL FACCINTO/Hanford, CA (Mounce-Stout Motorsports)
- 17 MICHAEL PICKENS/Auckland, NZ (Shophouse Racing)
- 17B AUSTIN BARNHILL/Wilmington, NC (Dave Mac Dalby Motorsports)
- 17v BEN VARNER/Harbor Springs, MI (Ben Varner)
- 17x KURT STELLHORN/Red Bud, IL (Kurt Stellhorn)
- 18N ALEX NALON/Pittsboro, IN (Mike Dickerson)
- 19 LOGAN SEAVEY/Sutter, CA (Reinbold-Underwood Motorsports)
- 19AZ HAYDEN REINBOLD/Gilbert, AZ (Reinbold-Underwood Motorsports)
- 19K RILEY KREISEL/Warsaw, MO (Ron Cox)
- 19m ETHAN MITCHELL/Mooresville, NC (Bundy Built Motorsports)
- 21 ZACH VEACH/Stockdale, OH (Team Ripper)
- 21D JUSTIN DICKERSON/Pittsboro, IN (Mike Dickerson)
- 21H BRADY BACON/Broken Arrow, OK (TKH Motorsports)
- 21K KARTER SARFF/Mason City, IL (Karter Sarff Racing)
- 22 JOHN HEYDENREICH/Bloomsburg, PA (John Heydenreich)
- Q23 BARRIE VALENTINO/Brisbane, QLD (Barrie Valentino)
- 25 BRADEN CHIARAMONTE/El Cajon, CA (Tom Malloy)
- 25 C.J. LEARY/Greenfield, IN (Petry Motorsports)
- 25B STEVE BUCKWALTER/Royersford, PA (Brian Buckwalter)
- 25K TAYLOR REIMER/Bixby, OK (Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports)
- 25m COLBY COPELAND/Roseville, CA (Tom Malloy)
- 26 CHANCE CRUM/Snohomish, WA (Rudeen Racing)
- 29 TIMMY BUCKWALTER/Douglassville, PA (Matt Seymour Racing)
- Q32 PETER PAULSON/Woodland, CA (Barrie Valentino)
- 36 CHRIS BAUE/Indianapolis, IN (Baue Racing)
- 36c IAN CREAGER/Covington, OH (Tod Creager)
- 37 JIMI QUIN/Brisbane, QLD (A.J. Felker Racing)
- 37x TBA (A.J. Felker Racing)
- 39BC EMERSON AXSOM/Franklin, IN (Clauson Marshall Racing)
- 39N RYAN NEWMAN/South Bend, IN (Clauson Marshall Racing)
- 40 CHASE McDERMAND/Springfield, IL (Mounce-Stout Motorsports)
- 40B BLAKE BRANNON/Morgan Hill, CA (Western Speed Racing)
- 41 OLIVER AKARD/Fort Myers, FL (OMR Motorsports)
- 46 RUSS GAMESTER/Peru, IN (Gamester Racing)
- 51 ZACH BODEN/Cambridge, WI (Boden Racing)
- 55 NICK DRAKE/Mooresville, NC (Troy Cline)
- 57 MARIA COFER/Macdoel, CA (Abacus Racing)
- 57K KEVIN STUDLEY/Plainfield, IN (Kevin Studley)
- 61 JACOB DENNEY/Galloway, OH (Mounce-Stout Motorsports)
- 67 BUDDY KOFOID/Penngrove, CA (Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports)
- 68 JASON McDOUGAL/Broken Arrow, OK (Six8 Motorsports)
- 71 KAYLEE BRYSON/Muskogee, OK (Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports)
- 71E MARIAH EDE/Fresno, CA (Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports)
- 71K DOMINIC GORDEN/Clovis, CA (Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports)
- 71m CADE LEWIS/Bakersfield, CA (Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports)
- 71w DILLON WELCH/Carmel, IN (Paul May Motorsports)
- 74 SHELDON CREED/Alpine, CA (Abacus Racing)
- 75AU BRYAN STANFILL/Bakersfield, CA (Griffiths Motorsport)
- 81 GREYSON SPRINGER/Lafayette, IN (Gray Racing)
- 84 JADE AVEDISIAN/Clovis, CA (CB Industries)
- 85 JERRY COONS JR./Tucson, AZ (Central Motorsports)
- 86 KYLE LARSON/Elk Grove, CA (CB Industries)
- 87 JACE PARK/Overland Park, KS (CB Industries)
- 88 SCOTT ORR/Columbia City, IN (Scott Orr)
- 89 MITCHEL MOLES/Raisin City, CA (CB Industries)
- 89x CHRIS WINDOM/Canton, IL (CB Industries)
- 97 BRENHAM CROUCH/Lubbock, TX (Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports)
- 97J JIM JONES/Ventura, CA (Jim Jones Motorsports)
- 97K RYAN TIMMS/Oklahoma City, OK (Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports)