Exciting Special Format To Add More Action, Trim Field of Nearly 90 Cars for BC39 Main
August 22, 2018 | By Paul Kelly, Indianapolis Motor Speedway
With nearly 90 entries, the competition to make the 22-car field for the main during the inaugural Driven2SaveLives BC39 Presented by NOS Energy Drink will be almost as intense as that in the featured event Sept. 5-6 at The Dirt Track at IMS.
Only a quarter of the entries so far for the historic first USAC P1 Insurance National Midget Championship race on the new quarter-mile dirt oval inside Turn 3 of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway will qualify for the main event Thursday night, Sept. 6. So the United States Auto Club (USAC) is using a special, action-packed format to trim the huge, star-studded field to the feature starting lineup.
The race honors late USAC champion and three-time Indianapolis 500 starter Bryan Clauson and increases awareness of the Indiana Donor Network and its Driven2SaveLives campaign. The 39-lap feature event will be the richest in Midget racing, with more than $70,000 in purse and incentives, including a $15,000 winner’s purse.
Tickets for the Driven2SaveLives BC39 presented by NOS Energy Drink are available now at IMS.com.
A look at the format to be used to form the field for the main at this race:
Wednesday, Sept. 5
The format for Wednesday's program will feature all cars on the track but not for qualifying as is usually done for the majority of USAC National events. Instead, all cars will draw randomly for heat race positions and hot lap with their heat race. Two rounds of hot laps will be held, starting with the final heat and snaking back to conclude with the final heat.
While the race for victory will be paramount, the battle for passing points will be as essential and filled with pressure. Each car will gain points based on passes, which will determine starting position in the qualifying races Thursday night.
Heat races will be 10 laps each, with the starting lineups determined by random draw. Points for the heats will be accumulated by finishing position and total number of positions gained or lost. Cars will be positioned into qualifying races Thursday based on the points accumulated in Wednesday's heats.
A pursuit race Wednesday will include 24 starters – the top 10 in qualifying points, the 10 heat race winners and four promoter option spots. Every four laps, USAC will throw a competition flag, and cars that have been passed during that stage will be called to exit the track.
All tickets for Wednesday’s action are general admission, with children 15 and under admitted free with an adult.
Thursday, Sept. 6
All cars are eligible for Thursday's qualifying races, with up to 12 cars competing per race. Qualifying races will be 10 laps each, with top-six starting positions inverted, with the top point earner from Wednesday's heat races starting sixth.
Total points from the heat races and qualifying races will be added to set the feature starting lineup, along with transfers from the B-Main, C-Main and front of the D-Main races. The top 16 overall in accumulated points will start straight-up in the first eight rows of the feature.
G-Main: 10 laps. Includes cars 87th or higher in points, with the top four finishers transferring to the F-Main.
F-Main: 10 laps. Includes cars 73rd through 86th in points, plus the top four finishers from the G-Main. The top four finishers transfer to the E-Main.
E-Main: 10 laps. Includes cars 59-72 in points, plus the top four finishers from the F-Main. The top four finishers transfer to the D-Main.
D-Main: 12 laps. Includes cars 45-58 in points, plus the top four finishers from the E-Main. The top four finishers transfer to the C-Main.
C-Main: 15 laps. Includes cars 31-44 in points, plus the top four finishers from the D-Main. The top four finishers transfer to the B-Main.
B-Main (Semi-Feature): 20 laps. Includes cars ranked 17-30 in points, plus the top-four finishers from the C-Main. The top six finishers transfer to the night's A-Main feature event.
The 39-lap A-Main feature will have 22 starters, plus two USAC provisional starters (if applicable) and two IMS options.
Reserved and general admission seats are available for Thursday’s action. All seats in the Shaw Grandstand around The Dirt Track are reserved. All fans 15 and under will be admitted free to the general admission area, located in the Northeast Vista grandstands outside Turn 3 of the IMS oval, on Thursday when accompanied by an adult general admission ticket holder.
Among the latest entries for the BC39 is 2016 USAC National Midget champion Tanner Thorson, who will take the reins of the Steve Reynolds/Rip Jetson No. 21.
Other top drivers previously entered in the race include NASCAR Cup Series star Kyle Larson, NASCAR Xfinity Series sensation Christopher Bell, USAC Triple Crown champions J.J. Yeley, Tracy Hines and Jerry Coons Jr., USAC Sprint Car legend Dave Darland, USAC Sprint Car point leader and two-time USAC national champion Chris Windom, USAC Midget point leader Logan Seavey, two-time USAC National Sprint Car champion Brady Bacon, six-time USAC/CRA Sprint Car champion Damion Gardner, USAC rookie sensation Jason McDougal, USAC Midget race winner Chad Boat, past Indiana Midget Week champion Shane Golobic and many more.
The BC39 starts five consecutive days of racing at IMS, leading into the Big Machine Vodka 400 at the Brickyard Powered by Florida Georgia Line weekend Sept. 7-9 on the 2.5-mile IMS oval. Larson and Stenhouse also will race in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series event Sunday, Sept. 9, while Bell also will compete in the Lilly Diabetes 250 for the NASCAR Xfinity Series on Saturday, Sept. 8.
Visit IMS.com and thebc39.com for more information about the Driven2SaveLives BC39 presented by NOS Energy Drink.
DRIVEN2SAVELIVES BC39 PRES. BY NOS ENERGY DRINK ENTRY LIST
(86 cars as of Aug. 20, 2018)
0 STEVE BUCKWALTER/Royersford, PA (Steve Buckwalter)
1 KYLE LARSON/Elk Grove, CA (Keith Kunz Motorsports/Curb-Agajanian)
1BR DAVE DARLAND/Lincoln, IN (SFH Racing Development)
1K BRAYTON LYNCH/Springfield, IL (Rusty Kunz Racing)
1ST SHANE COTTLE/Kokomo, IN (Daryl Saucier)
1T TYLER SHOEMAKER/Bloomington, IL (Jay Mounce)
2D MATT SHERRELL/Owasso, OK (Dan & Patricia Harris)
2ND JEB SESSUMS/Burleson, TX (Dan & Patricia Harris)
3 TBA (Ray Racing)
3D RICH DRANGMEISTER/Hobart, IN (Rich Drangmeister)
3N JAKE NEUMAN/New Berlin, IL (Jim Neuman)
4D ROBERT DALBY/Anaheim, CA (Ken Dalby)
5 ®C.J. LEARY/Greenfield, IN (Baldwin Brothers Racing)
5B CHASE BRISCOE/Mitchell, IN (Briscoe Racing)
5x ROY CARUTHERS/Indianapolis, IN (Boyle Racing Headquarters)
7 GAGE WALKER/Fairland, IN (Brian Walker)
7BC TYLER COURTNEY/Indianapolis, IN (Clauson-Marshall Racing)
7CG TBA (Seven, LLC)
7CH CRITTER MALONE/Pittsboro, IN (Seven, LLC)
7p BRIAN PETERSON/Mukwonago, WI (Brian Peterson)
10 LANCE BENNETT/Aurora, CO (Bennett Motorsports)
11 TRACY HINES/New Castle, IN (Leader Card Racers)
11A ANTON HERNANDEZ/Arlington, TX (Brandon Gray)
11L AARON LEFFEL/Springfield, OH (Chuck Taylor)
11T TREY OSBORNE/Columbus, OH (Chuck Taylor)
11Y TRAVIS YOUNG/Casey, IL (Travis Young)
12 J.B. GILBERT/Charleston, IL (J.B. Gilbert)
15 ®JASON McDOUGAL/Broken Arrow, OK (Petry Motorsports)
15c CARSON GARRETT/Littleton, CO (Broc Garrett)
17BC JUSTIN GRANT/Ione, CA (Clauson-Marshall Racing - Matt Wood)
17D DAKOTA JACKSON/Elizabethtown, IN (Koontz Racing)
17K MICHAEL KOONTZ/Bloomington, IN (Koontz Racing)
17s RICKY STENHOUSE JR./Olive Branch, MS (Clauson-Marshall Racing)
17w SHANE GOLOBIC/Fremont, CA (Clauson-Marshall Racing/Matt Wood)
21 CHRISTOPHER BELL/Norman, OK (Keith Kunz Motorsports/Curb-Agajanian)
21D JUSTIN DICKERSON/Pittsboro, IN (Justin Dickerson)
21K KARTER SARFF/Mason City, IL (Steve Reynolds)
21x TANNER THORSON/Minden, NV (Steve Reynolds/Rip Jetson)
24 LANDON SIMON/Tipp City, OH (Landon Simon Racing)
24x DAVID PRICKETT/Fresno, CA (Neverlift Motorsports)
25 JERRY COONS JR./Tucson, AZ (Petry Motorsports)
25p DYLAN PETERSON/Sioux Falls, SD (Vance Peterson)
25s ALEX SCHRIEVER/Sioux Falls, SD (Jeff Davis)
25x GIO SCELZI/Fresno, CA (Tom Malloy)
27 TUCKER KLAASMEYER/Paola, KS (Keith Kunz Motorsports/Curb-Agajanian)
27z ®ZANE HENDRICKS/Stillwater, OK (Tucker-Boat Motorsports)
35 CHRIS WINDOM/Canton, IL (Petry Motorsports)
35L ANDREW LAYSER/Collegeville, PA (Alex Bright Racing)
35x CHRIS BAUE/Indianapolis, IN (Chris Baue)
39 KYLE MAY/New Palestine, IN (Kyle May)
39BC ®ZEB WISE/Angola, IN (Clauson-Marshall Racing)
46 KENNEY JOHNSON/Bethany, CT (Jeff Johnson)
46x ROBBY SPINO/Wallingford, CT (Robby Spino)
49 ANDY BRADLEY/Bloomington, IN (Andy Bradley)
54 MATT WESTFALL/Pleasant Hill, OH (Steve Bordner)
56x MARK CHISHOLM/Cheyenne, WY (Mark Chisholm)
57A ANDREW FELKER/Carl Junction, MO (Bill Ecker)
57B CHASE McDERMAND/Springfield, IL (Bill Ecker)
57D DANIEL ROBINSON/Ewing, IL (McCreery Motorsports)
57F NATE FOSTER/Greenwood, IN (Nate Foster)
57K KEVIN STUDLEY/Brownsburg, IN (Kevin Studley)
63 KEVIN THOMAS JR./Cullman, AL (Joe Dooling)
63D J.J. YELEY/Phoenix, AZ (Joe Dooling)
67 ®LOGAN SEAVEY/Sutter, CA (Keith Kunz Motorsports/Curb-Agajanian)
67F KYLE O'GARA/Beech Grove, IN (SFH Racing Development)
67K HOLLY SHELTON/Sacramento, CA (Keith Kunz Motorsports/Curb-Agajanian)
69 RYAN SMITH/Kunkletown, PA (SFH Racing Development)
71 RYAN ROBINSON/Foresthill, CA (Keith Kunz Motorsports/Curb-Agajanian)
71K TANNER CARRICK/Lincoln, CA (Keith Kunz Motorsports/Curb-Agajanian)
71x BRYAN DROLLINGER/Lomita, CA (Drollinger Racing)
72 ®SAM JOHNSON/St. Peters, MO (Keith Kunz Motorsports/Curb-Agajanian)
76E TBA (FMR Racing)
76m BRADY BACON/Broken Arrow, OK (FMR Racing)
77 ALEX BRIGHT/Collegeville, PA (Alex Bright Racing)
77x OLIVIA BENNETT/Aurora, CO (Bennett Motorsports)
83 KARSYN ELLEDGE/Mooresville, NC (Tucker/Boat Motorsports)
84 CHAD BOAT/Phoenix, AZ (Tucker/Boat Motorsports)
88 TYLER NELSON/Olathe, KS (Tyler Nelson Racing)
89 BRAYDAN WILLMINGTON/Marulan, New South Wales, Australia (Team RayPro)
91 SHANE COCKRUM/Benton, IL (Harris Racing)
91T TYLER THOMAS/Collinsville, OK (Brian Thomas)
93K RILEY KREISEL/Warsaw, MO (DKR Motorsports)
97 SPENCER BAYSTON/Lebanon, IN (Keith Kunz Motorsports/Curb-Agajanian)
99p DILLON WELCH/Carmel, IN (Kami Ronk)
99w KOREY WEYANT/Springfield, IL (Jay Mounce)
TBA (Clauson-Marshall Racing)
® -- USAC P1 Insurance National Midget Rookie of the Year contender