USAC Triple Crown Winner Yeley Latest Star To Join Stacked BC39 Field

USAC Triple Crown winner J.J. Yeley, no stranger to racing at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, is the latest star driver to commit to compete in the Driven2SaveLives BC39 Powered by NOS Energy Drink on Sept. 4-5 at The Dirt Track at IMS.

Yeley will drive the No. 2J car fielded by team owner Jeff Taylor, the 87th car entered for the USAC National Midget Series race on the quarter-mile dirt oval inside Turn 3 of the famed IMS oval.

IMS is familiar territory for Yeley. Besides competing in the inaugural BC39 last year, he started the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge in 1998, has started in the Big Machine Vodka 400 at the Brickyard Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race eight times and has made six starts in the Indiana 250 NASCAR Xfinity Series race. He is the only driver to compete in all these races and the BC39 at IMS.

Yeley is one of USAC’s most prolific drivers, earning 60 National series wins in his career (28 Sprint, 17 Midget and 15 Silver Crown). He became the second driver in USAC history to earn all three National titles within the same season, in 2003, matching the feat accomplished by Tony Stewart in 1995. Along the way, Yeley has collected five USAC National titles (2001 and 2003 Sprint, 2002 and 2003 Silver Crown and 2003 Midget).

Phoenix native Yeley is one of eight USAC National Midget Champions in the field, joining Christopher Bell, Spencer Bayston, Jerry Coons Jr., Dave Darland, Russ Gamester, Logan Seavey and Tanner Thorson.

Yeley also is the fifth driver who will perform “double duty” during the Brickyard week at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, racing in the BC39 and then in NASCAR events on the 2.5-mile oval, as he is scheduled to race in the Indiana 250 on Saturday, Sept. 7 along with fellow Xfinity Series drivers Bell and Chase Briscoe. Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series stars Kyle Larson and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. also will compete in the Big Machine Vodka 400 at the Brickyard Powered by Florida Georgia Line on Sunday, Sept. 8.

John Heydenreich joins Yeley on the latest update of the entry list. Heydenreich won the prestigious Chili Bowl Midget Nationals in 1990 and the Hut 100 in 1987. He’s also one of 19 drivers to have accumulated over 100 starts in his USAC Silver Crown career.

Another prominent entry is defending BC39 winner Brady Bacon, who will drive the No. 76E car fielded by FMR Racing. Two-time USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Car champion Bacon led the final nine laps to capture the inaugural event last September.

Other top drivers previously entered include Chad Boat, Gio Scelzi, Dillon Welch, Michael Pickens of New Zealand, Tyler Courtney, Chris Windom, Zeb Wise, Andrew Layser, Kevin Thomas Jr., Thomas Meseraull, David Prickett, Tyler Thomas, Brent Beauchamp, Justin Grant, Critter Malone, Shane Cottle, Matt Westfall, Cannon McIntosh, Zach Daum, Billy Wease and many others.

Another noteworthy driver racing in the BC39 is Karsyn Elledge, the granddaughter of 1995 Big Machine Vodka 400 at the Brickyard winner Dale Earnhardt. She is one of five female drivers entered for the BC39 along with Holley Hollan, Shannon McQueen, Randi Pankratz and Maria Cofer.

Tickets for the Driven2SaveLives BC39 Powered by NOS Energy Drink are on sale at www.ims.com, along with tickets for the Big Machine Vodka 400 at the Brickyard Powered by Florida Georgia Line on Sunday, Sept. 8 and the Indiana 250 and FGL Fest on Saturday, Sept. 7.

On-track action begins Wednesday, Sept. 4 at the quarter-mile Dirt Track at IMS. Public gates open at 3 p.m., with cars on track for hot laps at 5 p.m., followed by opening ceremonies at 6:30 p.m. Heat races and the Stoops Pursuit race will conclude the night’s racing action.

Public gates will open at 3 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 5 for the second and final night of action. Cars will be on track for hot laps at 4:30 p.m., with qualifying races at 5:30 p.m. Opening ceremonies are scheduled for 7 p.m. and followed by the main feature events, starting with multiple D-Mains and C-Mains, the semi-feature and the 39-lap main event.

BC39 ENTRY LIST (87 cars as of Aug. 27, 2019)

0 LUKE HOWARD/Overland Park, KS (Jay Mounce)
08 CANNON McINTOSH/Bixby, OK (Dave Mac Motorsports)
1 KARSYN ELLEDGE/Mooresville, NC (Tucker/Boat Motorsports)
1BR CHASE JONES/Greenwood, IN (SFH Racing Development)
1NZ MICHAEL PICKENS/Auckland, NZ (RMS LLC)
1ST TBA (Daryl Saucier)
2 RYAN HALL/Midlothian, TX (Mark Bush)
2J J.J. YELEY/Phoenix, AZ (Jeff Taylor)
2x MATT LINDER/Hoschton, GA (Mark Bush)
3 RICH DRANGMEISTER/Hobart, IN (Rich Drangmeister)
3N JAKE NEUMAN/New Berlin, IL (Jim Neuman)
4A JUSTIN GRANT/Ione, CA (RAMS Racing)
4D ROBERT DALBY/Anaheim, CA (Ken Dalby)
5 KEVIN THOMAS JR./Cullman, AL (Petry Motorsports)
5B CHASE BRISCOE/Mitchell, IN (Chase Briscoe Racing)
5D ZACH DAUM/Pocahontas, IL (Daum Motorsports)
7 CRITTER MALONE/Pittsboro, IN (Seven LLC)
7BC TYLER COURTNEY/Indianapolis, IN (Clauson/Marshall Racing)
7s JON STEED/Rushville, IN (Steed Motorsports)
7u KYLE JONES/Kennedale, TX (Trifecta Motorsports)
7x THOMAS MESERAULL/San Jose, CA (RMS LLC)
8 RANDI PANKRATZ/Atascadero, CA (Wally Pankratz)
9 CHRIS BAUE/Indianapolis, IN (Chris Baue)
9H EMILIO HOOVER/Broken Arrow, OK (James Hoover)
9x TBA (Jay Mounce)
10 LANCE BENNETT/Aurora, CO (Olivia Bennett)
10A MICHAEL KLEIN/Elsmere, KY (Mike Wallace)
11L AARON LEFFEL/Springfield, OH (Chuck Taylor)
11m KENDALL RUBLE/Vincennes, IN (Martin Motorsports)
11T TOMMY KOUNS/Lebanon, IN (Chuck Taylor)
12 BILLY WEASE/Noblesville, IN (Amanda Wease)
14H TBA (Mike Dickerson)
15 DAVE DARLAND/Lincoln, IN (Petry Motorsports)
15DJ DAVID PRICKETT/Fresno, CA (Neverlift Motorsports)
15J JEFF WIMMENAUER/Indianapolis, IN (Jeff Wimmenauer)
15s SHANNON McQUEEN/Bakersfield, CA (Broc Garrett)
15x CARSON GARRETT/Littleton, CO (Broc Garrett)
17 RICKY STENHOUSE JR./Olive Branch, MS (Clauson/Marshall Racing)
17BC CHRIS WINDOM/Canton, IL (Clauson/Marshall Racing)
19 SPENCER BAYSTON/Lebanon, IN (Brodie Hayward)
19m ETHAN MITCHELL/Mooresville, NC (Bundy Built Motorsports)
20 CODY WEISENSEL/Sun Prairie, WI (Kevin Weisensel)
21 CHRISTOPHER BELL/Norman, OK (Keith Kunz Motorsports/Curb-Agajanian)
21D JUSTIN DICKERSON/Pittsboro, IN (Mike Dickerson)
21F JONATHAN BEASON/Broken Arrow, OK (Team Ripper)
21K C.J. LEARY/Greenfield, IN (Team Ripper)
21m MARIA COFER/Macdoel, CA (Team Ripper)
22 JOHN HEYDENREICH/Bloomsburg, PA (John Givens)
23m DAVID BUDRES/Beloit, WI (Manic Racing)
25 JERRY COONS JR./Tucson, AZ (Petry Motorsports)
25B STEVE BUCKWALTER/Royersford, PA (Steve Buckwalter)
27 TUCKER KLAASMEYER/Paola, KS (Keith Kunz Motorsports/Curb-Agajanian)
28 ACE McCARTHY/Tahlequah, OK (Jim Neuman)
31 TRAVIS BERRYHILL/American Canyon, CA (Manic Racing)
35 TBA (Petry Motorsports)
39BC ZEB WISE/Angola, IN (Clauson/Marshall Racing)
41 OLIVER AKARD/Ft. Myers, FL (Dan Akard)
43 BRENT BEAUCHAMP/Avon, IN (Kevin Arnold)
46 RUSS GAMESTER/Peru, IN (Gamester Racing)
47BC ANDREW LAYSER/Collegeville, PA (Clauson/Marshall Racing)
50 TONY DiMATTIA/Malvern, PA (Tony DiMattia Motorsports)
54 MATT WESTFALL/Pleasant Hill, OH (Steve Bordner)
54m RAY SEACH/Beloit, WI (Manic Racing)
56A COLTEN COTTLE/Kansas, IL (Travis Young)
56x MARK CHISHOLM/Cheyenne, WY (Mark Chisholm)
57D DANIEL ROBINSON/Ewing, IL (McCreery Motorsports)
57K KEVIN STUDLEY/Plainfield, IN (Kevin Studley)
61 TREY OSBORNE/Columbus, OH (Mel Kenyon)
67 LOGAN SEAVEY/Sutter, CA (Keith Kunz Motorsports/Curb-Agajanian)
67F KYLE O’GARA/Beech Grove, IN (SFH Racing Development)
67K HOLLEY HOLLAN/Broken Arrow, OK (Keith Kunz Motorsports/Curb-Agajanian)
71 JESSE COLWELL/Red Bluff, CA (Keith Kunz Motorsports/Curb-Agajanian)
71K TANNER CARRICK/Lincoln, CA (Keith Kunz Motorsports/Curb-Agajanian)
71s CODY SWANSON/Norco, CA (Marcie Campbell)
76 KEN DRANGMEISTER/Hobart, IN (Ken Drangmeister)
76E BRADY BACON/Broken Arrow, OK (FMR Racing)
76m JASON McDOUGAL/Broken Arrow, OK (FMR Racing)
77B BLAZE BENNETT/Parker, CO (Olivia Bennett)
81 DILLON WELCH/Carmel, IN (Tucker/Boat Motorsports)
84 CHAD BOAT/Phoenix, AZ (Tucker/Boat Motorsports)
85 GIO SCELZI/Fresno, CA (Tucker/Boat Motorsports)
88 TYLER NELSON/Olathe, KS (Tyler Nelson)
91T TYLER THOMAS/Collinsville, OK (Brian Thomas)
97 KYLE LARSON/Elk Grove, CA (Keith Kunz Motorsports/Curb-Agajanian)
97A AUSTIN O’DELL/Rochester, IL (Patrick O’Dell)
98 TANNER THORSON/Minden, NV (Keith Kunz Motorsports/Curb-Agajanian)
TBA (Clauson/Marshall Racing)