Ninety Drivers To Compete for Spot in BC39 Feature Sept. 4-5 at IMS
September 02, 2019 | By Indianapolis Motor Speedway
USAC Champions, Stars from NASCAR, IndyCar among Talented Field at The Dirt Track
Ninety drivers are on the final entry list for the Driven2SaveLives BC39 Powered by NOS Energy Drink on Sept. 4-5 at The Dirt Track at IMS.
This is the third-largest field for a USAC NOS Energy Drink Midget National Championship event in the past three decades. Drivers assembled in the stacked field have accumulated 23 USAC National championships and 208 total USAC National Midget feature wins. Twenty-six drivers will race for a $15,000 prize awarded to the winner of the A-Main on Thursday night, Sept. 5.
Among the 90 drivers entered are eight competitors who have extensive experience on the famed 2.5-mile oval surrounding the quarter-mile dirt oval located in Turn 3 of the infield.
Indiana native Conor Daly and J.J. Yeley each have finished in the top 10 at the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge, Daly in this past May’s race and Yeley in 1998. Yeley has also made eight Big Machine Vodka 400 at the Brickyard starts, with fellow Brickyard starters Kyle Larson and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. ready to race in the BC39 along with NASCAR Xfinity Series race veterans Christopher Bell, Indiana native Chase Briscoe and Chad Boat, who finished as the runner-up in the inaugural BC39 in 2018. Chris Windom started in the Freedom 100 Indy Lights race this year on Miller Lite Carb Day at IMS.
Brady Bacon is the reigning BC39 race winner from a year ago, leading the final nine laps to score the popular victory. Bacon is a two-time USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Car champion, in 2014 and 2016, and one of 11 past USAC National champs in the BC39 lineup. Others are Yeley (2001 and 2003 Silver Crown, 2002-03 Sprint and 2003 Midget), Bell (2013 Midget) and Windom (2016 Silver Crown & 2017 Sprint).
Tyler Courtney of Indianapolis is the defending USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Car titlist, while Logan Seavey is the reigning USAC NOS Energy Drink National Midget champ. Indiana’s Dave Darland (1997 Silver Crown, 1999 Sprint, 2001-02 Midget) and Jerry Coons Jr. (2008 Silver Crown, 2008 Sprint and 2006-07 Midget) are among the three USAC Triple Crown champs, along with Yeley, to have won all three USAC National championships throughout their career.
Indiana’s Spencer Bayston (2017), Tanner Thorson (2016) and Indiana’s Russ Gamester represent three more titles among eight previous USAC National Midget champions represented in the BC39 field.
Nearly one-third of the BC39 field has earned a USAC NOS Energy Drink National Midget feature victory in their career, 28 drivers to be exact. That list is comprised of Darland (30), Bell (23), Coons (19), Yeley (17), Larson (16), Thorson (13), Gamester (12), Courtney (11), Boat (9), Bacon (7), Seavey (6), Bayston (5), Stenhouse (5), Kevin Thomas Jr. (5), Justin Grant (4), John Heydenreich (4), Michael Pickens (4), Zach Daum (3), Billy Wease (3), 2018 Stoops Pursuit winner Zeb Wise (3), Critter Malone (2), Windom (2), and single-race winners Steve Buckwalter, Tanner Carrick, Jason McDougal, Cannon McIntosh and Tyler Thomas.
Current USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Car point leader C.J. Leary and recent Kokomo Speedway Sprint Car Smackdown prelim night winner Thomas Meseraull are seeking their first USAC NOS Energy Drink National Midget points-paying victories.
USAC Regional series champions are well-represented in the BC39 lineup, including 2018 Eastern Midget titlist Alex Bright, 2017 Gulf Coast Speed2 Midget champ Kyle Jones, 2017-18 Midwest Thunder Speed2 Midget champion Aaron Leffel and 2009 Kenyon Midget champion Dillon Welch, who also serves a reporter for NBC NTT IndyCar Series telecasts.
USAC’s Western States Midgets have brought a strong contingent, including current series point leader Robert Dalby, a two-time winner with the series this year, along with 2012 overall series champion Shannon McQueen and July Santa Maria winner Maria Cofer, two of the five female drivers in this year’s BC39 field. David Prickett was the 2012 Western States Midget Dirt champ while Cody Swanson is a two-time winner with the series.
Another noteworthy female driver racing in the BC39 is Karsyn Elledge, the granddaughter of 1995 Big Machine Vodka 400 at the Brickyard winner Dale Earnhardt and niece of retired NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt Jr.
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 (90 Drivers)
00 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)
1K BRAYTON LYNCH/Springfield, IL (Rusty Kunz Racing)
1NZ MICHAEL PICKENS/Auckland, NZ (RMS LLC)
1ST ALEX BRIGHT/Collegeville, PA (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)
9B CLINTON BOYLES/Greenwood, MO (Jay Mounce)
9H EMILIO HOOVER/Broken Arrow, OK (James Hoover)
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)
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)
21KS 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)
32J CHRIS JAGGER JR./Warsaw, IN (Chris Jagger Jr.)
35 CONOR DALY/Noblesville, IN (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)
55 NICK DRAKE/Mooresville, NC (Troy Cline)
56AP 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)
71B ROBERT BELL/Colfax, IA (Robert Bell)
71K TANNER CARRICK/Lincoln, CA (Keith Kunz Motorsports/Curb-Agajanian)
71s CODY SWANSON/Norco, CA (Marcie Campbell)
72 SAM JOHNSON/St. Peters, MO (Joe Johnson)
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)
TBA TANNER THORSON/Minden, NV (TBA)