Outlaws Legend Schatz Leads Stacked Early Entry List for BC39 at IMS
July 21, 2022 | By Paul Kelly
The Driven2SaveLives Presented by WeatherTech has attracted some of the biggest names from NASCAR and INDYCAR racing to challenge the talented full-time USAC Midget competitors since the event’s inaugural year in 2018.
Add another big name from another major series to this year’s already-stacked list of competitors: 10-time World of Outlaws NOS Energy Sprint Car Series champion Donny Schatz.
Schatz will make his first career BC39 appearance driving for Mark Cooper, the owner of Spike Chassis, in the USAC NOS Energy Drink Midget National Championship event at The Dirt Track at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Aug. 3-4. Tickets are available at IMS.com.
“I’m really looking forward to taking part in the BC39 event for the first time in the seat of Mark Cooper’s car,” Schatz said. “We’ve had a great time competing in the Chili Bowl Midget Nationals the past few years, and I appreciate the opportunity that he and Derrick Schwabauer are giving me to take part in another prestigious event like the BC39. The Spike Chassis stable is always strong, and I’m proud to be part of their effort for this event.”
Schatz was teammates at Tony Stewart/Curb-Agajanian Racing (TSR) with late USAC champion Bryan Clauson, the namesake of this event. Clauson, who died after a racing accident in August 2016, was an organ donor. This event seeks to honor Clauson’s memory by promoting organ donation through the Indiana Donor Network.
“I had the opportunity to get to know Bryan throughout the years that we raced as part of the TSR organization together,” Schatz said. “While we ran different racing schedules in different series for most of that time, I was able to spend time with Bryan and that allowed me to learn that we shared a similar mentality to racing.
“He and some others within TSR convinced me to give the Chili Bowl a shot, and we worked out a deal that I would be part of his super team effort for the 2017 event. I was very proud to be part of the effort that Tim Clauson headed up after Bryan’s accident,and I credit him (Bryan) with helping me to truly come to enjoy Midget racing. Driving one of these cars is like driving a rocket ship. It’s a lot of fun.”
While entries continue to arrive for the prestigious event on the quarter-mile dirt oval, the preliminary entry list already bursts with star power.
Drivers on the early list have combined to win 10 USAC national championships, including four-time champion and 2018 BC39 winner Brady Bacon, five-time USAC national champion and Indy 500 veteran J.J. Yeley and champion Justin Grant.
NASCAR Cup Series winner and Indiana native Chase Briscoe will race, as will 2020 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series champion Sheldon Creed.
USAC feature winners Kyle Cummins and Thomas Meseraull also are entered, as is NBC Sports INDYCAR reporter Dillon Welch of nearby Carmel, Indiana, returning to his racing roots.
BC39 practice starts at 4 p.m. ET Wednesday, Aug. 3, followed by opening ceremonies at 7 p.m. and the exciting Stoops Pursuit race that evening. Race Day practice starts at 4 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 4, with qualifying races at 5. Opening ceremonies are scheduled for 7:30 p.m., followed by the main features, semi-feature and the 39-lap main event.