BC39 FIRST-TIMERS ARE ROOKIES BY TECHNICALITY

By: Richie Murray – USAC Media

Speedway, Indiana (September 3, 2019)………In only its second year of existence, no driver would have what you what call “extensive” experience at The Dirt Track at IMS entering this week’s Driven2SaveLives BC39 powered by NOS Energy Drink on Sept. 4-5.

However, of the 90 drivers entered for this year’s $15,000-to-win USAC NOS Energy Drink National Midget event, one-third of the field is a BC39 first-timer.  Some of the drivers on the list are well established while some others are young guns just starting to make their name in the sport.

Kyle Larson (Elk Grove, Calif.) makes his first BC39 appearance this week.  He owns 16 USAC NOS Energy Drink National Midget victories in his career, including one this year in June at Joliet, Ill.

Cannon McIntosh (Bixby, Okla.) is also a winner on the USAC Midget tour this season, capturing his first career victory in March indoors at the Southern Illinois Center in Du Quoin, one of three top-five finishes in six starts this year.

The lone international driver in this year’s field, Michael Pickens (Auckland, N.Z.) is a four-time USAC National Midget winner and one of the most successful Midget racing talents to come from New Zealand.

One of Pickens’ RMS LLC teammates for the BC39 is Thomas Meseraull, a 10-time USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Car feature winner who just recently tallied a win on the opening night of Sprint Car Smackdown VIII at Kokomo Speedway.  He’s collected two career USAC Midget Special Event wins in his career, most recently at the Southern Illinois Center in December 2018.

Tanner Thorson (Minden, Nev.) has 13 wins in his USAC NOS Energy Drink National Midget career, including a stop in victory lane at Lincoln Park Speedway in June during Indiana Midget Week where the 2016 series champ started 15th.

Shannon McQueen (Bakersfield, Calif.), the 2012 USAC Western States Midget champion, has made the long haul from the west coast Bakersfield, Calif. along with two-time USAC Western States Midget feature winner Cody Swanson (Norco, Calif.).

Holley Hollan (Broken Arrow, Okla.) and Jesse Colwell (Red Bluff, Calif.) are on their USAC National Midget Rookie campaigns and are, likewise, on their Rookie run at the BC39 this week for Keith Kunz Motorsports/Curb-Agajanian.

Brent Beauchamp (Avon, Ind.) has a USAC National Sprint Car win on his resume during Indiana Sprint Week in 2016 at Bloomington Speedway.  Jonathan Beason (Broken Arrow, Okla.) was a top-five runner at Red Dirt Raceway in his only USAC Midget start of the year thus far during July’s Mid-America Midget Week.  Travis Berryhill (American Canyon, Calif.) was victorious during a Chili Bowl prelim in January 2017.  Clinton Boyles (Greenwood, Mo.) was the 2018 Gas City I-69 Speedway Sprint Car track champion.

This collection of talent are only Rookies by technicality.  They can win anytime, anywhere, including this Wednesday and Thursday at IMS.  And shhhh….don’t tell.  But when Brady Bacon won the BC39 last year, he was a Rookie too, as was the rest of the 110-driver field.  So, as has been proven, it can be done.

On track action for the BC39 begins Wednesday, Sept. 4, beginning with the drivers meeting in the IMS Media Room at 2pm.  Public gates open at 3pm with cars hitting the track for practice at 5pm, followed by opening ceremonies at 6:30pm.  Heat races and the Stoops Pursuit race will conclude the night’s racing action.

The finale, on Thursday, Sept. 5, will have the public gates opening at 3pm and cars on track for practice at 4:30pm, with qualifying races to follow at 5:30pm.  Opening ceremonies are slated for 7pm and immediately followed by the main feature events, starting with multiple D-Mains, C-Main, the semi-feature and the 39-lap main event.

Spectator tickets and any competitors still looking to buy seats in the competitor section can purchase through www.ims.com/usac.

The BC39 officially gets underway on Tuesday, Sept. 3 with team parking at noon.  From 4-6pm, catch five USAC icons at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum’s USAC Stars: From the Dirt Track to the Brickyard series.  The event will feature legends Don and Mel Kenyon, and current drivers Michael Pickens, Chris Windom and Chad Boat.  Pat Sullivan, longtime USAC public address announcer, historian, and author, will emcee this evening of entertaining banter and thrilling stories.

Tickets are available to Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum members for $15 and non-members for $20.  Limited seating.  Tickets must be purchased in advance.  For more information or to buy tickets, contact Kelly Hartman at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

Following the event, make your way to USAC headquarters, just across the street from the IMS Administration office at 4910 W. 16th Street, for the BC39 Draft Party from 5:30pm to 8:30pm Eastern where drivers will draw for their heat race positions.  All cars entered will be randomized into a draft order for the heat race draft.  Teams will be able to pick their heat race spot, either in person with a representative, or remotely through USAC officials.  Any unrepresented team will be given the first available spot.  The heat race position draft is open to the public with team members getting priority into the new USAC worldwide headquarters.  Food and beverages will be available.

FIRST-TIMERS AT THE 2019 DRIVEN2SAVELIVES BC39 POWERED BY NOS ENERGY DRINK: (30 Drivers)

00 LUKE HOWARD/Overland Park, KS (Jay Mounce)

08 CANNON McINTOSH/Bixby, OK (Dave Mac Motorsports)

1NZ MICHAEL PICKENS/Auckland, NZ (RMS LLC)

2 RYAN HALL/Midlothian, TX (Mark Bush)

2x MATT LINDER/Hoschton, GA (Mark Bush)

7u KYLE JONES/Kennedale, TX (Trifecta Motorsports)

7x THOMAS MESERAULL/San Jose, CA (RMS LLC)

9B CLINTON BOYLES/Greenwood, MO (Jay Mounce)

9H EMILIO HOOVER/Broken Arrow, OK (James Hoover)

10A MICHAEL KLEIN/Elsmere, KY (Mike Wallace)

11m KENDALL RUBLE/Vincennes, IN (Martin Motorsports)

11T TOMMY KOUNS/Lebanon, IN (Chuck Taylor)

15J JEFF WIMMENAUER/Indianapolis, IN (Jeff Wimmenauer)

15s SHANNON McQUEEN/Bakersfield, CA (Broc Garrett)

20 CODY WEISENSEL/Sun Prairie, WI (Kevin Weisensel)

21FS JONATHAN BEASON/Broken Arrow, OK (Team Ripper)

28 ACE McCARTHY/Tahlequah, OK (Jim Neuman)

31 TRAVIS BERRYHILL/American Canyon, CA (Manic Racing)

32J CHRIS JAGGER, JR./Warsaw, IN (Chris Jagger, Jr.)

41 OLIVER AKARD/Ft. Myers, FL (Dan Akard)

43 BRENT BEAUCHAMP/Avon, IN (Kevin Arnold)

50 TONY DiMATTIA/Malvern, PA (Tony DiMattia Motorsports)

56AP COLTEN COTTLE/Kansas, IL (Travis Young)

67K HOLLEY HOLLAN/Broken Arrow, OK (Keith Kunz Motorsports/Curb-Agajanian)

71 JESSE COLWELL/Red Bluff, CA (Keith Kunz Motorsports/Curb-Agajanian)

71s CODY SWANSON/Norco, CA (Marcie Campbell)

76 KEN DRANGMEISTER/Hobart, IN (Ken Drangmeister)

77B BLAZE BENNETT/Parker, CO (Olivia Bennett)

97 KYLE LARSON/Elk Grove, CA (Keith Kunz Motorsports/Curb-Agajanian)