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Wise Brings the 39BC Home to Victory at BC39
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The United States Auto Club.
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Contact: Richie Murray - USAC Media / richie@usacracing.com
Zeb Wise celebrates his victory in Thursday night's Driven2SaveLives BC39 powered by NOS Energy Drink at The Dirt Track at IMS.
(Rich Forman Photo)
WISE BRINGS THE 39BC HOME TO VICTORY AT BC39
By: Richie Murray - USAC Media
Speedway, Indiana (September 5, 2019).........Before he had even laid eyes on The Dirt Track at IMS, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway had already occupied a special place within the heart of Zeb Wise.
He'd been triumphant in a quarter midget at the Battle at the Brickyard and also became the first ever winner on The Dirt Track at IMS in 2018, snagging the Stoops Pursuit.
After Thursday night's victory in the Driven2SaveLives BC39 powered by NOS Energy Drink, the track became the showcase for a defining moment in the 16-year-old racer's burgeoning career where he led the final seven laps to score the biggest victory, and the richest payday ($15,000), of his young career.
One of the main influences on The Dirt Track at IMS becoming a reality was Bryan Clauson, the namesake of the BC39. Angola, Indiana's Wise has carried BC's spirit onward, driving for Bryan's father's Clauson/Marshall Racing team and piloting the No. 39BC on the USAC NOS Energy Drink Midget National Championship trail which he put into victory lane in front of a large throng of spectators on this memorable late summer night.
Wise's IMS story began earlier this decade when competing at The Battle at the Brickyard. It was there where Tim and Bryan Clauson, already a racing star in his own right, noticed Wise. When the time came, he was hand-picked by the Clausons to become a part of the team, leading him on the path to the biggest win of his career thus far.
"A lot of people don't know this, but Bryan and Tim, the first time they noticed me was at the quarter midget track that they run called Little Brickyard," Wise recalled. "That was the first time they ever got in contact with me. To carry over from the first time they saw me here, and now we're out there winning big races, it's very special not only to me, but probably even more special to the team."
Wise was in a hurry to get things done from his fifth starting spot at the drop of the green for the 39-lap main event. He whittled his way to second past Kevin Thomas, Jr. after the two clipped bumper to bumper off turn four when Thomas snagged the curb. Wise set up shop, went to the bottom and slid up in front of Thomas to pocket the runner-up spot.
Pole sitter Thomas Meseraull remained in control up front, keeping Wise in check a handful of car lengths back until the 18th lap. That's when a four-car quagmire ensued with Tucker Klaasmeyer first getting upside down, followed by Jerry Coons, Jr. plowing into Klaasmeyer and getting on his lid as well while Gio Scelzi and Cannon McIntosh also became entangled in the fray.
That's where it nearly came to a premature end for Meseraull, who made a hard left to avoid clipping the stopped car of McIntosh. Wise, just behind Meseraull, took evasive action as well, narrowly missing misfortune.
On the ensuing restart, Wise gained a full head of steam coming downhill off the top of turn two to zip by Meseraull for the race lead as Jason McDougal and Kyle Larson came in tandem to go to second and third as Meseraull slipped to fourth. A three-car chase at the front saw Larson go topside around McDougal for second and pounce when Wise bobbled atop the fourth turn cushion.
Larson instantaneously pointed his nose to the bottom and used a major run to slide across the nose of Wise into turn one, securing the lead off turn two. Moments later, however, Michael Pickens' car came to a stop in turn four, sending Larson back to second and returned Wise to the head of the field for the restart.
As he had done all throughout the night, Wise was a force on restarts, and was able to stretch it out to a half-straight lead by the back stretch on the lap 21 resumption. Nonetheless, Larson leashed Wise back in in no time and was clamped down on the shadow of Wise with less than 15 laps remaining.
On lap 28, Wise biked in turn three atop the cushion, which was basically be an extension of the outside concrete wall at that point. It was seemingly no harm, no foul, as Larson got on the binders to avoid contact with Wise. Both kept their foot in it and put their wills on the razor's edge in turn one as Larson attempted to slide Wise in turn one. With just enough room to fit the width of a midget and the thickness of two dimes between them, Wise never wavered from the top, kept his right foot on the hammer and escaped through the other side of the needle to hang onto the spot just before early race leader Meseraull flipped in turns three and four, concluding a promising run for the high-point man who led a race-high 18 laps.
On the following restart, all broke loose again, with Larson taking his run at Wise with a slider into turn three. By the time the two arrived at the exit of turn four, nowhere was there room to spare. Larson and Wise made contact, sending Wise ramping up the wall and landing on all fours while defending BC39 winner Brady Bacon snuck by on the bottom from fourth to first past McDougal, Larson and Wise to rip the lead away on lap 29.
Larson then slowed with a flat left rear tire to force a yellow flag, putting Wednesday's Stoops Pursuit winner/survivor out of contention for the win, although he did race back to a ninth-place finish. Meanwhile, Wise's mind was racing with concern over whether his race was in jeopardy, admitting he thought his race was over after the contact.
Following a lap 31 red flag for a McIntosh flip between turns three and four, Wise's curiosity grew stronger as he pondered what could be wrong at the moment with his Clauson-Marshall Racing/Driven2SaveLives - Sundollar Restoration/Spike/Stanton SR-11x.
"I knew something was wrong," Wise admitted. "Heck, I couldn't even hold it straight down the straightaways. I knew something was going on. We had a red flag there and the push truck driver came to me and I said, 'Dude, what is wrong with the front end?' He looked it over and said, 'Looks like you have a bent steering arm.' At that point, I knew it wasn't something serious, and that I didn't need to pull off the track because it was going to be a hazard or anything."
Thursday's win at The Dirt Track at IMS was Zeb Wise's fourth career USAC NOS Energy Drink National Midget feature victory, and his first outside the state of Pennsylvania.
(Rich Forman Photo)
Experiencing a handful with his steering wheel in addition to the flurry of action surrounding him, Wise overcame and persevered, utilizing a lap 33 slide job to overtake Bacon for the lead and bring CMR teammate Chris Windom along with him on the bottom, who cranked down the shocks and lay in wait to capitalize on any mistake by Wise down the stretch.
In a race that changed its complexion frequently and without hesitation, FMR Racing teammates Bacon and McDougal had drifted back to fifth and sixth where they tangled on the front straightaway on lap 35, ending the team's bid for a repeat BC39 victory.
Racing resumed with Wise and Windom continuing their side-by-side joust as Christopher Bell entered the ring and was challenging both for the lead as he followed Wise on the high side of three where he bounced and buoyed his way atop turn three with three laps to go, bouncing the left side of his roll cage off the track surface before springing back up and landing on all fours, putting a premature end to his bid for a win with front end damage.
Wise used another strong restart to gain separation on the lap 37 restart ahead of CMR teammates Windom and Courtney (who started 20th). Windom on the low line and Courtney up top dug in during their proverbial fist fight for the runner-up spot. Windom began a slow fade as the bottom began to slicken and Courtney found the traction up top to pull ahead coming to the white flag.
Wise put an end to the dramatics, stamping his name in Indianapolis Motor Speedway lore on the final lap as he nailed the entry and exit to each end of the racetrack on the 39th circuit to win by 0.372 sec. over Courtney, Windom, Chad Boat and Logan Seavey.
After a beginning to the season that saw mixed results, Wise has won three of the last five in USAC NOS Energy Drink National Midget competition, but none bigger than the one he earned Thursday night at IMS.
"We've been on such a hot streak lately," Wise said. "It doesn't matter where we go, you know we're a factor. When we came off that hot streak in Pennsylvania, I knew this was going to be the one that would really show what we've got, and we got it done."
Contingency award winners Thursday night at The Dirt Track at IMS were Tyler Thomas (Simpson Race Products First Qualifier Winner), Zeb Wise (Competition Suspension, Inc. Second Qualifier Winner), Christopher Bell (AutoMeter Third Heat Qualifier Winner), Dillon Welch (Indy Race Parts Fourth Heat Qualifier Winner), Tyler Courtney (B & W Auto Mart/KSE Racing Products Hard Charger), Michael Pickens (Wilwood Brakes 13th Place Finisher), Cannon McIntosh (Duane & Sonja Alexander Last Transfer), Sam Johnson (Saldana Racing Products First Non-Transfer) and Jesse Colwell (Elliott's Custom Trailers & Carts Rookie of The Race & ProSource Passing Master).
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USAC NOS ENERGY DRINK MIDGET NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP RACE RESULTS: September 5, 2019 - The Dirt Track at Indianapolis Motor Speedway - Speedway, Indiana - Driven2SaveLives BC39 powered by NOS Energy Drink
FIRST QUALIFIER: (10 laps) 1. Tyler Thomas (#91T Thomas), 2. Thomas Meseraull (#7x RMS), 3. Kyle Larson (#97 Kunz/Curb-Agajanian), 4. Jerry Coons, Jr. (#25 Petry), 5. Jake Neuman (#3N Neuman), 6. Holley Hollan (#67K Kunz/Curb-Agajanian), 7. Ethan Mitchell (#19m Bundy Built), 8. Jonathan Beason (#21FS Reynolds), 9. Tyler Nelson (#88 Nelson), 10. Mark Chisholm (#56x Chisholm), 11. Jeff Wimmenauer (#15J Wimmenauer), 12. Conor Daly (#35 Petry), 13. Luke Howard (#00 Mounce), 14. Carson Garrett (#15x Garrett), 15. Ryan Hall (#2 Bush). NT
SECOND QUALIFIER: (10 laps) 1. Zeb Wise (#39BC Clauson/Marshall), 2. Tucker Klaasmeyer (#27 Kunz/Curb-Agajanian), 3. C.J. Leary (#21KS Reynolds), 4. Brady Bacon (#76E FMR), 5. Tanner Carrick (#71K Kunz/Curb-Agajanian), 6. Cody Swanson (#71s Campbell), 7. Robert Dalby (#4D Dalby), 8. Brent Beauchamp (#43 Arnold), 9. Andrew Layser (#47BC Clauson/Marshall), 10. Alex Bright (#1ST Saucier), 11. Chris Baue (#9 Baue), 12. Ray Seach (#54m Manic), 13. Rich Drangmeister (#3 Drangmeister), 14. Lance Bennett (#10 Bennett). NT
THIRD QUALIFIER: (10 laps) 1. Christopher Bell (#21 Kunz/Curb-Agajanian), 2. Justin Grant (#4A RAMS), 3. Kevin Thomas, Jr. (#5 Petry), 4. Logan Seavey (#67 Kunz/Curb-Agajanian), 5. Cannon McIntosh (#08 Dave Mac), 6. Ace McCarthy (#28 Neuman), 7. Nick Drake (#55 Cline), 8. David Prickett (#15DJ Neverlift), 9. Colten Cottle (#56AP Young), 10. Chris Jagger, Jr. (#32J Jagger), 11. Kendall Ruble (#11m Martin), 12. Cody Weisensel (#20 Weisensel), 13. Trey Osborne (#61 Kenyon), 14. Jesse Colwell (#71 Kunz/Curb-Agajanian). NT
FOURTH QUALIFIER: (10 laps) 1. Dillon Welch (#81 Tucker/Boat), 2. Spencer Bayston (#19 Hayward), 3. Tyler Courtney (#7BC Clauson/Marshall), 4. Chad Boat (#84 Tucker/Boat), 5. Chase Briscoe (#5B Briscoe), 6. David Budres (#23m Manic), 7. Daniel Robinson (#57D McCreery), 8. Brayton Lynch (#1K RKR), 9. Karsyn Elledge (#1 Tucker/Boat), 10. Kyle O'Gara (#67F SFHR), 11. Oliver Akard (#41 Akard), 12. Michael Klein (#10A Wallace), 13. Ken Drangmeister (#76 Drangmeister). NT
FIFTH QUALIFIER: (10 laps) 1. Gio Scelzi (#85 Tucker/Boat), 2. Jason McDougal (#76m FMR), 3. Chris Windom (#17BC Clauson/Marshall), 4. J.J. Yeley (#2J Taylor), 5. Tony DiMattia (#50 TDM), 6. Kyle Jones (#7u Trifecta), 7. Steve Buckwalter (#25B Buckwalter), 8. Russ Gamester (#46 Gamester), 9. Dave Darland (#15 Petry), 10. Aaron Leffel (#11L Taylor), 11. Matt Linder (#2x Bush), 12. Kevin Studley (#57K Studley), 13. Randi Pankratz (#8 Pankratz), 14. Blaze Bennett (#77 Bennett). NT
SIXTH QUALIFIER: (10 laps) 1. Michael Pickens (#1NZ RMS), 2. Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. (#17 Clauson/Marshall), 3. Chase Jones (#1BR SFHR), 4. Matt Westfall (#54 Bordner), 5. Sam Johnson (#72 Johnson), 6. Critter Malone (#7 Seven), 7. Austin O'Dell (#97A O'Dell), 8. Clinton Boyles (#9B Mounce), 9. Shannon McQueen (#15s Garrett), 10. Tommy Kouns (#11T Taylor), 11. Justin Dickerson (#21D Dickerson), 12. Zach Daum (#5D Daum), 13. Robert Bell (#71B Bell), 14. Billy Wease (#12w Wease). NT
FIRST D-MAIN: (12 laps, top-3 transfer to the C-Main) 1. Jonathan Beason, 2. Jesse Colwell, 3. Andrew Layser, 4. Karsyn Elledge, 5. Colten Cottle, 6. Randi Pankratz, 7. Kyle O'Gara, 8. Chris Baue, 9. Justin Dickerson, 10. Kevin Studley, 11. Kendall Ruble, 12. Ryan Hall, 13. Chris Jagger, Jr., 14. Rich Drangmeister, 15. Clinton Boyles, 16. Blaze Bennett, 17. Ray Seach, 18. Oliver Akard, 19. Brayton Lynch. NT
SECOND D-MAIN: (12 laps, top-3 transfer to the C-Main) 1. Brent Beauchamp, 2. Dave Darland, 3. Alex Bright, 4. Tyler Nelson, 5. David Prickett, 6. Mark Chisholm, 7. Luke Howard, 8. Carson Garrett, 9. Aaron Leffel, 10. Shannon McQueen, 11. Cody Weisensel, 12. Lance Bennett, 13. John Heydenreich (#22 Givens), 14. Conor Daly, 15. Matt Linder, 16. Tommy Kouns, 17. Robert Bell, 18. Michael Klein, 19. Jeff Wimmenauer, 20. Ken Drangmeister. NT
C-MAIN: (15 laps, top-6 transfer to the semi) 1. Sam Johnson, 2. Robert Dalby, 3. Kyle Jones, 4. Jesse Colwell, 5. Ace McCarthy, 6. Zach Daum, 7. Holley Hollan, 8. Nick Drake, 9. Dave Darland, 10. Daniel Robinson, 11. Brent Beauchamp, 12. Jonathan Beason, 13. Cody Swanson, 14. Alex Bright, 15. David Budres, 16. Critter Malone, 17. Russ Gamester, 18. Austin O'Dell, 19. Andrew Layser, 20. Ethan Mitchell. NT
SEMI: (20 laps, top-6 transfer to the feature) 1. Christopher Bell, 2. Tucker Klaasmeyer, 3. Jerry Coons, Jr., 4. Tyler Courtney, 5. Chase Briscoe, 6. Cannon McIntosh, 7. Sam Johnson, 8. Jesse Colwell, 9. C.J. Leary, 10. Tony DiMattia, 11. Tanner Carrick, 12. Jake Neuman, 13. Ace McCarthy, 14. Zach Daum, 15. Kyle Jones, 16. Steve Buckwalter, 17. Robert Dalby, 18. Matt Westfall, 19. Chase Jones, 20. J.J. Yeley. NT
FEATURE: (39 laps, starting positions in parentheses) 1. Zeb Wise (5), 2. Tyler Courtney (20), 3. Chris Windom (6), 4. Chad Boat (16), 5. Logan Seavey (14), 6. Jesse Colwell (24), 7. Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. (15), 8. Kevin Thomas, Jr. (3), 9. Kyle Larson (12), 10. Justin Grant (11), 11. Dillon Welch (8), 12. Tanner Carrick (23), 13. Michael Pickens (4), 14. Gio Scelzi (9), 15. Christopher Bell (17), 16. Brady Bacon (10), 17. Jason McDougal (7), 18. Cannon McIntosh (22), 19. Thomas Meseraull (1), 20. Spencer Bayston (2), 21. Tyler Thomas (13), 22. Tucker Klaasmeyer (18), 23. Jerry Coons, Jr. (19), 24. Chase Briscoe (21), 25. Jake Neuman (26), 26. C.J. Leary (25). NT
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**Alex Bright flipped during the second qualifying race. Jesse Colwell flipped during the third qualifying race. Robert Dalby flipped during the semi. Tucker Klaasmeyer and Jerry Coons, Jr. flipped on lap 19 of the feature. Thomas Meseraull flipped on lap 28 of the feature. Cannon McIntosh flipped on lap 31 of the feature.
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-18 Thomas Meseraull, Laps 19-28 Zeb Wise, Laps 29-32 Brady Bacon, Laps 33-39 Zeb Wise.
ELLIOTT'S CUSTOM TRAILERS & CARTS ROOKIE OF THE RACE: Jesse Colwell
B & W AUTO MART/KSE RACING PRODUCTS HARD CHARGER: Tyler Courtney (20th to 2nd)
WILWOOD BRAKES 13TH PLACE FINISHER: Michael Pickens
SALDANA RACING PRODUCTS FIRST NON-TRANSFER: Sam Johnson
USAC NOS ENERGY DRINK MIDGET NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS: 1-Tyler Courtney-1,517, 2-Chris Windom-1,403, 3-Logan Seavey-1,350, 4-Zeb Wise-1,286, 5-Kevin Thomas, Jr.-1,284, 6-Chad Boat-1,208, 7-Jerry Coons, Jr.-1,147, 8-Tanner Carrick-1,129, 9-Jason McDougal-1,069, 10-Tucker Klaasmeyer-1,034.
FINAL PROSOURCE PASSING MASTER POINTS: 1-Jesse Colwell-34, 2-Tyler Courtney-23, 3-Zach Daum-18, 4-Chad Boat-16, 5-Dave Darland-16, 6-Logan Seavey-15, 7-Cannon McIntosh-13, 8-Sam Johnson-13, 9-Chris Windom-12, 10-Thomas Meseraull-12.
NEXT USAC NOS ENERGY DRINK MIDGET NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP RACE: September 28, 2019 - Eldora Speedway - Rossburg, Ohio - 4-Crown Nationals
Larson the Last One Standing in BC39 Stoops Pursuit
Posted by: | Comments- The United States Auto Club.
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Contact: Richie Murray - USAC Media / richie@usacracing.com
A frenzied crowd goes wild as Kyle Larson drives to victory under the red flag of the Stoops Pursuit on the opening night of the Driven2SaveLives BC39 powered by NOS Energy Drink Wednesday at The Dirt Track at IMS. (Rich Forman Photo)
LARSON THE LAST ONE STANDING IN BC39 STOOPS PURSUIT
By: Richie Murray - USAC Media
Speedway, Indiana (September 4, 2019).........Kyle Larson literally became the last man standing on the final lap of the Stoops Pursuit during Wednesday's opening night of the Driven2SaveLives BC39 powered by NOS Energy Drink at The Dirt Track at IMS.
On the last lap of the fifth and final segment of the 25-lap event, three drivers remained on track and were in contention for the victory after 22 of the 25 starters had been eliminated from competition in the unique format that sent drivers to the infield if they were passed or were involved in an accident.
Michael Pickens (Auckland, N.Z.), Kyle Larson (Elk Grove, Calif.) and Justin Grant (Ione, Calif.) entered the back straightaway off turn two under a proverbial blanket on the last lap. Pickens dove underneath Larson entering turn three on the final lap. As both went for the same piece of real estate at the entrance of turn three, Pickens' right rear tire climbed Larson's left front, sending Pickens flipping wildly and Larson into a 360 spin at the edge of the infield.
Moments later, Grant seemed to have a clear path to victory on the top side, but instead, banged his right rear tire off the turn three wall, sending himself into a series of barrel rolls against the concrete.
Remember Larson? With a cloud of dust kicked up from the infield and his camber askew, he pointed his Keith Kunz-Curb-Agajanian/Curb Records/Bullet by Spike/Speedway Toyota in the right direction, tip-toed around the bottom of the fourth turn and gassed his way back to the finish line as the winner.
The unpredictable turn of events was reminiscent of a combination of both the 1976 Daytona 500 finish between Richard Petty/David Pearson as well as Danny Sullivan's spin-and-win on the same property at IMS back in 1985, earning Larson $2,100 for his efforts and being a part of one of the wildest moments in the century-plus history of racing on the IMS grounds.
"That was wild," Larson exclaimed. "I didn't know it was going to be that crazy of a race. On the second to last stage, Justin (Grant) got by and then (Jason) McDougal got by, and I knew I needed to get back to second to be able to run that last round."
"I was really good up top," Larson continued. "I knew if I got a good restart, I could get by Pickens. But this track was so racy that sliders were easy to throw. Michael (Pickens) was throwing everything he had at me. We made contact there on the back stretch. He was trying to park it on the bottom, and I was trying to do what I did the lap before, two laps before."
Wednesday marked the first night Larson had been on track in competition at The Dirt Track at IMS after not competing in last year's inaugural BC39 event.
"I was bummed I couldn't make it last year," Larson admitted. "I saw how exciting it was and said, 'screw it, I'm going to try to make it.' I made it to the Indy airport at 4:45 just in time for hot laps. It was worth it, though. I hope we can be up here again tomorrow."
The BC39 continues Thursday, Sept. 5, with the finale. The event 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.
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USAC NOS ENERGY DRINK MIDGET NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP RACE RESULTS: September 4, 2019 - The Dirt Track at Indianapolis Motor Speedway - Speedway, Indiana - Driven2SaveLives BC39 powered by NOS Energy Drink
SIMPSON RACE PRODUCTS FIRST HEAT: (10 laps) 1. Brady Bacon, 2. Chris Windom, 3. Robert Dalby, 4. Chase Briscoe, 5. Daniel Robinson, 6. Tyler Nelson, 7. David Prickett, 8. Randi Pankratz, 9. Ken Drangmeister. 2:08.04
COMPETITION SUSPENSION (CSI) SECOND HEAT: (10 Laps) 1. Kevin Thomas, Jr., 2. Karsyn Elledge, 3. Holley Hollan, 4. Tyler Courtney, 5. Clinton Boyles, 6. Sam Johnson, 7. Ray Seach, 8. Shannon McQueen. 2:11.03
AUTOMETER THIRD HEAT: (10 Laps) 1. Zeb Wise, 2. Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., 3. Jerry Coons, Jr., 4. Ace McCarthy, 5. Cannon McIntosh, 6. Cody Weisensel, 7. Oliver Akard. 2:10.53
INDY RACE PARTS FOURTH HEAT: (10 Laps) 1. Dillon Welch, 2. Justin Grant, 3. C.J. Leary, 4. Kyle O'Gara, 5. Cody Swanson, 6. Brayton Lynch, 7. Justin Dickerson, 8. Chris Jagger, Jr., 9. Trey Osborne. 2:12.21
FIFTH HEAT: (10 Laps) 1. Gio Scelzi, 2. Jason McDougal, 3. Tucker Klaasmeyer, 4. Steve Buckwalter, 5. Brent Beauchamp, 6. Austin O'Dell, 7. Conor Daly, 8. Robert Bell, 9. Blaze Bennett. NT
SIXTH HEAT: (10 Laps) 1. Zach Daum, 2. Tanner Carrick, 3. Billy Wease, 4. Chase Jones, 5. Kyle Jones, 6. Andrew Layser, 7. Kendall Ruble, 8. Colten Cottle, 9. Michael Klein. NT
SEVENTH HEAT: (10 Laps) 1. Jake Neuman, 2. Michael Pickens, 3. Christopher Bell, 4. Tony DiMattia, 5. J.J. Yeley, 6. Chris Baue, 7. Dave Darland, 8. Jonathan Beason. NT
EIGHTH HEAT: (10 Laps) 1. Chad Boat, 2. Logan Seavey, 3. Alex Bright, 4. Tyler Thomas, 5. Russ Gamester, 6. Mark Chisholm, 7. Kevin Studley, 8. Maria Cofer, 9. Critter Malone. NT
NINTH HEAT: (10 Laps) 1. Thomas Meseraull, 2. Kyle Larson, 3. Ethan Mitchell, 4. Nick Drake, 5. Aaron Leffel, 6. David Budres, 7. Ryan Hall, 8. Rich Drangmeister, 9. Carson Garrett. NT
TENTH HEAT: (10 Laps) 1. Spencer Bayston, 2. Matt Westfall, 3. Jesse Colwell, 4. Luke Howard, 5. Jeff Wimmenauer, 6. Matt Linder, 7. Tommy Kouns, 8. John Heydenreich. NT
ALSO AT THE TRACK: Lance Bennett (#10 Bennett)
STOOPS PURSUIT RACE: (25 Laps) 1. Kyle Larson (7), 2. Michael Pickens (3), 3. Justin Grant (12), 4. Tyler Courtney (17), 5. Jason McDougal (15), 6. Tanner Carrick (11), 7. Chris Windom (18), 8. Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. (16), 9. Chad Boat (2), 10. 19 Spencer Bayston (4), 11. 67 Logan Seavey (5), 12. Zach Daum (14), 13. Kevin Thomas, Jr. (19), 14. Jesse Colwell (1), 15. Gio Scelzi (10), 16. Jake Neuman (6), 17. Dillon Welch (9), 18. Zeb Wise (13), 19. Brady Bacon (20), 20. Christopher Bell (25), 21. Robert Dalby (24), 22. Kyle O'Gara (21), 23. Jerry Coons, Jr. (23), 24. Thomas Meseraull (8), 25. Chase Briscoe (22). NT
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**Andrew Layser flipped during the sixth heat. Chris Baue flipped during the seventh heat.
STOOPS PURSUIT LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-5 Chad Boat, Laps 6-20 Michael Pickens, Laps 21-22 Kyle Larson, Lap 23 Michael Pickens, Laps 24-25 Kyle Larson.
NEW USAC NOS ENERGY DRINK MIDGET NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS: 1-Tyler Courtney-1,517, 2-Chris Windom-1,403, 3-Logan Seavey-1,350, 4-Zeb Wise-1,286, 5-Kevin Thomas, Jr.-1,284, 6-Chad Boat-1,208, 7-Jerry Coons, Jr.-1,147, 8-Tanner Carrick-1,129, 9-Jason McDougal-1,069, 10-Tucker Klaasmeyer-1,034.
PROSOURCE PASSING MASTER POINTS: 1-Thomas Meseraull-8, 2-Brady Bacon, Chris Windom, Kevin Thomas, Jr. & Spencer Bayston-6, 6-Jerry Coons, Jr., Tanner Carrick & Logan Seavey-5.
NEXT USAC NOS ENERGY DRINK MIDGET NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP RACE: September 5, 2019 - The Dirt Track at Indianapolis Motor Speedway - Speedway, Indiana - Driven2SaveLives BC39 powered by NOS Energy Drink
90 Drivers on Final BC39 Entry List
Posted by: | Comments- The United States Auto Club.
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Contact: Richie Murray - USAC Media / richie@usacracing.com
#21 Christopher Bell (Norman, Okla.)
(Adam Mollenkopf Photo)
90 DRIVERS ON FINAL BC39 ENTRY LIST
By: Richie Murray - USAC Media
Speedway, Indiana (September 2, 2019).........Ninety, count 'em, 90 drivers are on the final entry list for the Driven2SaveLives BC39 powered by NOS Energy Drink on September 4-5 at The Dirt Track at IMS in Speedway, Ind.
The 90 entered drivers marks the third largest field for a USAC NOS Energy Drink Midget National Championship event in the past three decades, which includes 23 USAC National championships and 208 total USAC National Midget feature wins spread out among the 90 drivers, a stacked field from top-to-bottom who are gunning for the $15,000 prize awarded to the winner of the A-Main on Thursday, Sept. 5.
Among the 90 drivers entered are eight drivers who have extensive experience on the famed 2.5-mile oval surrounding the dirt track located in turn three of the infield.
Conor Daly (Noblesville, Ind.) and J.J. Yeley have each finished in the top-ten at the Indianapolis 500, Daly in this past May's race and Yeley in 1998. Yeley has also made eight Brickyard 400 starts, with fellow Brickyard starters Kyle Larson (Elk Grove, Calif.) and Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. (Olive Branch, Miss.) ready to give the BC39 a go along with NASCAR Xfinity Series race veterans Chase Briscoe (Mitchell, Ind.), Christopher Bell (Norman, Okla.) and Chad Boat (Phoenix, Ariz.), who finished as the runner-up in the inaugural BC39 in 2018. Meanwhile, Chris Windom (Canton, Ill.) made a start in this year's Freedom 100 Indy Lights race on Carb Day at IMS.
Broken Arrow, Oklahoma's 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 champ in 2014 and 2016 and one of 11 past USAC National champs in the BC39 lineup, in addition to Yeley (2001 & 2003 Silver Crown, 2002-03 Sprint and 2003 Midget), Bell (2013 Midget) and Windom (2016 Silver Crown & 2017 Sprint).
Tyler Courtney (Indianapolis, Ind.) is the defending USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Car titlist, while Logan Seavey (Sutter, Calif.) is the reigning USAC NOS Energy Drink National Midget champ. Lincoln, Indiana's Dave Darland (1997 Silver Crown, 1999 Sprint, 2001-02 Midget) and Tucson, Arizona's Jerry Coons, Jr. (2008 Silver Crown, 2008 Sprint & 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.
Lebanon, Indiana's Spencer Bayston (2017), Minden, Nevada's Tanner Thorson (2016) and Peru, 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 tallied a USAC NOS Energy Drink National Midget feature victory in their career, 28 drivers to be exact, led by 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), Cullman, Alabama's Kevin Thomas, Jr. (5), Ione, California's Justin Grant (4), Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania's John Heydenreich (4), Auckland, New Zealand's Michael Pickens (4), Pocahontas, Illinois's Zach Daum (3), Noblesville, Indiana's Billy Wease (3), Angola, Indiana's Zeb Wise (3), Pittsboro, Indiana's Critter Malone (2), Windom (2), and single-race winners Steve Buckwalter (Royersford, Pa.), Tanner Carrick (Lincoln, Calif.), Jason McDougal (Broken Arrow, Okla.), Cannon McIntosh (Bixby, Okla.) and Tyler Thomas (Collinsville, Okla.).
Meanwhile, 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. Meseraull has won a pair of non-points midget races in USAC competition, in 2004 at California's Irwindale Speedway and again in 2018 at the Southern Illinois Center in Du Quoin.
USAC Regional series champions are well-represented in the BC39 lineup, namely 2018 Eastern Midget titlist Alex Bright (Collegeville, Pa.), 2017 Gulf Coast Speed2 Midget champ Kyle Jones (Kennedale, Texas), 2017-18 Midwest Thunder Speed2 Midget champion Aaron Leffel (Springfield, Ohio) and 2009 Kenyon Midget champion Dillon Welch (Carmel, Ind.).
USAC's Western States Midgets have brought a strong contingent, including current series point leader Robert Dalby (Anaheim, Calif.), a two-time winner with the series this year, along with 2012 overall series champion Shannon McQueen (Bakersfield, Calif.) and July Santa Maria winner Maria Cofer (Macdoel, Calif.), 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 (Norco, Calif.) is a two-time winner with the series.
Jake Neuman (New Berlin, Ill.) established the 10-lap track record at The Dirt Track at IMS a year ago at 2:06.99. Andrew Layser (Collegeville, Pa.) leads all Rookie drivers in the USAC NOS Energy Drink National Midget point standings.
Brady Bacon captured the inaugural BC39 victory one year ago after starting 7th. He was followed in the top-ten by Chad Boat, Kevin Thomas, Jr., Tyler Courtney, Christopher Bell, Alex Bright, Justin Grant, Holly Shelton, Jerry Coons, Jr. and Ryan Robinson. Rounding out the balance of the field were Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., Chris Windom, Logan Seavey, Zeb Wise, Shane Cottle, Jason McDougal, Maria Cofer, Terry Babb, Brayton Lynch, David Budres, Brian Karraker, Tyler Thomas, Tucker Klaasmeyer, Jake Neuman, Dillon Welch and Dave Darland.
Kevin Thomas, Jr. led the first 30 laps of the event and Bacon the final nine. Zeb Wise captured the 2018 Stoops Pursuit race on the opening night of the BC39.
On track action 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 khartman@brickyard.com.
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.
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)
Wilson Wheels to First USAC Silver Crown Win in Du Quoin
Posted by: | Comments- The United States Auto Club.
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Contact: Richie Murray - USAC Media / richie@usacracing.com
Jacob Wilson (Crawfordsville, Ind.) won his first career USAC Silver Crown race Sunday night in the Ted Horn 100 at the Du Quoin State Fairgrounds.
(Rich Forman Photo)
WILSON WHEELS TO FIRST SILVER CROWN WIN IN Du QUOIN
By: Richie Murray - USAC Media
Du Quoin, Illinois (September 1, 2019).........For the majority of his career, Jacob Wilson has been deemed a "pavement guy."
While that's certainly a testament to his skills on the asphalt where he's earned victories in the Joe James/Pat O'Connor Memorial once and the Little 500 twice, most notably, it was a label that Wilson was anxious to shed.
Nevermind that he's been consistent on the dirt in recent years and even won the pole in his most recent appearance at the Du Quoin State Fairgrounds in 2018.
The Crawfordsville, Ind. driver erased the label Sunday night with a dominant victory in the Ted Horn 100 at the Du Quoin State Fairgrounds, his first career triumph in the USAC Silver Crown Champ Car Series in his 53rd career series start, leading the final 59 laps to notch the win 11 years following his lone career USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Car victory on the Salem, Ind. high banks.
"I'm still a pavement guy, right," Wilson said with a grin. "We still joke about that. It became more apparent the last couple years that, if we did get our first win, it was going to be on the dirt, which is kind of weird. The pavement's still what I love but we just don't have as good of runs anymore."
"Man, this one is special," Wilson continued. "There's so many people that put effort into this thing. To get my brother his first win as a crew chief, to get (Matt) Hummel a win on this thing, my entire family and all the guys, it's special, that's for sure."
Wilson started from the seventh position to begin the 100-miler, which at first, became the race that just couldn't get going. Austin Nemire's car refused to turn on the first turn of the opening lap, sending the Sylvania, Ohio native helplessly into the outside wall. On the lap six restart, Levittown, Pennsylvania's Mike Haggenbottom tagged the turn two wall, sending him into a series of flips. Both drivers walked away from their incidents.
The third try was the charm as the race got into full swing with pole winner Tyler Courtney leading the way and Brady Bacon giving chase, both of whom have won with the series on dirt this year and were both in contention to win last year's Ted Horn 100.
Bacon applied constant pressure to Courtney until sailing around the outside of May Hoosier Hundred winner Tyler Courtney on the outside of turn two on the 19th lap for the race lead as Wilson pulled along to mount a challenge to Courtney for the runner-up spot before falling back into line in third.
Wilson stuck with Courtney for second, and on lap 26, threw his machine past the reigning USAC Sprint champ in turn one for the spot. Bacon's advantage held at five car lengths ahead of Wilson with a quarter of the race in the history books.
Nearing midway, Bacon and Wilson led a two-car breakaway to separate themselves from the pack. On lap 42, Wilson made his move, riding to the outside of Bacon off the fourth turn as the two went wheel to wheel under the flag stand. It became a case of who was going to be the last one to lift, with Wilson gaining the upper hand up top to drive around Bacon and open up a more than two second lead at the crossed flags as he invaded lap traffic.
"This thing was stuck so good, I knew we were going to be able to drive in deeper than Brady," Wilson explained. "It was just one of those deals where if he'd try to drive it in as well, it was a battle of who could get to the cushion and then who could get through the first corner first."
In the second half, Silver Crown races become a questioning of whether enough was saved on your end and whether others have saved fuel and tire-wise to make a run at you down the stretch. Wilson grappled with that as the field endured a long green flag run. In the midst of it, Courtney came alive on the 65th lap, ripping around Bacon in turns one and two for the second spot and cutting the gap to Wilson nearly in half, down to 2.4 seconds.
Despite that, Wilson was cruising with ease, on rails, with his Wilson Brothers Racing/D.D. Eyes - FK Indy/Maxim/Claxton Chevy whoa'd down to 80 percent of its full capability yet was still pulling away from the field. There's good and there's "too good." It's something which actually caused a bit of stress on the mind of Wilson.
"When you have a car this good, you never win with it," Wilson said. "Something always happens. You run out of fuel, you blow a tire, you lose an engine. There's always something that happens."
However, the team felt they had an ace up their sleeve, which worked in their favor.
"(Crew chief and brother) Clint (Wilson) made the call to go with the hard compound, which not a lot people did, I don't think," Wilson explained. "It allowed me to kick it down once we needed to later in the race if I gapped back up. I could kick it down and not have to worry about the tires blowing off of it, just conserve fuel."
But there were several steps along the way to get to that point, namely traffic, where Wilson saw his advantage shrink from nearly three seconds to a second-and-a-half in a two-lap span at the start of the final quarter of the race as he navigated his way by the lapped cars of Chris Urish, Kody Swanson and Austin Mundie.
Wilson was patient, never forcing anything despite the closing deficit and was ultimately able to clear them all as Courtney walked the tightrope on the high line around the traffic, while Wilson gradually reconstructed his lead to three-plus seconds and Courtney became bound up in the throes of gridlock.
Eighth-running Brian Tyler, a 2008 Ted Horn 100 winner, went up in smoke with 14 laps remaining to bring out the yellow, erasing Wilson's gap in a sense, although four lapped cars remained between he and Courtney. With a clear track, Wilson tipped his cap and drove away once again, showing no ill effects from the breaking of his half-race-long stride.
"Once I took back off and (my spotter) had me at 20 car lengths at the end of the first lap, it kind of started to sink in there," Wilson remembered. "Then you start hearing every little noise in it, every little vibration, what's going to let go."
Jacob Wilson's first career triumph in the USAC Silver Crown Champ Car Series camein his 53rd career series start. The win was his second in USAC National competition, 11 years following his lone career USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Car victory on the Salem, Ind. high banks.
(Dallas Breeze Photo)
Behind Wilson, Courtney and Bacon swapped second back-and-forth on laps 92 and 93 before regained the upper hand on lap 94. However, Justin Grant was the man on the move on the final restart, willing himself from eighth to fifth between laps 91 and 95, and an amazing fifth to second run in one fell swoop exiting turn two on lap 96.
Up front, Wilson sealed the deal, running seemingly half-throttle in preservation mode during the final laps, just in case. Yet, the gap widened as all his potential challengers were knee-deep in a scintillating battle for second.
Wilson closed it out to win by 6.330 seconds over Grant, Courtney, 1990 Du Quoin winner Jeff Swindell and Bacon. Wilson became the third first-time winner of the 2019 USAC Silver Crown season following Kyle Hamilton and Bacon.
Meanwhile, the point race tightened up following point leader Kody Swanson's mechanical gremlins throughout the night. His Nolen Racing team lost power to two different engines during practice. Patrick Lawson gave up his ride to Swanson for the main event where the four-time series champ charged from 29th to 14th to earn KSE Racing Products Hard Charger honors.
Tanner Thorson, in his first USAC Silver Crown appearance since 2015, walked away from a vicious accident on the back straightway during practice in which his steering broke, sending him into the inside guardrail and practically splitting the car in half from the dash forward. He walked away uninjured.
Contingency award winners Sunday night at the Du Quoin State Fairgrounds included Tyler Courtney (Fatheadz Eyewear Fast Qualifier), Kody Swanson (KSE Racing Products Hard Charger) and Kyle Steffens (WIlwood Brakes 13th Place Finisher).
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USAC SILVER CROWN CHAMP CAR SERIES RACE RESULTS: September 1, 2019 - Du Quoin State Fairgrounds - Du Quoin, Illinois - Ted Horn 100
FATHEADZ EYEWEAR QUALIFYING: 1. Tyler Courtney, 97, Lein-30.627; 2. Brady Bacon, 6, Klatt-30.797; 3. Shane Cockrum, 71, Hardy-30.845; 4. Jerry Coons, Jr., 55, Bateman-31.100; 5. Chad Kemenah, 15, Hampshire/Kemenah-31.123; 6. Kevin Thomas, Jr., 56, Foxco-31.182; 7. Jacob Wilson, 07, WBR-31.454; 8. Chris Urish, 77, Urish-31.496; 9. Justin Grant, 91, Hemelgarn-31.617; 10. Chris Windom, 17, Goodnight/Byrd-31.677; 11. David Byrne, 40, Byrne-31.715; 12. Jimmy Light, 123, Two-Three-31.857; 13. Austin Nemire, 16, Nemire/Lesko-31.886; 14. Matt Goodnight, 39, Goodnight-31.923; 15. Jeff Swindell, 21, Swanson-31.932; 16. Mike Haggenbottom, 24, Haggenbottom-32.058; 17. Casey Buckman, 74, C-Buck-32.074; 18. Eric Gordon, 78, Armstrong/Slinkard-32.333; 19. Austin Mundie, 47, Butler-32.365; 20. Travis Welpott, 18, Welpott/Gorman-32.409; 21. Brian Tyler, 12, Galas-32.410; 22. Dallas Hewitt, 57, Hewitt-32.467; 23. Bill Rose, 66, Rose-32.628; 24. A.J. Fike, 14, McQuinn-32.772; 25. Kyle Steffens, 08, Steffens-32.773; 26. Patrick Lawson, 2, Lawson-32.911; 27. Kyle Robbins, 7, KR-32.937; 28. Ronnie Wuerdeman, 33, Wuerdeman-33.125; 29. Terry Babb, 34, Morford-33.442; 30. John Heydenreich, 43, Felker-33.624; 31. Danny Long, 44, Long-34.571; 32. Dave Berkheimer, 31, Berkheimer-35.283; 33. Steve Buckwalter, 53, Five Three-NT; 34. C.J. Leary, 10, DMW-NT; 35. Kody Swanson, 20, Nolen-NT; 36. Korey Weyant, 99, Weyant-NT; 37. Shane Cottle, 81, Williams-NT; 38. Tanner Thorson, 9, Dyson-NT.
FEATURE: (100 laps, starting position in parentheses) 1. Jacob Wilson (6), 2. Justin Grant (8), 3. Tyler Courtney (1), 4. Jeff Swindell (13), 5. Brady Bacon (2), 6. Chris Windom (9), 7. David Byrne (10), 8. Kevin Thomas, Jr. (5), 9. Chad Kemenah (4), 10. Matt Goodnight (12), 11. Casey Buckman (15), 12. Jimmy Light (11), 13. Kyle Steffens (22), 14. Kody Swanson (#2 Lawson) (29), 15. Austin Mundie (17), 16. Chris Urish (7), 17. John Heydenreich (25), 18. A.J. Fike (21), 19. Travis Welpott (18), 20. Kyle Robbins (23), 21. Brian Tyler (19), 22. Bill Rose (28), 23. Jerry Coons, Jr. (3), 24. Dallas Hewitt (20), 25. Eric Gordon (16), 26. Ronnie Wuerdeman (31), 27. Mike Haggenbottom (14), 28. Terry Babb (24), 29. Dave Berkheimer (26), 30. C.J. Leary (30), 31. Austin Nemire (27). NT
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**Tanner Thorson flipped during practice. Mike Haggenbottom flipped on lap 6 of the feature.
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-18 Tyler Courtney, Laps 19-41 Brady Bacon, Laps 42-100 Jacob Wilson.
KSE RACING PRODUCTS HARD CHARGER: Kody Swanson (29th to 14th)
WILWOOD BRAKES 13TH PLACE FINISHER: Kyle Steffens
NEW USAC SILVER CROWN CHAMP CAR SERIES POINTS: 1-Kody Swanson-504, 2-Justin Grant-465, 3-David Byrne-401, 4-Eric Gordon-344, 5-Bobby Santos-326, 6-Kyle Hamilton-317, 7-Mike Haggenbottom-299, 8-Chris Windom-296, 9-Kevin Thomas, Jr.-293, 10-Austin Nemire-280.
NEXT USAC SILVER CROWN CHAMP CAR SERIES RACE: September 7, 2019 - Lucas Oil Raceway - Brownsburg, Indiana - Rich Vogler Classic
Nearly 200 Wins Represented in BC39 Lineup Thus Far
Posted by: | Comments- The United States Auto Club.
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Contact: Richie Murray - USAC Media / richie@usacracing.com
#39BC Zeb Wise, a three-time USAC NOS Energy Drink National Midget feature winner, is entered to compete in the Sept. 4-5 Driven2SaveLives BC39 powered by NOS Energy Drink at The Dirt Track at IMS.
(Adam Mollenkopf Photo)
NEARLY 200 WINS REPRESENTED IN BC39 LINEUP THUS FAR
By: Richie Murray - USAC Media
Speedway, Indiana (August 26, 2019).........There's no questioning the difficulty of winning a feature event on the USAC NOS Energy Drink Midget National Championship trail.
One must be at the top of your game, up in the seat, and prepared for anything thrown in your direction, situationally or slider-wise.
There's no slouching on this year's 87-car, and growing, entry list for the Sept. 4-5 Driven2SaveLives BC39 powered by NOS Energy Drink at The Dirt Track at IMS. Nearly one-third of the field possesses a feature victory in the series, totaling 194 wins amongst 27 drivers.
Thirty of those 194 wins are held by 26th place BC39 finisher Dave Darland, which ranks the Lincoln, Ind. driver 11th all-time with the likes of Mick McGreevy and 12-time Indianapolis 500 starter Johnny Parsons.
Fifth place BC39 finisher in 2018, Christopher Bell owns 23 wins in the series and has been a constant of sustained success for much of the decade despite limited appearances over the past half-decade, winning nine of 26 starts since becoming a part-time USAC Midget competitor in 2015 following a championship run in 2013.
Jerry Coons, Jr. has routinely knocked out top-tens and top-fives with the series for more than two decades. The two-time series champion from Tucson, Ariz. finished 9th in the BC39 last year and possesses 19 series victories, most among all full-time series competitors.
Like Bell, Kyle Larson has been a semi-regular competitor on the USAC NOS Energy Drink National Midget tour for much of the decade, but their talent supersedes the limited amount of seat time in a midget they have each year. The Elk Grove, Calif. native has been in position to win in three of his six series starts this season, winning once at The Dirt Oval at Route 66 in June for the 16th of his career, and was challenging for the victory on the final lap at both Putnamville, Ind. and Kutztown, Pa.
Tanner Thorson made a miraculous comeback from injuries suffered in a road accident in March of this year. With the scars remaining visible and the determination burning inside of him, the 2016 series champ from Minden, Nevada, charged from 15th to 1st in Putnamville's round of Indiana Midget Week in June, the furthest back any driver has started and won from this year, his 13th in the series.
Russ Gamester's long and distinguished and career has seen wins in all three of USAC's National divisions, including 12 in the Midget series where he collected the 1984 series Rookie of the Year and the 1989 driver championship. Gamester (Peru, Ind.), along with Coons, completed IndyCar tests with Panther Racing in 2000 at Texas Motor Speedway, but never quite got their shot on the 2.5-mile oval.
Tyler Courtney has more than doubled his USAC NOS Energy Drink National Midget win tally in just half a season in 2019, jumping from five to 11 victories in search of a first series title, leading the points as it stands now, just one year removed from claiming the USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Car championship.
Phoenix, Arizona's Chad Boat, son of 1998 Indianapolis 500 pole sitter and 1998 Texas Indy Racing League winner Billy Boat, could be the next to reach the double-digit win club with the series after finishing second in the inaugural BC39, which would break a tie he holds with his father where they both stand at nine wins.
Defending BC39 winner Brady Bacon (Broken Arrow, Okla.) earned his seventh and most recent series victory at IMS last summer. Reigning series champ Logan Seavey (Sutter, Calif.), 13th in 2018, has six while 2017 champ Spencer Bayston (Lebanon, Ind.) has five alongside two-time NASCAR Monster Energy Cup winner Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. (Olive Branch, Miss.), 11th in 2018, and Kevin Thomas, Jr. (Cullman, Ala.), who led the first 30 laps of last year's BC39 before finishing 3rd.
The group of four-time winners is an eclectic bunch with 7th place BC39 finisher Justin Grant (Ione, Calif.), 1990 Chili Bowl Midget Nationals victor John Heydenreich (Bloomsburg, Pa.) and Auckland, New Zealand's racing hero, Michael Pickens, the winningest driver from outside of the USA in USAC National Midget history.
Two-time Indiana Midget Week champion Shane Cottle (Kansas, Ill.), 15th in 2018, is a part of the three-win club with 2013 Hut 100 winner Zach Daum (Pocahontas, Ill.), 2006 Turkey Night Grand Prix winner Billy Wease and last year's Stoops Pursuit winner at the BC39, Zeb Wise (Angola, Ind.), 14th in 2018.
Pittsboro's Critter Malone, whose father Shim was a long-time chief starter for USAC, has two National Midget victories to his credit, as does Chris Windom (Canton, Ill.), 12th in 2018, who earned his first pair of wins this year after making more than 100-plus starts over the past decade before finally breaking through.
Those with just a single piece of USAC National Midget hardware in their trophy case are versatile Sprint Car, Midget and Silver Crown standout Steve Buckwalter (Royersford, Pa.), 2018 Jason Leffler Memorial winner Tyler Thomas (Collinsville, Okla.), 22nd in 2018, and three drivers who've each tallied victory number one this calendar year, Tanner Carrick (Lincoln, Calif.), Jason McDougal (Broken Arrow, Okla.), 16th in 2018, and Cannon McIntosh (Bixby, Okla.).
With all that said, it takes just one win to put your name into the record book. And if that one just so happens to be the upcoming Driven2SaveLives BC39 powered by NOS Energy Drink, that's one that will not soon be forgotten by the driver, the team, the fans and, yes, the record book.
Teams can file their entry for the event at www.TheBC39.com, where they may also purchase pit and parking passes for the two-night USAC NOS Energy Drink Midget National Championship event.
There are three options for viewing the racing action and also having pit pass access. You can purchase a competitor pit pass only where no seat is included with limited viewing of the track. Secondly, you can purchase a competitor pit pass with reserved seating included, which are available in the lower level of the main grandstands. Both options are available on www.thebc39.com/.
Competitor/crew seating has been added as a special general admission-only section in the main grandstand for the upcoming Driven2SaveLives BC39 powered by NOS Energy Drink at The Dirt Track at IMS on September 4-5. Pits are located outside turns three and four this year, giving competitors and crews direct access to the grandstands.
Parking will also be available on both ends of the track for those with infield parking passes. Each entry filed will come with two VIP parking passes for inside parking at IMS. All others must either purchase inside parking or park outside of turns three and four of the 2.5-mile paved oval track.
Spectator tickets are on sale now and can be purchased at www.indianapolismotorspeedway.com/events/usac/buy-tickets.
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 khartman@brickyard.com.
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.
On track action 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.
BY THE NUMBERS:
(194 total USAC NOS Energy Drink National Midget Wins represented in the Driven2SaveLives BC39 powered by NOS Energy Drink Lineup)
1. [30 wins] Dave Darland
2. [23 wins] Christopher Bell
3. [19 wins] Jerry Coons Jr.
4. [16 wins] Kyle Larson
5. [13 wins] Tanner Thorson
6. [12 wins] Russ Gamester
7. [11 wins] Tyler Courtney
8. [9 wins] Chad Boat
9. [7 wins] Brady Bacon
10. [6 wins] Logan Seavey
11. [5 wins] Spencer Bayston, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. & Kevin Thomas, Jr.
14. [4 wins] Justin Grant, John Heydenreich, Michael Pickens
17. [3 wins] Shane Cottle, Zach Daum, Billy Wease & Zeb Wise
21. [2 wins] Critter Malone & Chris Windom
23. [1 win] Steve Buckwalter, Tanner Carrick, Jason McDougal, Cannon McIntosh & Tyler Thomas
USAC NATIONAL MIDGET DRIVER CHAMPIONS IN THE BC39:
1989: Russ Gamester
2001: Dave Darland
2002: Dave Darland
2006: Jerry Coons, Jr.
2007: Jerry Coons, Jr.
2013: Christopher Bell
2016: Tanner Thorson
2017: Spencer Bayston
2018: Logan Seavey
USAC NATIONAL MIDGET ROOKIES OF THE YEAR IN THE BC39:
1984: Russ Gamester
2007: Ricky Stenhouse, Jr.
2008: Chad Boat
2009: Zach Daum
2011: Kyle Larson
2013: Christopher Bell
2014: Kevin Thomas, Jr.
2015: Spencer Bayston
2017: Tanner Carrick
2018: Logan Seavey
Ted Horn 100 Brings Magic to Du Quoin Sunday
Posted by: | Comments- The United States Auto Club.
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Contact: Richie Murray - USAC Media / richie@usacracing.com
#91 Justin Grant, second in USAC Silver Crown points heading into Sunday's Ted Horn 100 at the Du Quoin State Fairgrounds in Illinois.
(Adam Mollenkopf Photo)
TED HORN 100 BRINGS MAGIC TO THE Du QUOIN MILE SUNDAY
By: Richie Murray - USAC Media
Du Quoin, Illinois (August 26, 2019).........The Du Quoin State Fairgrounds have been a staple on the AAA and USAC Championship Car racing trail since 1948. Seven decades later, the spectacular sight of a full field of USAC Silver Crown cars rumbling down the front stretch of the one-mile dirt oval in southern Illinois sends a chill down the spine.
The chill, and the roar, returns this Sunday night, September 1, with the Ted Horn 100, honoring the late, great three-time AAA National Champion, National Sprint Car Hall of Famer and 1947 Indianapolis 500 pole winner who finished in the top-four at the Brickyard in nine consecutive races between 1936 and 1948. He lost his life in the peak of his career in a racing accident at Du Quoin in October of 1948 at the age of 38.
Horn's legacy remains today as the namesake of the grand event where two-time race winner Chris Windom led only six laps in the 2018 edition, preserving his machinery down the stretch to win and complete the sweep of both Illinois dirt miles after winning at Springfield just weeks before. The Canton, Ill. driver won his first at Du Quoin in 2016 en route to the series title.
Local favorite Shane Cockrum of Benton, Ill. finished 3rd in last year's Ted Horn 100 to earn his sixth-straight top-five finish at Magic Mile. The race will mark his final appearance for Hardy Boys Motorsports at Du Quoin where, together, they've earned two victories in 2014 and 2015, plus a 4th (2013), 5th (2016), 2nd (2017) and a 3rd (2018).
Point leader Kody Swanson has won the Ted Horn 100 twice in his unparalleled Silver Crown career. In 2010, he captured the first of his record 28 career series victories at Du Quoin. In 2017, the Kingsburg, Calif. driver netted his second in the event. The four-time series champion enters his 101st start Sunday night following wins in the two most recent races at Salem, Ind. and Madison, Wisc., two of his series-leading four scores this season. The Nolen Racing No. 20 in which he competes with this year led the first six laps of last year's contest with driver Jerry Coons, Jr.
The field is expected to possess five additional one-time Du Quoin winners in Jeff Swindell (1990), Russ Gamester (1997), Shane Cottle (2007), Brian Tyler (2008) and Chris Urish (2013).
Kevin Thomas, Jr. (Cullman, Ala.) finished second in last year's Ted Horn 100 behind Windom and enters Sunday's race with four-straight top-two finishes on the dirt with the series. Williams Grove winner Brady Bacon (Broken Arrow, Okla.) paced the field for 28 laps in the 2018 100-miler before dropping out with a clutch problem while leading. USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Car point leader C.J. Leary (Greenfield, Ind.) led a race-high 53 laps in 2018, running out of fuel while leading, but soldiering on to a 9th place finish. Hoosier Hundred winner Tyler Courtney (Indianapolis, Ind.) led seven laps late in the going, but ran out of fuel, settling for a 14th place finish.
No driver owns more Champ Car wins under AAA and USAC sanction at Du Quoin than A.J. Foyt with six. Gary Bettenhausen has been victorious in five while Mario Andretti, Tony Bettenhausen, Tom Bigelow, Chuck Gurney and Jack Hewitt each have three. Those with a pair of Du Quoin wins include Jimmy Bryan, Shane Cockrum, Sam Hanks, Tracy Hines, Johnny Parsons, Kody Swanson, Al Unser and Chris Windom.
1951 Indianapolis 500 winner Lee Wallard won the first appearance of AAA National Championship cars at Du Quoin in 1948. Ted Horn finished third behind Wallard and Myron Fohr.
Nine different Illinois drivers have won at Du Quoin, including Tinley Park's Tony Bettenhausen (1949 & twice in 1951), Rantoul's Don Branson (1965), Danville's Bubby Jones (1976), Tinley Park's Gary Bettenhausen (twice in 1980, 1982, 1983 & 1988), Chicago's Rich Vogler (1981), Kansas' Shane Cottle (2007), Elkhart's Chris Urish (2013), Benton's Shane Cockrum (2014 & 2015) and Canton's Chris Windom (2016 & 2018).
Pits and registration open at 1pm, grandstands open at 4pm, practice at 5pm, qualifying at 6:30 with the Ted Horn 100 scheduled for an 8:15pm start. All times central.
Tickets will be available on raceday or by calling the Du Quoin Fair office at 618-542-1535. Info and tickets can also be obtained by calling the Track Enterprises office at 217-764-3200.
Advance tickets are $25 for adults and $10 for children 11 and under. On the day of the race, adults are $30 and children 11 and under are $10. Pit passes are $35 apiece for adults and $20 for children 11 and under.
Sunday's Ted Horn 100 will have live, flag-to-flag coverage on FloRacing. You can listen to live audio of the broadcast for free on the USAC app or follow along with live updates on https://www.facebook.com/usacracing/ and https://twitter.com/USACNation/ with live timing and scoring available on both the USAC and Race-Monitor apps.
AAA/USAC CHAMP CAR WINNERS AT Du QUOIN:
1948: Lee Wallard & Johnnie Parsons
1949: Tony Bettenhausen
1951: Tony Bettenhausen & Tony Bettenhausen
1952: Chuck Stevenson
1953: Sam Hanks
1954: Sam Hanks
1955: Jimmy Bryan
1956: Jimmy Bryan
1957: Jud Larson
1958: Johnny Thomson
1959: Rodger Ward
1960: A.J. Foyt
1961: A.J. Foyt
1963: A.J. Foyt
1964: A.J. Foyt
1965: Don Branson
1966: Bud Tingelstad
1967: A.J. Foyt
1968: Mario Andretti
1969: Al Unser
1970: Al Unser
1971: George Snider
1972: Tom Bigelow & A.J. Foyt
1973: Mario Andretti
1974: Mario Andretti
1975: Tom Bigelow
1976: Bubby Jones
1977: Tom Bigelow
1978: Pancho Carter
1979: Bill Vukovich
1980: Gary Bettenhausen & Gary Bettenhausen
1981: Rich Vogler
1982: Gary Bettenhausen
1983: Gary Bettenhausen
1984: Joe Saldana
1985: Rick Hood
1986: Jack Hewitt
1987: Jack Hewitt
1988: Gary Bettenhausen
1989: Chuck Gurney
1990: Jeff Swindell
1991: Stevie Reeves
1992: Johnny Parsons
1993: Jack Hewitt
1994: Chuck Gurney
1995: Johnny Parsons
1996: Chuck Gurney
1997: Russ Gamester
1998: Jimmy Sills
1999: Tony Elliott
2000: Kasey Kahne
2001: Paul White
2002: J.J. Yeley
2003: Rich Tobias, Jr.
2004: Tyler Walker
2005: Tracy Hines
2006: Tracy Hines
2007: Shane Cottle
2008: Brian Tyler
2010: Kody Swanson
2011: Kyle Larson
2013: Chris Urish
2014: Shane Cockrum
2015: Shane Cockrum
2016: Chris Windom
2017: Kody Swanson
2018: Chris Windom
AAA/USAC CHAMP CAR WINS AT Du QUOIN:
1. (6) A.J. Foyt
2. (5) Gary Bettenhausen
3. (3) Mario Andretti, Tony Bettenhausen, Tom Bigelow, Chuck Gurney & Jack Hewitt
8. (2) Jimmy Bryan, Shane Cockrum, Sam Hanks, Tracy Hines, Johnny Parsons, Kody Swanson, Al Unser & Chris Windom
16. (1) Don Branson, Pancho Carter, Shane Cottle, Tony Elliott, Russ Gamester, Rick Hood, Bubby Jones, Kasey Kahne, Jud Larson, Kyle Larson, Johnnie Parsons, Stevie Reeves, Joe Saldana, Jimmy Sills, George Snider, Chuck Stevenson, Jeff Swindell, Johnny Thomson, Bud Tingelstad, Rich Tobias, Jr., Brian Tyler, Chris Urish, Rich Vogler, Bill Vukovich, Tyler Walker, Lee Wallard, Rodger Ward, Paul White & J.J. Yeley
Courtney the King of Smackdown VIII at Kokomo
Posted by: | Comments- The United States Auto Club.
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Contact: Richie Murray - USAC Media / richie@usacracing.com
Tyler Courtney (Indianapolis, Ind.) became a two-time Sprint Car Smackdown winner Saturday night at Kokomo Speedway.
(Gene Crucean Photo)
COURTNEY THE KING OF SMACKDOWN VIII AT KOKOMO
By: Richie Murray - USAC Media
Kokomo, Indiana (August 24, 2019).........After positioning himself as King of the Hill earlier in the evening to earn a starting spot on the pole position for the feature, Tyler Courtney emerged as king of the mountaintop with his Smackdown VIII victory Saturday night, leading all 40 laps to join three-time winner Dave Darland in becoming the second multi-time victor of the event at Kokomo Speedway.
The win was Courtney's series-leading sixth USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Car feature win of the season. Yet, it came with its share of peaks and valleys throughout the weekend after Courtney and the Clauson/Marshall/Newman Racing crew endured a nasty qualifying flip in Friday's program that damaged the frame. The team weathered the storm with a fourth place finish that evening but were hopeful for so much more in Saturday's $11,000-to-win finale.
"The crew was welding on it this morning," Courtney recalled. "These guys haven't stopped since they brought the car back in from qualifying (on Friday). We had a moment in hot laps today and were scrambling for a bit. We kind of thought that maybe we were doing something wrong. We got it going pretty good there in the King of the Hill and put ourselves in the cat bird seat to where we could run our own race in the feature."
It was the Indianapolis, Indiana native's 23rd career USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Car triumph, tying him for 23rd all-time alongside A.J. Foyt and Roger McCluskey to go along with his fourth career win during "Smackdown" and second overall during the main event on the final night. While the previous triumph in 2017 was certainly sweet in so many ways for it being his first, to Courtney, Saturday's night's score had a little extra kick to its sweetness after how the team persevered following trying circumstances.
"I think this one's even more special just because of what we've had to overcome," Courtney explained. "But we don't let it get us down. It seems like when we get down, we come out and win. To get a win like this is huge. These guys have been working their tails off all weekend, really all year, and we got it done."
Courtney emerged as the leader on the opening lap, after sliding to the top as a four-wide scramble for the lead involving he, Justin Grant, C.J. Leary and Kyle Cummins ensued in turn two. Courtney maintained his advantage at the head of the field to lead lap one while Cummins flexed his muscle, splitting between Leary and Grant to slide from fourth to second and begin his race-long pursuit of Courtney.
Cummins, who won his first career USAC feature at Kokomo during the Indiana Sprint Week round of 2016, hounded Courtney relentlessly for the duration of the 40-lapper, the second race of such distance so far this year.
By lap 15, the leaders were working lapped traffic with a three-wide conundrum awaiting just ahead. With Cummins within earshot, Courtney broke through the pack as Isaac Chapple, Thomas Meseraull and Dustin Smith battled for position, briefly pausing Cummins' pursuit before he too broke through between turns one and two a lap leader all while Courtney constructed a one second advantage up front after the two cut through the thick of the traffic.
Following a turn two spin by 10th running Carson Short on the 24th lap, the yellow took away Courtney's advantage and bunched Cummins up right behind the reigning USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Car champ for the restart. Courtney wasn't frazzled by any means, for he knew the longer race and having the open road lying ahead of him played into his hands just as long as he didn't let Cummins' pressure press him into troubled waters.
"I feel like I'm pretty good at managing a race the longer they are," Courtney said. "I can get out and do my own thing that I was wanting to do. Kyle showed me a nose a couple of times. I just tried to not let it push me too hard to where I made a mistake."
That was put into fruition immediately as Cummins appeared to underneath, side-by-side with Cummins in turns one and two on the ensuing restart. Yet, Courtney never made a false move and kept on trekking his course ahead as Cummins remained in his shadow two to three car lengths behind.
It was the Indianapolis, Indiana native's 23rd career USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Car triumph, tying him for 23rd alongside A.J. Foyt and Roger McCluskey.
(Ryan Sellers Photo)
The song remained the same following a caution for debris between turns one and two with eight laps remaining. However, this time, Courtney got a much better restart, initially jumping out to a five car length lead ahead of Cummins. Although starts and restarts are part of the game, it doesn't necessarily mean it's something a driver looks forward to, especially when sitting in the precarious position of the lead and not knowing what's going down behind you.
"I don't like restarts," Courtney admitted. "I'm not very good at them. I'd like things to go green to checkered if possible. But you've got to be ready for them and you've got to be good at all of it. That's one of my weaker points that I'm working on. I didn't know how many laps we had to go either, so I was just running as hard as I could because that's what you've got to do in these races. Everyone's so close and you can't slouch any lap. You have to be full speed ahead for 40 laps in tonight's case."
Cummins remained on the chase, scraping the front straightway and turn two walls as he squeezed every ounce he could out of his Rock Steady Racing No. 3R. Yet, Courtney just wasn't going to be deterred en route to victory on this night aboard his Clauson-Marshall-Newman Racing/NOS Energy Drink - Competition Suspension, Inc./Spike/Rider Chevy as he closed out a wire-to-wire victory by 0.758 of a second over Cummins, Leary, Grant and Friday night's winner Logan Seavey.
Contingency award winners Saturday night at Kokomo Speedway were Brady Bacon (Simpson Race Products First Heat Winner), Jason McDougal (Competition Suspension, Inc. Second Heat Winner), Hunter Schuerenberg (AutoMeter Third Heat Winner), Chris Windom (Indy Race Parts Semi Winner), Chris Windom (Crume Evans Insurance/KSE Racing Products Hard Charger), Tyler Courtney (B & W Auto Mart King of the Hill Winner), Tyler Courtney (Elliott's Custom Trailers & Carts/Tony Elliott Foundation Winning Bonus), Landon Simon (ProSource Hard Work Award), Josh Hodges (American Racing Ministries Final Semi Transfer), Josh Hodges (Wilwood Brakes 13th Place Finisher), Matt Goodnight (Saldana Racing Products/Hoosier Racing Tire First Non-Transfer), Thomas Meseraull (Weld Cool Move of the Race), Kyle Cummins (Weld Cool Move of the Race) and Reinbold/Underwood Motorsports (Weld Cool Move of the Race) and Dustin Smith (Smackdown Rookie of the Year).
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USAC AMSOIL SPRINT CAR NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP RACE RESULTS: August 24, 2019 - Kokomo Speedway - Kokomo, Indiana - Sprint Car Smackdown VIII
SIMPSON RACE PRODUCTS FIRST QUALIFYING RACE: (10 laps, top-3 transfer to the feature) 1. Brady Bacon (#69 Dynamics), 2. Carson Short (#21 RCM), 3. Dave Darland (#36D Darland/Curb-Agajanian), 4. Cole Ketcham (#41 Ketcham), 5. Max Adams (#5m Adams), 6. Tye Mihocko (#5 Mihocko), 7. Brian VanMeveren (#24 VanMeveren). 2:14.56
COMPETITION SUSPENSION (CSI) SECOND QUALIFYING RACE: (10 laps, top-3 transfer to the feature) 1. Jason McDougal (#71p Daigh/Phillips), 2. Scotty Weir (#4p Pedersen), 3. Timmy Buckwalter (#7 LNB), 4. Isaac Chapple (#52 LNR/Chapple), 5. Josh Hodges (#74x Hodges), 6. Anthony D'Alessio (#01 D'Alessio), 7. Dustin Christie (#75 Christie), 8. Steve Thomas (#20 Thomas). 2:16.08
AUTOMETER THIRD QUALIFYING RACE: (10 laps, top-3 transfer to the feature) 1. Hunter Schuerenberg (#19BS Reinbold/Underwood), 2. Dustin Smith (#77 Smith), 3. Landon Simon (#23s Simon), 4. Corey Smith (#66s CS), 5. Matt Goodnight (#39 Goodnight), 6. Chris Windom (#5G Parallax/Goacher), 7. Shane Cottle (#2E Epperson), 8. Clinton Boyles (#57 Hazen). NT
B & W AUTO MART KING OF THE HILL: (First Round) #8 Kyle Cummins (#3R Rock Steady) defeats #1 Justin Grant (#4 TOPP) 41.99. #4 C.J. Leary (#19AZ Reinbold/Underwood) defeats #5 Chase Stockon (#32 32 TBI) 42.02. #3 Thomas Meseraull (#47 Eades) defeats #6 Logan Seavey (#19s Reinbold/Underwood) 41.58. #2 Tyler Courtney (#7BC Clauson/Marshall/Newman) defeats #7 Kevin Thomas, Jr. (#19 Hayward/Thomas) 42.67.
B & W AUTO MART KING OF THE HILL: (Semifinals) #4 Leary defeats #8 Cummins 40.98 (New Track Record). #2 Courtney defeats #3 Meseraull 41.11.
B & W AUTO MART KING OF THE HILL: (Finals) #2 Courtney defeats #4 Leary 41.56.
SEMI: (12 laps, top-5 transfer to the feature) 1. Chris Windom, 2. Cole Ketcham, 3. Isaac Chapple, 4. Corey Smith, 5. Josh Hodges, 6. Matt Goodnight, 7. Max Adams, 8. Anthony D'Alessio, 9. Brian VanMeveren, 10. Steve Thomas, 11. Tye Mihocko, 12. Dustin Christie. NT
FEATURE: (40 laps, starting position in parentheses) 1. Tyler Courtney (1), 2. Kyle Cummins (4), 3. C.J. Leary (2), 4. Justin Grant (5), 5. Logan Seavey (7), 6. Kevin Thomas, Jr. (8), 7. Brady Bacon (9), 8. Chris Windom (18), 9. Jason McDougal (10), 10. Chase Stockon (6), 11. Hunter Schuerenberg (11), 12. Scotty Weir (13), 13. Josh Hodges (22), 14. Max Adams (23), 15. Isaac Chapple (20), 16. Dustin Smith (14), 17. Corey Smith (21), 18. Carson Short (12), 19. Timmy Buckwalter (16), 20. Dave Darland (15), 21. Thomas Meseraull (3), 22. Cole Ketcham (19), 23. Landon Simon (17). NT
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**Clinton Boyles and Shane Cottle flipped during the third heat. Thomas Meseraull flipped during King of the Hill.
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-40 Tyler Courtney.
CRUME EVANS INSURANCE/KSE RACING PRODUCTS HARD CHARGER: Chris Windom (18th to 8th)
WILWOOD BRAKES 13TH PLACE FINISHER: Josh Hodges
SALDANA RACING PRODUCTS FIRST NON-TRANSFER: Matt Goodnight
PROSOURCE HARD WORK AWARD: Landon Simon
NEW USAC AMSOIL SPRINT CAR NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS: 1-C.J. Leary-1,702, 2-Tyler Courtney-1,581, 3-Brady Bacon-1,564, 4-Justin Grant-1,525, 5-Kevin Thomas, Jr.-1,524, 6-Chris Windom-1,495, 7-Chase Stockon-1,472, 8-Jason McDougal-1,294, 9-Carson Short-1,273, 10-Isaac Chapple-991.
FINAL PROSOURCE SMACKDOWN VIII PASSING MASTER POINTS: 1-Chris Windom-23, 2-Brady Bacon-14, 3-Josh Hodges-9, 4-Jason McDougal-8, 5-Carson Short-8, 6-Tyler Courtney-7, 7-Scotty Weir-5, 8-Isaac Chapple-5, 9-Hunter Schuerenberg-4, 10-Corey Smith-4.
NEXT USAC AMSOIL SPRINT CAR NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP RACE: August 29, 2019 - Tri-City Speedway - Granite City, Illinois - BRANDT River Town Showdown
