By Richie Murray
Speedway, Indiana (July 23, 2022)………The entry list has hit 50 for the fourth running of the Driven2SaveLives BC39 Presented by WeatherTech.
A New Zealand Speedcar champion and a past Chili Bowl Midget Nationals champ headline the latest entries filed for the USAC NOS Energy Drink Midget National Championship events on August 3-4 at The Dirt Track at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Michael Pickens, Travis Buckley, John Heydenreich, Michelle Decker, Chris Baue and Peter Paulson have pushed the field over the half-century mark with just a week-and-a-half remaining until race day at the 1/4-mile dirt oval.
Auckland’s Pickens is a nine-time New Zealand Midget champion and four-time USAC National Midget feature winner who will make his return to the United States following a three-year hiatus. He’ll drive the Shophouse Racing number 17. Fellow New Zealander Travis Buckley, also from Auckland, will make his BC39 debut in the seat of the BSL Racing number 7NZ.
Heydenreich (Bloomsburg, Pa.) comes in as a winner of both the Chili Bowl and the Hut 100 in his career and will pilot his own number 22 for the BC39 event. Decker (Guthrie, Okla.) was the first female to win a points championship at the Oklahoma City Fairgrounds and is also a winner in USAC Western States Midget competition.
They’ll be joined by the likes of inaugural BC39 winner Brady Bacon (Broken Arrow, Okla.), USAC Triple Crown champion J.J. Yeley, along with fellow USAC national champions Tyler Courtney (Indianapolis, Ind.) and Justin Grant (Ione, Calif.), plus Daytona 500 winner Ryan Newman (South Bend, Ind.), 10-time World of Outlaws Sprint Car titlist Donny Schatz (Fargo, N.D.), NASCAR Cup Series winner Chase Briscoe (Mitchell, Ind.) and NASCAR Truck Series champion Sheldon Creed (Alpine, Calif.), along with many, many more.
The BC39 officially gets underway on Tuesday, August 2 with team parking at Noon Eastern followed by the heat race position draft. 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.
On track action begins Wednesday, August 3, beginning with the drivers meeting in the IMS Media Room at 2pm Eastern. Public gates open at 3pm with cars hitting the track for practice at 4pm, followed by opening ceremonies at 7pm. Heat races and the incredibly exciting Stoops Pursuit feature race will conclude the night’s racing action.
The finale, on Thursday, August 4, will have the public gates opening at 3pm and cars on track for practice at 4pm, with qualifying races to follow at 5pm. Opening ceremonies are slated for 7:30pm and immediately followed by the main feature events, the semi-feature and the 39-lap main event.
Driver/team registration and race tickets can be purchased via www.TheBC39.com.
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ENTRY LIST FOR THE DRIVEN2SAVELIVES BC39 PRESENTED BY WEATHERTECH:
(50 entries as of July 23, 2022)
0G J.J. YELEY/Phoenix, AZ (Glenn Styres Racing)
06 RYLAN GRAY/Greenfield, IN (Gray Racing)
1 RYAN THOMAS/Indianapolis, IN (Wingo Brothers Racing)
2J JUSTIN GRANT/Ione, CA (RMS Racing)
3G KYLE CUMMINS/Princeton, IN (Glenn Styres Racing)
5 CHASE BRISCOE/Mitchell, IN (Chase Briscoe Racing)
5J JOSH HODGE/Brownsburg, IN (Bill Rose Racing)
5LK JORDAN KINSER/Bedford, IN (Chase Briscoe Racing)
6 BILL ROSE/Plainfield, IN (Bill Rose Racing)
6x ISAAC CHAPPLE/Willow Branch, IN (Doug & Wanda Hall)
7 SHANNON MCQUEEN/Tehachapi, CA (McQueen Racing)
7BC TYLER COURTNEY/Indianapolis, IN (Clauson Marshall Racing)
7D MICHELLE DECKER/Guthrie, OK (Michelle Decker)
7m JADON ROGERS/Worthington, IN (RAMCO Speed Group)
7MR CASEY BURKHAM/Combine, TX (RAMCO Speed Group)
7NZ TRAVIS BUCKLEY/Auckland, NZ (BSL Racing)
7R A.J. HOPKINS/Brownsburg, IN (RAMCO Speed Group)
7T ADAM TAYLOR/Channahon, IL (Adam Taylor Motorsports)
7x THOMAS MESERAULL/San Jose, CA (RMS Racing)
11 CLINTON BOYLES/Greenwood, MO (Big Dog Racing)
15 DONNY SCHATZ/Fargo, ND (Mark Cooper)
15F MICHAEL FACCINTO/Hanford, CA (Mounce-Stout Motorsports)
17 MICHAEL PICKENS/Auckland, NZ (Shophouse Racing)
17v BEN VARNER/Harbor Springs, MI (Ben Varner)
17x KURT STELLHORN/Red Bud, IL (Kurt Stellhorn)
18N ALEX NALON/Pittsboro, IN (Mike Dickerson)
19K RILEY KREISEL/Warsaw, MO (Ron Cox)
21D JUSTIN DICKERSON/Pittsboro, IN (Mike Dickerson)
21H BRADY BACON/Broken Arrow, OK (TKH Motorsports)
22 JOHN HEYDENREICH/Bloomsburg, PA (John Heydenreich)
Q23 BARRIE VALENTINO/Queensland, AU (Barrie Valentino)
26 CHANCE CRUM/Snohomish, WA (Rudeen Racing)
29 TIMMY BUCKWALTER/Douglassville, PA (Matt Seymour Racing)
Q32 PETER PAULSON/Woodland, CA (Barrie Valentino)
36 CHRIS BAUE/Indianapolis, IN (Baue Racing)
36c IAN CREAGER/Covington, OH (Tod Creager)
39BC EMERSON AXSOM/Franklin, IN (Clauson Marshall Racing)
39N RYAN NEWMAN/South Bend, IN (Clauson Marshall Racing)
40 CHASE McDERMAND/Springfield, IL (Mounce-Stout Motorsports)
40B BLAKE BRANNON/Morgan Hill, CA (Western Speed Racing)
41 OLIVER AKARD/Fort Myers, FL (OMR Motorsports)
57 MARIA COFER/Macdoel, CA (Abacus Racing)
57K KEVIN STUDLEY/Plainfield, IN (Kevin Studley)
61 JACOB DENNEY/Galloway, OH (Mounce-Stout Motorsports)
68 JASON McDOUGAL/Broken Arrow, OK (Six8 Motorsports)
71w DILLON WELCH/Carmel, IN (Paul May Motorsports)
74 SHELDON CREED/Alpine, CA (Abacus Racing)
75AU BRYAN STANFILL/Bakersfield, CA (Griffiths Motorsport)
81 TBA (Gray Racing)
97J JIM JONES/Ventura, CA (Jim Jones Motorsports)