It’s hard to believe the BC39 Presented by Avanti Windows & Doors is just 7 years old, as the memories created by this United States Auto Club NOS Energy Drink Midget National Championship make the event that started in 2018 feel older.
As this year’s race approaches July 1-2 at The Dirt Track at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, it’s time to look back at some of the magic moments that have occurred on the 1/5th-mile dirt oval inside Turn 3 at IMS:
2018: Teen Is Wise Beyond Years
There’s no doubt that Brady Bacon’s victory in the inaugural BC39 sticks in many minds as a memorable moment, as the “Macho Man” will forever be in the record books as the winner of an inaugural event at IMS.
But the Stoops Pursuit race the night before the feature may have been even more memorable because it marked the true emergence of a teen star in the making.
Zeb Wise, the 15-year-old protégé of event namesake Bryan Clauson, used a classic “slide job” on the second-to-last lap to win the Stoops Pursuit race. Wise, from Angola, Indiana, drove on the upper “cushion” of clay and slid past leader Alex Bright in Turn 4 with the white flag in the air.
Wise, who started 18th, then stayed in the high groove and powered his way through the final lap to the checkered in the No. 39BC car fielded by Clauson-Marshall Racing, co-owned by Clauson’s father, Tim.
“I’m sure Bryan is up there smiling, and I can’t think him and Tim enough,” Wise said. “They gave me an opportunity that I can’t be grateful enough for. Thank you, and thanks to all the fans. I’m speechless.”
2019: Larson’s Spin and Win
No race at the BC39 ever is dull due to the racy nature of the cars and the constant traffic created by the tight confines of The Dirt Track at IMS.
But even by those standards, Kyle Larson’s victory in the Stoops Pursuit in September 2019 was one for the ages and memory book.
The field of 24 cars was whittled to just Larson, Justin Grant and Michael Pickens for the final five-lap segment of the elimination-format exhibition race. Larson was nearly eliminated from the event in the second-to-last segment, but he gained two positions before the end of the segment to keep himself in the event.
Larson, Grant and Pickens traded all three positions back and forth in the final segment. As the white flag came out, the three drivers found themselves bunched together heading into Turn 3 of the quarter-mile dirt oval.
Pickens committed his car to the inside groove, while Grant went to the outside and Larson found himself in the middle lane. Pickens rutted his car and flipped in Turn 3. Larson spun trying to avoid Pickens’ airborne car, and Grant backed his car into the wall and flipped as he evaded Pickens.
With Larson’s car staying on the ground, he did a 360-degree spin on the inside line. He spun his car in the right direction, gassed it up and crossed the finish line for the victory. Both Grant and Pickens were unhurt in the wreck.
“That’s probably one of the most fun times I’ve ever had in a race car,” Larson said.
2021: Gordon Turns Back Clock in Return to Midget
OK, we’re cheating a bit on this one because it didn’t happen during BC39 race week. But it still is one of the greatest memories for any fan of this event.
NASCAR Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon got hearts and memories racing when he turned laps in a USAC Midget for the first time in 30 years in June 2021 at The Dirt Track at IMS as part of the promotional buildup to the race that year. Gordon was the USAC Midget Rookie of the Year in 1989 and National Champion in 1990 before he headed to NASCAR superstardom.
In a moment he said was unreal, Gordon drove a Clauson-Marshall Racing USAC Midget car at The Dirt Track at IMS in celebration of his storied career.
“I feel like I’ve gone back 25 years in my youth,” Gordon said. “It’s been a long time since I was that excited to get behind the wheel of a race car. I can’t believe I waited this long to get back on dirt in a midget. In another way, I’m very excited that I waited, because it’s a cool event, it’s a great track, and it just made it very special for me.”
Gordon also served as the honorary starter for the BC39 that year, further connecting to his racing roots.
2021: Larson Gets Out Broom
Kyle Larson was the hottest dirt-track driver in America entering the BC39 in August 2021 despite his status as a full-time NASCAR Cup Series superstar, having won prestigious events such as the Knoxville Nationals, Chili Bowl, Kings Royal and Prairie Dirt Classic all that year.
That magic carpet ride continued when Larson became the first and only driver to sweep the Stoops Pursuit special event and 39-lap feature race in the same year. He passed 15 cars in the 25-lap Stoops Pursuit and overcame contact from USAC standout Thomas Meseraull and a fierce battle with USAC champion Justin Grant to win the feature.
NASCAR and USAC legend Jeff Gordon served as the honorary starter for the Stoops Pursuit, but he was so impressed with Larson’s performance that he stayed to wave the checkered flag over his Hendrick Motorsports colleague.
Gordon’s visit, which included exhibition laps he turned earlier in the evening, mixed with Larson’s dominance to add even more luster to the popular event that returned in 2021 after a year’s hiatus due to the global pandemic.
2024: Cannon Finally Fires into Victory Lane
Cannon McIntosh passed pole sitter Chase McDermand on the final lap of the 39-lap feature to win in an event that was delayed for a day by rain.
McIntosh had finished second in the BC39 in 2022, in a preliminary feature race in 2023 and in the prelim feature during the 2024 event.
McDermand dominated the 39-lap feature from the pole, losing the lead on Lap 1 but regaining it on Lap 2. Meanwhile, McIntosh worked his way from the sixth starting position to second with eight laps to go but didn’t look like he would threaten McDermand,
But heartbreak struck for McDermand on Lap 38. His car got hung up in a rut at the bottom of Turn 4, slowing his momentum. That let McIntosh power even with McDermand on the outside of the main straightaway with the white flag in the air, and McIntosh’s momentum carried him under McDermand in Turn 2 for a lead he would not surrender in the final two corners.
Fan favorite Jade Avedisian also slid past McDermand when he bobbled and ended up second to complete her climb from the fifth starting position, riding the treacherous high line for nearly the entire feature to the approval of the crowd.
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Tickets are available for both nights of the 2025 BC39 Presented by Avanti Windows & Doors. Visit www.ims.com/bc39 to buy or for event information.
