INDIANAPOLIS — In the span of three races over four years’ time, the BC39 race sanctioned by the USAC National Midget Series at the Dirt Track at Indianapolis Motor Speedway has evolved into the makeup of a crown jewel.
Its $15,000 winner’s prize is the largest in midget racing this year, and the stage, the mecca of auto racing, is more than enough authentication. Jeff Gordon and Roger Penske supporting the race honoring the late Bryan Clauson, also adds credibility.
Pit Kyle Larson, Chase Elliott, Tyler Courtney, Buddy Kofoid, Conor Daly and teenage upstarts such as Daison Pursley against 40-year-old grinders such as Thomas Meseraull, and it’s a can’t-miss product.
On Thursday night, the third annual BC39 delivered a finish that matched its first-class setting.
The world’s most dominant driver as of late, Kyle Larson, emerged through the ruckus and heated battles with Justin Grant, Brady Bacon and Meseraull to win his 23rd event of the year.
“It was wild,” Larson said. “This event is growing into something really big.”
For much of the race, Meseraull and Pursley dueled for the lead. Then traffic became a factor and the cushion grew more favorable for Grant and Larson.
“It was perfect for what puts on a good midget race,” Grant said.
Meseraull outworked the considerably younger Pursley and built a 1.5-second lead with five laps remaining.
He appeared destined to add his name with Helio Castroneves and A.J. Allmendinger as winners at Indianapolis Motor Speedway this year, but a caution flag with five laps to go altered the script.
Meseraull slipped off the top on the restart and, when he tried overcompensating, wrecked out of the race. Larson inherited the lead, combating Grant’s aggressive slide jobs and Bacon’s steadiness on the bottom of the quarter-mile race track.
“It was chaos,” Larson said. “But a lot of fun from my seat. These midgets are so much fun. So fun on a little track like this. This is the perfect midget track. They did such a good job building this place.”
• Emerson Axsom continued his recent string of top-five runs on Thursday night.
The 16-year-old surged from 19th to fourth, giving hime nine top-five finishes in a row.
The streak dates back to July 15 at Soloman Valley Raceway in Beloit, Kan.
Axsom is now in the dead heat of the USAC National Midget Series title race, drawing to 20 points behind Buddy Kofoid and passing reigning series champion Chris Windom for second.
• It was a lackluster event for the foremost horsemen of the USAC National Midget Series.
Point leader Kofoid was a non-factor all night, riding mid-pack for most of the 39-lap feature before salvaging a 10th-place finish.
Chris Windom, meanwhile, flipped six laps into the main event h and limped home in 21st.
The reigning USAC National Midget Series champion slipped to third in the standings, 41 points behind Kofoid.
• A spin in the semi feature foiled Chase Elliott’s night.
The reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion was on the doorstep of a transfer spot for the 39-lap main event, but he lost control of his machine five laps into the 20-lap race.
Jason McDougal then slammed into Elliott, ending both of their evenings.
It was Elliott’s fourth USAC National Midget Series event of the year and his first since he failed to qualify for the A-Main on July 13 at Red Dirt Raceway in Lincoln County, Okla.
His other two runs are 18th and 14th at Bubba Raceway Park in Ocala, Fla., in February.
• NASCAR Cup Series driver Chase Briscoe raced into the 39-lap feature from the semi feature and drove to an 11th-place finish.
His NASCAR counterpart in the Ford Performance camp, Ryan Newman, finished 14th in the C Main.
• The 2019 USAC National Midget Series champion, 38th Kings Royal champion and All Star Circuit of Champions point leader, Tyler Courtney, rebounded from a lap-one spin to finish eighth.