Justin Grant prevailed in a fierce duel with RMS Racing teammate Thomas Meseraull to win last year’s Driven2SaveLives BC39 feature race at The Dirt Track at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Grant hopes this Saturday night, Sept. 28 to become the first USAC NOS Energy Drink National Midget Championship driver to win the prestigious event twice on the quarter-mile dirt oval inside Turn 3 of IMS.
“It’s an honor to have won a race there,” Grant said. “Just really excited to have been able to do that. Coming back as the defending winners is really neat. Somewhere historic and special as IMS, to roll in there and say I’ve won here before is not something a lot of guys get to say.
“For all of us, that’s been a crown jewel race that we want to win. Living in Indianapolis now and having the Indy 500 and Indianapolis Motor Speedway and everything that IMS is in racing, it just adds that much more weight to it. We roll into that place knowing what it means and knowing we want to win that race.”
Grant made the 39-lap main event in his previous four attempts, finishing seventh, 10th, second and fourth, respectively. Chasing a victory at IMS for the California-born but now Hoosier resident was one of the few achievements missing from a storied resume that includes the 2020 USAC Silver Crown championship and 2022 USAC Sprint Car title.
Except Grant didn’t necessarily expect to be victorious a year ago. He didn’t describe his 2023 Midget season as very promising. The BC39 was his only trip to victory lane all season.
How the outside world views an Indianapolis victory speaks to the magnitude of this race.
“People still talk about what a great year we had,” Grant said. “Well, we had a good weekend. But that weekend made our whole year. I had said last year we’ve been struggling, and I was like: ‘I don’t care if I win a single race this year. I just want to win the BC39. If we win the BC39, this is a good year, and we were able to do that.”
Grant won’t defend his win amid another winless season. He won July 12 at Jefferson County Speedway in Fairbury, Nebraska. But he would gladly trade that win for a BC39 repeat.
Grant basked in what an Indy win truly means to racing lore, so much so he doesn’t want to give that distinction to another driver.
“We better protect it if we want to keep being that guy,” Grant said.
Grant quickly learned that being a winner at IMS is a yearlong celebration, with his face being on a poster affixed to the iconic Pagoda at the start/finish line of the big track, to the distinction of being an Indianapolis winner and what the victory meant to his family.
“As far as ranking achievements, it’s (BC39 win) is probably on the podium if not number one,” he said. “Just being able to get the pictures with the kids and kissing the bricks, it was really special. Certainly, it will stay at the top of my racing achievements, memories and all that.
“Seeing my wife afterward, she’s been with me through every up and down and struggle I’ve had, and to celebrate that with her that night was really special. To see the look on my little boy’s face immediately was really, really cool and really special and something I hope I don’t ever forget. He ate up Indianapolis and everything about it.”
The Driven2SaveLives BC39 presented by Avanti Windows & Doors takes place Thursday, Sept. 26 through Saturday, Sept. 28. Visit IMS.com for tickets and more information.
