INDIANAPOLIS (Wednesday, July 1, 2026) – Briggs Danner provided redemption for himself and his team July 1 with a drive to victory in the BC39 Presented by Avanti Windows & Doors.
Danner, from Allentown, Pennsylvania, earned his first career USAC NOS Energy Drink Midget National Championship victory at The Dirt Track at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in one of the most prestigious short-track races in the country. He earned $20,039 for the victory in the No. 40x Chase McDermand Racing car in the 39-lap race, which continues to honor late USAC champion and three-time Indianapolis 500 starter Bryan Clauson.
“Between last night and tonight, we were good every time we hit the track,” Danner said. “There’s no feeling like this right now. I don’t even know what to say right now.”
Kevin Thomas Jr., the winner of the 30-lap Stoops Star Spangled Showdown Tuesday at IMS, finished second in the No. 14 4 Kings Racing entry. Jacob Denney was third in the No. 67 Keith Kunz-Curb-Agajanian Motorsports car.
Two-time reigning BC39 winner Cannon McIntosh fell short in his bid for a three-peat, finishing fourth in the No. 71K Keith Kunz-Curb-Agajanian Motorsports entry. Kale Drake rounded out the top five in the No. 4 RMS Racing machine.
The victory erased a tough night for Danner and the McDermand team Tuesday in the 30-lap feature. Danner was hit from behind by teammate Drake Edwards on Lap 6 and struggled to finish 13th, also hurt by a deflating tire late in that race.
Edwards went on to win the race for the McDermand team but was disqualified after a technical violation was discovered in his engine in post-race inspection. Thomas, who crossed the line in second, was awarded the victory.
“We were really good last night,” Danner said. “There’s no better place to be in Victory Lane. This crowd, this track inside IMS, there’s nothing like this. This is really cool, and it will take a little bit to set in.”
Said team owner Chase McDermand about the rebound from the disqualification: “We had our little moment when we were all kind of just moping around. Got everybody together in the lounge of the trailer, building everybody right back up. After that point, we all knew we had the cars to do it.”
Pole sitter Danner lost the lead to Drake immediately at the drop of the green flag in the BC39 feature. Danner immediately decided to run a higher line on the dirt oval, a strategy he maintained for nearly the entire race.
Danner made a rare low move to dip under Drake for the lead exiting Turn 4 on Lap 9 before a three-car tangle unfurled the first caution flag of the night on Lap 10.
On the restart, McIntosh passed Drake for second place and loomed behind Danner. Then Danner and McIntosh produced 10 consecutive laps of magic, swapping the lead nearly every trip around the oval. The scintillating duel also included Danner keeping the lead despite bouncing off the Turn 4 wall on Lap 16, as repeated sliding through Turn 4 created a banked cushion of dirt that caught some drivers off guard.
“It’s so tough, and it’s so slick, too,” Danner said of the changing conditions in Turn 4. “When it’s fluffy like that, it just kind of catches you instead of letting you drive off of it or just bounce off of it.”
The fight for the lead became a three-car joust when Thomas, who faithfully stuck to the low line for the entire feature, passed both Danner and McIntosh for the lead on Lap 24.
But Danner regained the lead on the next lap running the high line and began to pull away by a few car lengths. The final caution period on Lap 30 bunched the field, but Danner rocketed away on the final restart.
“Thankfully, I didn’t have a rearview mirror because I’m sure it was getting pretty busy, but I just had to try to protect,” Danner said.
About the only adjustment Danner made in the closing laps was to drop his line slightly lower to avoid the bumps and the berm forming in Turn 4, creating a smooth ride to Victory Lane.
USAC action will return to The Dirt Track at IMS on Thursday, July 23 when Brickyard Weekend kicks off with an Indiana Sprint Week event for the AMSOIL National Sprint Car Championship. Tickets are available at IMS.com.
