Back on track: Follow the No. 19 BSA IndyCar throughout the season

Wilson's best 2012 finish was a win at the Firestone 550 at Texas Motor Speedway.
Wilson’s best 2012 finish was a win at the Firestone 550 at Texas Motor Speedway.

Looking for one more reason to watch IndyCar this year?

Try this: Justin Wilson, already a three-time winner on the IndyCar Series in his five-year career, drives the No. 19 Dale Coyne Racing car this season. And today, we learned that the car will carry the color and markings of the Boy Scouts of America for the remainder of 2013.

Why is this big? To start, it’s the first time that a driver of the BSA car is a past winner. Translation: You’re likely to see that flying fleur-de-lis competing for the checkered flag quite a bit this year.

It all starts with Sunday’s Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama, airing at 3 p.m. Eastern on the NBC Sports Network. Then, tune in and follow the car over the course of the entire season, including the Indy 500 on May 26.

Wilson is the third British-born driver of the BSA IndyCar, after Alex Lloyd and James Jakes. But just because he wasn’t born here doesn’t mean he isn’t proud to represent our organization in races. 

“This is a real honor for me to be representing the Boy Scouts of America,” he said in a release. “I was never a Boy Scout, but the Scouts did have their start back in England where I am originally from.  I’m looking forward to working with the local Scouts at the races and hopefully bringing them a win this year.”

The feeling’s mutual, Justin. We’ll be watching!

An important reminder about BSA Racing

To, hopefully, stave off any misconceptions, I’ve started including this reminder with all of my posts about the BSA IndyCar team or its NASCAR Nationwide Series team:

In past blog posts about BSA Racing, some commenters intimated that the Boy Scouts of America was investing heaps of its own money to support these cars. That’s not true. In fact, the program is a royalty-free arrangement, meaning that thanks to the generous support of Dale Coyne Racing, IndyCar, and Scott Lagasse Racing, there’s no cash investment from the BSA.

Instead, in return for the support from those three groups, the BSA lists them as national sponsors in its promotional materials — that’s it. It’s the kind of relationship where everyone sees the checkered flag.


About Bryan Wendell 3282 Articles
Bryan Wendell, an Eagle Scout, is the founder of Bryan on Scouting and a contributing writer.