Doing Your Best, even in adverse circumstances, is part of Scouting’s core.

So we shouldn’t be too surprised that Justin Wilson, driver of the No. 19 Boy Scouts of America IndyCar, finished third in Sunday’s Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach — even after starting third-to-last.

A qualifying mishap forced Wilson to start the race in 25th place, so he had to make up a lot of ground. But he and his team did just that, propelling the Dale Coyne Racing BSA car to its best-ever finish.

That’s great news for the Coynes, longtime supporters of Scouting. But it’s also great news for the BSA’s brand. Seeing the BSA’s website and logos on a car competing for the checkered flag essentially means free advertising for the BSA. And a better finish equals more air time.

The ultimate goal: Get non-Scouts talking about the Boy Scouts of America and get current Scouts and Scouters thinking about the ways they can use BSA Racing to promote STEM initiatives in their own units.  Continue reading »

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.  Continue reading »

For Daniel Bolen, riding the bus will never be the same.

Not after the middle schooler was dropped off at school last week by NASCAR driver Scott Lagasse Jr. in his No. 8 Boy Scouts of America Chevy.

Daniel, wearing a racing helmet that’s his to keep, strapped in as Lagasse zipped through the streets of Maitland, Fla., with a police escort on both sides.

When the car squealed to a halt in front of Orangewood Christian School and Daniel climbed out, it’s hard to guess which jaws dropped farther — Daniel’s classmates or the moms and dads in the carpool lane.

Dozens of Daniel’s 7th- and 8th-grade classmates surrounded the car as Lagasse posed for photos and signed autographs.

But the real star was Daniel, chosen by the Central Florida Council for his community service efforts in building an inner-city memorial to children who had lost their lives to violent crimes. Nice job, Daniel!  Continue reading »

BSA driver Scott Lagasse Jr.

Do your Scouts like fast cars? Do I even have to ask?

Let’s face it: Getting your guys to tune in and cheer on the BSA’s No. 8 car at this weekend’s NASCAR Nationwide Series race won’t be too tough. It’s like asking if they want seconds of your Dutch oven cobbler.

No doubt your guys and girls will be revved up about the chance to see Scott Lagasse Jr. take the wheel of the No. 8 HybridLight BSA car in Saturday’s race. It’s our first look at the BSA Chevy this year.

But your job is to steer your Scouts’ enthusiasm for racing into something that’ll benefit your unit long-term.

I’m talking about recruiting, retention, and racing’s ties to STEM — science, technology, engineering, and math. Learn some more facts about the BSA-NASCAR relationship in my post from September. And stay tuned for more details about how BSA Racing will support your Scouting efforts.

Meanwhile, don’t miss Saturday’s race. Here are the details:  Continue reading »

Well if the BSA IndyCar had to lose on Saturday night, at least it was like this.

James Jakes and the Boy Scouts of America No. 19 car finished 10th at the Firestone 550 in Texas, but Jakes’ teammate, Justin Wilson, won the whole thing.

Why is that cool?

Well, you know by now that Dale and Gail Coyne, longtime supporters of Scouting and Silver Buffalo Award recipients, generously fund the BSA No. 19 car, giving Scouts of all ages the chance to learn more about the science, technology, engineering, and math that go into racing.

Because of its BSA ties, the No. 19 car gets all the headlines on this blog. But this week we tip our cap to the Coynes’ other car, the No. 18 Sonny’s Bar-B-Q-themed Honda, for winning at the Texas Motor Speedway. See a photo of Dale and Gail celebrating with the No. 18 team above.

The victory marks the second IndyCar Series win for Dale Coyne Racing and the team’s first win on an oval track.

Congratulations, Dale and Gail!

Next race

The Dale Coyne Racing team heads north now, racing at the Milwaukee IndyFest on Saturday, June 16. Coverage begins at 1 p.m. (Eastern) on ABC.

Scouters and Scouts, start your engines.

Then point your compass (or GPS device) toward the nearest speedway. Yes, after a long winter, it’s finally racing time once again.

Over the next seven months, the IZOD IndyCar Series will visit 12 American racetracks (plus stops in Brazil, China, and Canada). For BSA units, that’s 12 opportunities to see the No. 19 Boy Scouts of America car, which is owned, operated, and funded by Dale Coyne Racing.

In all, more than 100 local councils are within 100 miles of an IndyCar race this year. In other words, nearly a third of all packs, troops, teams, and crews have a ready-made day of fun headed their way this year.

Continue reading »

James Jakes

There’s a new man wearing red, white, and blue this season.

It’s 24-year-old James Jakes, a former Scout from England, who takes the helm of the BSA Motorsports and Dale Coyne Racing No. 19 car for the 2012 IndyCar season.

Jakes, who amassed 16 starts for Dale Coyne Racing last season, moves from the No. 18 car to the Scouting car, taking over for Alex Lloyd and Sebastien Bourdais, who shared driving duties in 2011.

The first race is March 25 in St. Petersburg, Fla. Click here for the complete schedule and plan to check out a race in person like I did last season.

How does Jakes feel putting on a Scout uniform again, this time as a member of the BSA Motorsports team? In an interview with IndyCar.com, Jakes talked about exactly that.

“I joined later on at boarding school when I was 13 or 14 and got involved in a load of programs,” he said. “I’m excited to get involved with the Boy Scouts this year. It really broadens your horizons.”

Keep an eye on my blog for BSA IndyCar updates all season long.