Wilson steers BSA IndyCar to second-place finish

In IndyCar racing, 1.1930 seconds can mean the difference between hoisting the winner’s trophy and settling for second place.

Justin Wilson knows that all too well.

Wilson, who drove the No. 19 Boy Scouts of America IndyCar to a second-place finish at Sunday’s Go Pro Grand Prix in Sonoma, Calif., knew he had a car that could win. And though second place is something of a consolation prize, Wilson was content with his third podium finish this year (along with Long Beach and Detroit).

“It was great to be back on the podium again with the No. 19 Boy Scouts of America car,” Wilson said. “Everyone at Dale Coyne Racing has worked so hard to get a great result this weekend. We have had some ups and downs this year, and have run some really good races, but ended up finishing eighth or ninth. So today was some redemption and it helped us in the championship point standings.”

Indeed Wilson, who finished just behind winner Will Power in Sunday’s race, moved up to seventh in the IZOD IndyCar Series Championship point standings. That’s out of 38 drivers, I should add.

Team owner (and Silver Buffalo Award recipient) Dale Coyne was impressed by both Wilson’s performance and the support from the Scouts and Scouters who attended the race.

“Justin drove a fantastic race today,” Coyne said. “It was even more special that he could get a podium finish in front of all the Boy Scouts of America people that came out for the race today.”

Next up for the BSA IndyCar team: A race on Sunday in Baltimore. Watch the Indy Grand Prix of Baltimore live at 2 p.m. (EDT) on the NBC Sports Network.

An important reminder about BSA Racing

To, hopefully, stave off any misconceptions, I’ve started including this reminder with all of my posts about BSA Racing, which includes the IndyCar team and the 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.