The BSA Dale Coyne Racing #19 car with driver Justin Wilson zooms out of the pits during practice at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Watching the Indianapolis 500 later today?
Be sure to look out for the No. 19 Boy Scouts of America car, driven by Justin Wilson and owned by friend of Scouting and Silver Buffalo recipient Dale Coyne.
The race starts at noon Eastern on ABC.
With its red-and-white coloring and BSA logos everywhere, you won’t be able to miss the BSA car, which starts in position No. 14. Coincidentally, that’s the same starting position Wilson had at last year’s Indy 500 where he finished fifth.
Fourteenth to fifth is an impressive come-from-behind performance. Even better is what he’s done since fracturing his pelvis in October of last year. When that happened, more than 600 of you left get-well messages for Wilson right here on the blog. Many more sent get-well cards to him via regular mail.
Seems to have helped, because he has fully recovered and is ready to race today.
John R. Fulton Jr., former director of photography for Boys’ Life and Scouting magazines, has been at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway the past few weeks to document the team’s race in the Grand Prix of Indianapolis on May 9 (Wilson finished 11th in that one) and its preparations for today’s Indy 500.
Fulton shared these great photos and captions:
Justin Wilson in BSA Dale Coyne #19 car practices for Grand Prix of Indianapolis. This car is not the same car that will be raced in Indianapolis 500. It has to turn right. The Indy 500 cars only turn left when at speed. Also the rear spoiler with the “Scouting” on it can be seen on the GP cars so the car has additional downforce.Justin Wilson removes his balaclava after practice for Grand Prix of Indianapolis.Justin Wilson confers with team owner Dale Coyne after practice for Grand Prix of Indianapolis.Justin Wilson speeds down the back straight during qualifications for the Grand Prix of Indianapolis. The iconic Indianapolis Motor Speedway Pagoda is in background.Justin Wilson speeds down the back straight during qualifications for the Grand Prix of Indianapolis.Justin Wilson speaks with a fan at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.Justin Wilson during qualifications for the Grand Prix of Indianapolis. This car is not the same car that will be raced in Indianapolis 500. It has to turn right. The Indy 500 cars only turn left when at speed. Also the rear spoiler with the “Scouting” on it can be seen on the GP cars so the car has additional downforce.BSA Dale Coyne car in garage area during rain. Grand Prix of Indianapolis cars DO race in rain while the Indianapolis 500 cars do not.Prepping the BSA Dale Coyne car for the Grand Prix of Indianapolis race. This race is on a roadcourse that twists and turns its way thru the infield. They run clockwise on the course while the Indy 500 runs counter-clockwise.Dale Coyne makes sure all is ready in his team’s timing and scoring station by their pits in preparation for Grand Prix of Indianapolis.Dale Coyne and Justin Wilson confer before the Grand Prix of Indianapolis race.Dale Coyne and Justin Wilson confer before the Grand Prix of Indianapolis race.Justin Wilson gets ready to get in the BSA Dale Coyne car just before the Grand Prix of Indianapolis starts.Justin Wilson gets ready to get in the BSA Dale Coyne car just before the Grand Prix of Indianapolis starts.Justin Wilson in BSA Dale Coyne car in action during Grand Prix of Indianapolis.Justin Wilson in BSA Dale Coyne car in action during Grand Prix of Indianapolis.Pit stop for Justin Wilson in BSA Dale Coyne car. Since it’s the Grand Prix of Indianapolis the cars come in the pits the “wrong” way and face north rather than south.Justin Wilson in BSA Dale Coyne car in action during Grand Prix of Indianapolis.
Dale Coyne team immediately switches gears and goes from working on the GP car to the Indianapolis 500 car which IS a different car. GP on Saturday and then practice for Indy 500 the following day.Dale Coyne team immediately switches gears and goes from working on the GP car to the Indianapolis 500 car which IS a different car. GP on Saturday and then practice for Indy 500 the following day.A Dale Coyne team engineer works on the shroud that goes around driver Justin Wilson in the Dale Coyne BSA car. Justin gets in the car and then this shroud is put around him to add further padding and protection.Justin Wilson in the garage checking on how work on the Indy 500 car is coming.Justin Wilson in the garage checking on how work on the Indy 500 car is coming.All concentration for BSA Dale Coyne driver Justin Wilson during practice for Indianapolis 500.It’s a team effort working on an Indy car during practice for Indianapolis 500. A team member even has the job of supplying shade for Justin Wilson in the hot pits.All concentration for BSA Dale Coyne driver Justin Wilson during practice for Indianapolis 500.Justin Wilson after a practice run at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.Justin Wilson puts on his balaclava before putting on his helmet in anticipation of going out for another practice round in the BSA Dale Coyne car at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.The BSA Dale Coyne Racing #19 car with driver Justin Wilson zooms out of the pits during practice at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.It’s a team effort working on an Indy car during practice for Indianapolis 500. A team member even has the job of supplying shade for Justin Wilson in the hot pits.Justin Wilson in BSA Dale Coyne car in turn #3 during practice for Indianapolis 500.Back in the Dale Coyne garages, Justin Wilson discusses how the car is running with team engineers. Helmets for he and his two teammates are on the shelf, right.
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.
All photos copyright John R. Fulton Jr. and may not be reused without permission.
Inspire Leadership, Foster Values: Donate to Scouting
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Watching the Indianapolis 500 later today?
