INDIANAPOLIS — It won’t be Taylor Reimer’s first time racing in the Driven2SaveLives BC39, but in some ways, it’s a shiny new opportunity for the Keith Kunz Motorsports driver.
Since the USAC season started in May, Reimer has quietly put together a career-best season on the national midget tour.
She’s led 16 laps, finished in the top five twice and earned eight top 10s. Compared to last year, where the No. 25k only led six laps and scored six top 10s, the on-paper results illustrate marked improvement from the Oklahoma native.
“I’m pretty happy with the consistency we’ve put together over the last couple months,” Reimer said. “We’ve been so close so many times and, you know, I think we’re right there and can win on any given night.”
And that’s exactly what the Toyota development driver is hoping to show during the fifth running of the BC39 at The Dirt Track at Indianapolis Motor Speedway this weekend — progress.
During last year’s USAC visit to Indianapolis, Reimer utilized a provisional in order to make the A main. However, once locked in, the No. 25k clawed from a 24th-starting position to finish 14th in the 39-lap feature.
“We struggled at the beginning,” Reimer said. “We basically had to start dead last, but we gained a lot of spots, so it felt good.”
While she was able to make up for a rough start to the week with her drive through the field last year, Reimer noted she doesn’t plan to be in the same situation this time around.
“On Thursday, we need to stay on top of our game,” Reimer said, referring to her Thursday night prelim. “We need to be in the race on Saturday, and at least get a top 10 — hopefully a top five.”
With her background racing micro sprints at Oklahoma’s Port City Raceway — an eighth-mile dirt oval in Rogers County — Reimer is optimistic that her know-how will come in handy at the quarter-mile, bullring-style Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval.
“The track definitely suits my style,” Reimer said. “With this format, it’s also a little different than last year, so hopefully that’ll help us out there and get us a good starting position and lock us into the feature.”
This year, the top-three finishers on each preliminary night will automatically lock into Saturday night’s $20,039-to-win feature. The 72-car field has also been split between two preliminary nights, which will run Thursday and Friday.
Reimer and her No. 25k midget run on Thursday.
“I think it’s super cool that Driven2SaveLives is able to put on this event every year. It’s such an honor just to race inside such a historical track and to do it in the memory of Bryan Clauson,” Reimer said. “I’m also an organ donor, so it’s awesome to be able to race this event.”