'Best midget race I ever ran': Buddy Kofoid wins BC39 thriller after late restart

INDIANAPOLIS -- Another chapter in the history books of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway was written Thursday night following the conclusion of the fourth annual Driven2Save Lives BC39. Michael "Buddy" Kofoid etched his name into the ever-growing list of winners at IMS following a thrilling duel with Cannon McIntosh.

"It feels good to have beat all the guys that we beat," said Kofoid after the race. "Ninety of the best midget racers in the world at a tough track in a tough format where you gotta be willing to put it in the fence to drive through and come out alive."

Race day action was moved up an hour due to the threat of impending rain. Thankfully, unlike Wednesday night, there were no rain showers to halt the show or alter the track conditions. This meant that the usually thrilling Indianapolis Motor Speedway Dirt Track was in perfect condition to give the packed crowd unforgettable memories.

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The qualifying races, D, C, and B mains all featured action-packed racing with drivers able to run different lines all over the track, foreshadowing the thrilling finish of the A-main.

With 11 laps remaining in the 39-lap feature, Cannon McIntosh, who had survived most of the restarts until that point, looked poised to be the next driver to have "Parked It" for Bryan Clauson. McIntosh jumped out to another big lead as the green flag fell, but Buddy Kofoid never let McIntosh out of his sights.

"All I remember is going back and forth and back and forth," said Kofoid of his late race duel with McIntosh. "I figured if I could put him away, get some space between us and get some clean air, I felt like I was the faster car between us."

Kofoid and McIntosh swapped the lead nearly every corner, with both drivers utilizing the "slide-job" maneuver to try and best the other.

With three laps to go, an infield tire used to measure the limits of the track was kicked into the racing line causing a caution. The field lined up for three laps of hold-your-breath racing for $15,000 and a chance to kiss the bricks. McIntosh gave it everything he had, but in the end, it was the 20-year-old from Penngrove, California who joined the likes of Kyle Larson and Brady Bacon as winners of the BC39.

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"That was probably the best midget race I ever ran," noted Kofoid after the race.

The win is Keith Kunz Motorsports' second in two days at IMS. Dominic Gorden, also a driver for KKM, won Wednesday night's Stoops Pursuit race.

Winning at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway has a way of making drivers into legends. No matter what configuration of race track, the best of the best tend to be winners at the Brickyard. That's still taking it's time to sink in to Buddy Kofoid's mind.

"It's hard to put into words what something like this means," said Kofoid. "It's the greatest race track in the world. To win it in Bryan (Clauson's) honor and everything he stood for is huge."

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: BC39 results: Buddy Kofoid wins thriller after late restart