Bryan Clauson facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Bryan Clauson |
|||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Clauson with his dog Chevy at the 2015 Indianapolis 500
|
|||||||
| Born | Bryan Clauson June 15, 1989 Carmichael, California, U.S. |
||||||
| Died | August 7, 2016 (aged 27) Lincoln, Nebraska, U.S. |
||||||
| Achievements | 3-time USAC National Midget Series Champion (2010, 2011, 2015) 3-time USAC National Drivers Champion (2010, 2011, 2012) 2-time Turkey Night Grand Prix Winner (2009, 2010) 2-time USAC National Sprint Car Series Champion (2012, 2013) Non-winged Driver of the Year (2013) Chili Bowl winner (2014) 3 time Belleville Midget Nationals Champion (2009, 2010, 2015) Indycar Series Nation Fan Favorite driver (2016) National Sprint Car Hall of Fame (2018) |
||||||
| NASCAR Xfinity Series career | |||||||
| 26 races run over 2 years | |||||||
| 2008 position | 27th | ||||||
| Best finish | 27th (2008) | ||||||
| First race | 2007 Emerson Radio 250 (Richmond) | ||||||
| Last race | 2008 Ford 300 (Homestead) | ||||||
|
|||||||
| IndyCar Series career | |||||||
| 3 races run over 3 years | |||||||
| 2015 position | 39th | ||||||
| Best finish | 33rd (2012) | ||||||
| First race | 2012 Indianapolis 500 (Indianapolis) | ||||||
| Last race | 2016 Indianapolis 500 (Indianapolis) | ||||||
|
|||||||
| Statistics current as of August 8, 2016. | |||||||
Bryan Timothy Clauson (June 15, 1989 – August 7, 2016) was an American professional auto racing driver. He was best known for his amazing skills in dirt track open-wheel racing. This included types of racing like USAC Silver Crown, Midget, and Sprint cars.
In his last few years, Bryan also raced a lot with the World of Outlaws (WoO) sprint cars. He even competed in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, Indy Lights, and IndyCar Series. He was a development driver for Chip Ganassi Racing, a big racing team.
In 2016, Bryan tried to race in 200 events! This included the famous Indianapolis 500, World of Outlaws sprint cars, and midget cars. Sadly, on August 6, 2016, Bryan was in a midget car crash at Belleville High Banks Speedway. He passed away the next night.
In 2018, Bryan Clauson was honored by being chosen for the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame. A special tower, called the Bryan Clauson Tower, was built in his memory at Knoxville Raceway. Also, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway now holds a special USAC Midget race every year to remember him.
Contents
Bryan Clauson's Racing Journey
Bryan Clauson was born in Sacramento, California. He started his USAC National Sprint Series career very young. Just two days after his 16th birthday, on June 17, 2005, he finished third in a race in Ohio. This was a great start!
On October 8, 2005, Bryan won the Open Wheel Oktoberfest Midget race. This made him the youngest driver ever to win a USAC National feature event. He was only 16 years old! In 2006, he achieved something special at Salem Speedway. He won both the Midget race and the Sprint race on the same night. This "doubleheader sweep" was a rare feat in USAC history.
Bryan also raced in NASCAR. In 2007, he won his first ARCA race at Gateway International Raceway. A couple of months later, he started racing in the NASCAR Busch Series for Chip Ganassi. Even though he was in NASCAR, Bryan still loved his dirt-track roots. He raced in the Chili Bowl in Oklahoma, which features many top drivers.
In 2008, Bryan continued in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. He even won his first pole position at Daytona in July. A pole position means he started the race from the very front. After his time in NASCAR, Bryan went back to dirt racing. He won the Turkey Night Grand Prix in November 2009.
In 2010, Bryan joined the Tony Stewart Racing team. He won the USAC National Midget championship and the first-ever USAC National Drivers championship. These wins earned him a scholarship to race in the Indy Lights series in 2011.
Bryan also raced in the famous Indianapolis 500. He competed in the race in 2012, 2015, and 2016. In 2015, he finished 31st after an accident. He was trying to move out of the way for a faster car.
Bryan won the USAC Sprint Car Championship two years in a row, in 2012 and 2013. In 2014, he won the Chili Bowl Nationals, which is a very important midget car race.
In 2016, Bryan started his "Chasing 200 Tour, Circular Insanity." He planned to race in 200 events that year! This included the 100th Indianapolis 500 and many other sprint and midget car races. He usually raced about 150 times a year, so this was a huge goal. Bryan traveled all over the country living in a mobile home. Later that year, he was named the INDYCAR Nation Fan Favorite driver.
Bryan Clauson's Legacy
His Passing
On August 6, 2016, Bryan Clauson was racing in the Belleville Nationals midget race. This was his 116th race of the year. He was involved in an accident where his car flipped. Bryan was taken to the hospital and sadly passed away the next evening.
Tony Stewart, another famous racer, shared his feelings. He said it was very hard to lose someone as close as Bryan. He also thought about Bryan's family.
Bryan was an organ donor. This meant that after he passed away, his organs helped save five other lives. Soon after his death, Bryan's parents started a campaign to encourage more people to become organ donors. It was called 'Chasing 200,' named after Bryan's racing goal. By the time of his memorial, over 750 people had signed up. A month later, more than 3,750 people had registered. This made it one of the biggest donation campaigns ever! It's believed these future donations could save thousands of lives.
Many people in the racing world honored Bryan. For an Xfinity Series race, drivers put a "BC" sticker on their cars. The race winner, Justin Marks, dedicated his victory to Bryan. The next week, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. raced with a car design like Bryan's 2008 Nationwide Series car.
Lasting Impact
A special race called the Bryan Clauson Classic is held every year. It's also known as the Driven2SaveLives BC39. This event helps promote organ donation and uses Bryan's car number, 39, as the race distance. It's a two-night USAC Midget Championship race.
In 2018, Bryan Clauson was chosen for the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame on his very first try. This is a huge honor!
In 2021, the NTT IndyCar Series announced a new award. The driver who starts first in the Big Machine Music City Grand Prix in Nashville now receives the Bryan Clauson Trophy. This award helps raise awareness for organ and tissue donation, a cause Bryan supported.
Bryan Clauson's Personal Life
Bryan Clauson went to Noblesville High School in Noblesville, Indiana. He is remembered by his parents, Tim and Diana Clauson, and his sister, Taylor. He also left behind his fiancée, Lauren Stewart, and their dogs, Chevy and Stewart.
Images for kids
-
Bryan Clauson (car 40) racing Marcos Ambrose at Nashville in 2008.
-
Bryan Clauson's car after an accident at the 2015 Indianapolis 500.
