8/26/2015
Bryan Clauson
Bryan Clauson To Attempt Unprecedented 2016 Racing Schedule
Knoxville, IA – Bryan Clauson, with support from Jonathan Byrd’s Racing and in partnership with Matt Wood Racing, Joe Dooling, Bryan Clauson Inc, and Mike Martin Racing, is thrilled to present “The Chasing 200 Tour: Circular Insanity”.
Already recognized as one of the busiest and most successful racers in the world with 2 Indy 500 appearances and 4 USAC championships under his belt, along with an annual schedule that routinely features more than 120 races, in 2016 Bryan Clauson will attempt a wholly unprecedented motorsports feat, as he will run a schedule consisting of 200 races.
With the 100th running of the Indianapolis 500 in the Jonathan Byrd’s Racing #88 as its centerpiece, “The Chasing 200 Tour: Circular Insanity” will see Bryan competing in winged sprint cars with the Matt Wood Racing Elk Grove Ford 17w, non-winged sprint car races in the Bryan Clauson Inc/Dooling Machine 63 and the Mike Martin Racing 16bc, and midget races in the Rusty Kunz prepared Dooling Machine/B&H Contractors 63. Additionally, Bryan’s schedule will see him contesting a limited Silver Crown and pavement winged sprint car schedule. Jonathan Byrd’s Racing, in partnership with the Cancer Treatment Centers of America, will provide support across the entire program.
Talking about his unprecedented and never before attempted schedule, Bryan says: “I'm not sure if this is awesome or crazy, but I'm beyond excited for our plans for ‘The Chasing 200 Tour’. As a race car driver, you dream of racing on the biggest stages, and this tour gives me the opportunity to race on every big stage in dirt track racing along with the biggest stage of them all, the Indianapolis 500. I always say I have the best job in the world, and I think it's pretty cool that I get to try to do it 200 times! The amount of time and effort that has gone into planning this adventure has been immense, and I can't thank everyone enough for getting this deal put together."
David Byrd, a principal member of Jonathan Byrd’s Racing, offered his thoughts, saying “Nearly a year ago, Bryan told me that he had always dreamed of running a 200 race schedule. In fact, he prefaced it by saying that it was crazy. I told him that I like crazy, so when he told me what he wanted to do, I said ‘let’s make it happen!’. We went to work putting all of the pieces and partners together, and now here we are today turning dreams into reality. I can’t thank Matt Wood, Joe Dooling, Mike Martin, and Tim Clauson enough for joining in the insanity, and I couldn’t be more excited to be partnering with so many quality people and teams, and extending the Jonathan Byrd’s Racing and Cancer Treatment Centers of America program and partnership in this way.”
Matt Wood, owner of Matt Wood Racing and the Elk Grove Ford 17w, added “After years of admiring Bryan as a driver and talking to him about the possibility of racing for us, I was finally able to get him in one of our cars. He hasn’t disappointed. While he works to find his way under a wing, we’ve built a solid program this year with good people, good equipment, and good results while looking towards the future. When David and Bryan came to me with this plan for 2016, I was all in. There’s no doubt that Bryan is a special talent, and with what he has already accomplished in his career he could easily be satisfied; but he continues to push and challenge himself, as evidenced by his increased focus on wing racing and now these incredibly ambitious plans for next year. Working with BC has been fantastic and he has made us better as a team. Being able to be part of something extra special like ‘The Chasing 200 Tour’ will make us even better, and I feel like we have laid a tremendous foundation for success the rest of this season that we will be able to carry forward into 2016. Between both 410 and 360 sprint cars, and maybe even some midget races, we expect Bryan to be in the seat of the Elk Grove Ford 17w at least 100 times next year. Based on our results in our first few months of working together, that’s a very exciting proposition.”
Joe Dooling, owner of the Dooling Machine/B&H Contractors 63 midget and sprint car, added his thoughts: “Me and Rusty’s relationship with Bryan began with a win at the Chili Bowl in 2014, and with our Belleville Nationals win a couple of weeks ago, I’d have to say it’s just continued to get better. We’ve been racing for decades, and the last 2 seasons with Bryan have been our best by far. BC’s the type of driver that makes you want to do more for him, so continuing with Bryan in our midget and growing our relationship with him by adding a sprint car to our operation in partnership with Brodie and Sarah Hayward and the multiple USAC championship winning team at Bryan Clauson Inc led by Tim Clauson, and doing so in order to help BC pursue a lifelong dream by partnering with Jonathan Byrd’s Racing for a big chunk of ‘The Chasing 200 Tour’ was a no-brainer. Naturally, it takes a lot of people to make something like this happen, and we’re only able to do our part due to our fantastic engine program with Gary Stanton and the support of John Godfrey and Spike Chassis. We have some more winning to do with Bryan yet this year, and I can’t wait for 2016!”
Mike Martin, whose Mike Martin Racing team will handle a portion of the western and southwestern sprint car races on ‘The Chasing 200 Tour’ schedule, added: “Bryan and I have had a great deal of success together, and I’m honored to have a role in this program. Being able to put a driver like BC in my car, and to have him put his trust in me and my team means a lot to me. Frankly, I just think this is a very cool deal, and it’s awesome to see the level of passion and commitment that it takes to want to do something like this and to take the steps to make it happen. I know that Matt and Joe and Tim give Bryan the best equipment and effort to go out and compete at a high level every time he straps in the cockpit, and we’re looking forward to doing the same on a more regular basis and continuing our winning tradition with BC”.
Jonathan Byrd II, another principal of Jonathan Byrd’s Racing, offered up his thoughts: “Last year, when we announced that Bryan would be driving the Jonathan Byrd’s Racing car in the Indy 500, we told people that we planned on being in ‘the BC business’ for a long time. With this announcement, it’s safe to say that we’re increasing our investment in Bryan, as we embark on our family’s most ambitious racing program to date. We’re looking forward to BC representing the Jonathan Byrd’s brand on tracks across America, and are thrilled to be able to fly our banner nationwide in association with a brand like the Cancer Treatment Centers of America while Bryan chases what many might think is the insane goal of 200 races in one season and attempts to make motorsports history.”
“The Chasing 200 Tour: Circular Insanity” will kick off in January of 2016. Race fans will be able to follow the tour via the web at www.jonathanbyrdsracing.com and www.bryanclauson.com, and via social media at the Jonathan Byrd’s Racing and Bryan Clauson Facebook pages and Twitter: @ByrdRacing and @BryanClausonInc.
Bryan Clauson has been one of the most prolific drivers to come through USAC in his short career. Racking up 69 career USAC wins and several championships, Clauson has cemented his place in USAC history. Clauson has captured over 150 total career feature wins in the Sprint Car (Winged and Non-Wing), Midget, and Silver Crown ranks.
Jonathan Byrd’s Racing was founded by the late Jonathan Byrd in 1982. In its various forms, Jonathan Byrd’s Racing has successfully fielded 17 entries in the Indianapolis 500 beginning in 1985, scoring 6 top ten finishes, with a best finish of 5th in 2005. A Jonathan Byrd’s Racing car currently holds the all-time Indianapolis 500 1 and 4 lap qualifying records (Luyendyk ’96). Jonathan Byrd’s Racing has won 2 IndyCar races (Luyendyk – Phoenix ’96, Paul Jr – Texas ’98), along with 2 United States Auto Club National Midget Championships (’86,’87).
Matt Wood Racing campaigns the Elk Grove Ford 17w in National Sprint League, Knoxville Raceway, and World of Outlaws competition. Matt Wood Racing currently sits in 2nd place in NSL points, with 7 top 5 finishes on the season.
Article Credit: David Byrd
Submitted By: Bryan Clauson
