3/10/2016
Bryan Clauson
Clauson Circulates into Another Pair of Wins on Busy Weekend
Lonnie Wheatley, QUEEN CREEK, Ariz. (March 10, 2016) – A busy five-race weekend over the course of four days netted Bryan Clauson another pair of feature wins in Nevada and California as the “Circular Insanity Tour” race count climbed to 27.
In the pursuit of 200 races in 2016, Clauson picked off his sixth win of the year in USAC Southwest vs. USAC West Coast action at The Dirt Track at Las Vegas on Friday night before running the win total to seven with a USAC/CRA Sokola Shootout score on Saturday at Perris Auto Speedway. Both triumphs came aboard Mike Martin’s Cancer Treatment Centers of America/Jonathan Byrd’s Restaurant and Hospitality Group No. 16b.
Mix in three nights of strong World of Outlaws competition in the Cancer Treatment Centers of America/Elk Grove Ford No. 17w Sprint Car and it was a fast-paced weekend to be sure.
“It was a pretty good week, that was our first really busy week of the year,” Clauson commented. “There will be quite a few more like that as we get deeper into the season.”
Now, after several days to catch his breath, it’s back at it with double duty scheduled on both Friday and Saturday with World of Outlaws and USAC West Coast Sprint Car action at Tulare, California’s Thunderbowl Raceway.
Race 23
Last weekend’s flurry of activity began with World of Outlaws action at The Dirt Track at Las Vegas on Thursday night with Clauson finishing the night in 19th.
“It wasn’t the best start. We started 12th, but I didn’t get down soon enough on the start. I kept trying stuff and didn’t stay patient on the bottom. We got back up to 14th but then contact with another car knocked us back. I maybe should have been more patient, but we really had nothing to lose so I just kept trying different things.”
Race 24
A Friday double-dip at The Dirt Track at Las Vegas began with the USAC West Coast vs. USAC Southwest “Sin City Showdown”. After winning his heat race, Clauson led 20 of the opening 23 rounds before rallying from third to first on the final lap to score a spectacular win.
“We were in good position, but had some trouble in traffic. Taking the white flag in third and winning it makes it a spectacular finish. I was just fortunate to make a couple of good corners to steal one back. I got a good run and ripped the top around Brady (Bacon) to win it.”
Race 25
Friday at Vegas finished off with a strong ninth place run in World of Outlaws action. It was Clauson’s third top-ten of the year in WoO competition.
“We raced into the Dash and started eighth. We faded early but then got going, we were back up to seventh at one point. I was really good on the cushion, with nothing to lose I tried a couple of things that cost us a couple of spots. Still, any top ten with the World of Outlaws is good, you know you’re going the right direction.”
Race 26
With two Vegas nights in the books, the weekend continued after a quick 250 mile jaunt to California’s Perris Auto Speedway for Saturday’s USAC/CRA Sokola Shootout. A winner of the Oval Nationals his last time there, Clauson captured his second consecutive PAS win by leading the final 18 laps atop the half-mile clay oval.
“We had a really good car, we took some of the things that we learned last fall and applied it and it really worked well. We were able to able to use parts of the track that nobody else could and just set sail from there.”
Race 27
The five-race set wrapped up 350 miles to the east with the World of Outlaws first stop at Queen Creek’s Arizona Speedway near Phoenix. Never finding a comfort zone, Clauson still pulled off a 13th place finish.
“It was an up and down night, I never really got comfortable as a driver with what I needed to do. We started 12th and finished 13th, we really just kinda rode. We needed the car to be a little better to maneuver. Sometimes you just don’t figure out new places right away, this was one we just soldiered through and did the best we could.”
Now, 13.5% into the “Circular Insanity Tour” Clauson looks to add four more races this weekend at Thunderbowl Raceway where he raced into both World of Outlaws feature events in his first visit to the track in 2014.
2016 Circular Insanity Tour Quick Stats: 27 races, 7 wins, 14 top-fives, 20 top-tens.
Up Next:
Friday – World of Outlaws at Tulare, California’s Thunderbowl Raceway (Cancer Treatment Centers of America/Elk Grove Ford No. 17w Sprint Car) and USAC Southwest vs. USAC West Coast (Mike Martin’s Cancer Treatment Centers of America/Jonathan Byrd’s Restaurant and Hospitality Group No. 16b non-wing Sprint Car)
Saturday – World of Outlaws at Tulare, California’s Thunderbowl Raceway (Cancer Treatment Centers of America/Elk Grove Ford No. 17w Sprint Car) and USAC Southwest vs. USAC West Coast (Mike Martin’s Cancer Treatment Centers of America/Jonathan Byrd’s Restaurant and Hospitality Group No. 16b non-wing Sprint Car)
Keep Track: Keep track of Bryan Clauson’s 2016 Circular Insanity Tour at www.bryanclauson.com, on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/bryanclausonracing/?fref=ts and on Twitter at @bryanclausoninc.
If you would like Bryan Clauson “Circular Insanity Tour” press releases e-mailed directly to you, send your e-mail address to Lonnie Wheatley at lonniewheatley@gmail.com.
Penning the recurring series of “The Wheatley Chronicles” articles on www.sprintcarmania.com, Lonnie Wheatley provides media, public relations and more for select tracks, drivers and events. For more information, Wheatley may be contacted at lonniewheatley@gmail.com.
Article Credit: Lonnie Wheatley