3/31/2016
Bryan Clauson
Clauson's Circular Insanity Win Count Climbs to Eight
Lonnie Wheatley, BROWNSTOWN, Ind. (March 31, 2016) – Bryan Clauson’s 2016 win count climbed to eight as the “Circular Insanity Tour” pursuit of 200 races climbed to 34 over the past weekend.
A week that included four races kicked off last Wednesday, March 23, with a double dip of World of Outlaws Sprint Car action and Midget competition at California’s Placerville Speedway, where Clauson added another WoO top ten aboard Matt Wood’s Elk Grove Ford/Cancer Treatment Centers of America No. 17w Sprint Car and had a potential victory in sight at the wheel of Jerome Rodela’s No. 25k Midget before mechanical gremlins cut the run short.
Action continued on Friday night with a Civil War Sprint Car go at Chico, California’s Silver Dollar Speedway where a mid-race tussle resulted in a 15th place finish.
The past weekend’s action wrapped up with Clauson picking up the $7,500 winner’s share at Brownstown Speedway’s “No Way Out 40” on Saturday in the Cancer Treatment Centers of America/Jonathan Byrd’s Restaurant and Hospitality Group No. 63 Sprint Car.
“Circular Insanity” continues with a pair of events this weekend beginning with a $7,500-to-win NSL 360 tilt at Moberly, Missouri’s Randolph County Speedway on Saturday in the Elk Grove Ford/Cancer Treatment Centers of America No. 17w Sprint Car.
This weekend’s action wraps up with Sunday’s season-opening USAC Silver Crown event at the Terre Haute Action Track with Clauson driving the Cancer Treatment Centers of America/Jonathan Byrd’s Restaurant entry.
Race 31
The first half of a Placerville double-dip last Wednesday found Clauson wheeling Jerome Rodela’s No. 25 Midget. Clauson worked forward through the pack and was contending for the win just as engine woes cut his race short.
“It’s always fun to go race with Jerome, he has one of the nicest cars out west for sure. We were in position to win that one, but engine troubles put a stop to that. It was fun though, Placerville is a really cool Midget track, they’re a lot of fun to race there.”
Race 32
Clauson put together another strong night of World of Outlaws competition, crossing the stripe ninth for his fifth top-ten WoO run of the year.
“We qualified okay, we were 12th which was mostly a product of going out early. We were pretty good in the heat, we were challenging Brady (Bacon) for a Dash position but the track was still just a little narrow so we couldn’t work our way by. We started 12th in the feature and had a really good car, we worked up to about fifth or sixth at one point and then got knocked off the track and fell back to tenth or so. We worked back up there but then got held up on a late restart and finished up ninth. Overall, it was a good run, I feel like we had a top five car but just had some circumstances that didn’t work our way. We feel good about it though, we keep getting better and better every time out.”
Race 33
Some winged 360-ci action with the Civil War Sprint Car series was up next at Chico, California’s Silver Dollar Speedway on Friday night. Clauson battled among the top five until a tangle put a quick stop to that one.
“We went out late and qualified sixth, so that was a good qualifying effort for us. We went from third to second in the heat, then started the feature in ninth. We were battling for fifth with (Andy) Forsberg late, I made a mistake and hung the car in the middle of the track. There was some contact and it knocked the bead off the left rear, so that pretty much finished it.”
Race 34
It was back to Indiana on Saturday night for Brownstown Speedway’s “No Way Out 40” where Clauson battled into the lead in the late stages to take the $7,500 triumph. It was Clauson’s eighth victory of the year and second “No Way Out 40” triumph in the past three years.
“I’m not sure that we were the fastest car. I was able to manage the race and stay within striking distance. With about ten laps to go we were in position, I was fortunate to make the right moves in traffic. We got the lead from (Kyle) Cummins around lap 34 or 35 and then traded a few sliders with (Robert) Ballou before we kinda slipped away.
An early cancellation of this weekend’s I-80 Speedway double in Nebraska cuts this weekend’s “Circular Insanity” festivities to just two nights. Both will be firsts of 2016 with Clauson’s initial NSL 360 event at Moberly on Saturday and then the first USAC Silver Crown card of the year at Terre Haute on Sunday.
2016 Circular Insanity Tour Quick Stats: 34 races, 8 wins, 15 top-fives, 24 top-tens.
Up Next:
Saturday – NSL 360 Sprint Cars at Moberly, Missouri’s Randolph County Speedway (Elk Grove Ford/Cancer Treatment Centers of America No. 17w)
Sunday – USAC Silver Crown season opener at Indiana’s Terre Haute Action Track (Cancer Treatment Centers of America/Jonathan Byrd’s Silver Crown 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.
(Photo courtesy of Collin Markle)
Article Credit: Lonnie Wheatley
