Bryan Clauson

Nationwide Series

Bryan Clauson is a young driver with loads of talent.  His ability to race on dirt and pavement has landed him in the graces of Chip Ganassi. 

Super quick and always entertaining, Clauson is not afraid of anything.  Many times, his aggressive driving style has put him face to face with competitors but that doesn't change his driving style.

Clauson is on the fast track to the top but still has to gain some years as he is still really young.  The talent is there as he has shown in his ARCA races already.  His USAC career has propelled him to the top and fans will be excited to see him against other USAC drivers, moving to the top as well.

One of the most exciting young talents to ever enter the Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates (CGRFS) stables, Bryan Clauson is a young, yet seasoned racer by all means. During his relatively short career to date, Clauson has tallied multiple championships, wins, rookie of the year honors, podium finishes and has been the youngest driver to achieve and receive some of the most prestigious awards in Midget and Sprint Car racing history. Now, he is ready to race his way into the stock car history books beginning this fall when he climbs inside the No. 41 Memorex Dodge to go NASCAR Busch Series racing for the first time.

Clauson caught the racing bug from his dad, Tim, watching him compete in a sprint circuit around their Northern California hometown, Antelope. The younger Clauson finally got to go racing himself when he was just 5-years old.

First, he competed in the Quarter Midget ranks and dabbled some in go-karts, becoming the youngest ever to be named rookie of the year in the Outlaw Go-Kart program. After that, he spent the next few years focusing 100 percent toward his quarter midget career, which collected multiple championships. Even after his dad’s job relocated to Indiana and moved the family to the Midwest halfway through the 1999 season, Clauson still topped the total-win charts and managed to capture a western states championship. The move truly was a blessing in many ways, as the family had hoped to eventually move there because they knew that is where they needed to be to further Clauson’s racing aspirations.

Altogether during his six-year run in quarter midgets, from 1994-2000, Clauson amassed a national championship, two state championships (California and Indiana), two Northern California regional championships, and four western states championships. He also set a new track speed record during the Nationals in Pablo, Colo., and topped the 20-win mark almost every year he competed, grabbing a total of 30 wins during the 1997 season when he was just 8-years old.

Clauson concluded his quarter midget career on a high note in 2000. Not only did he post more than 20 wins along with an Indiana state championship, but his final race at the Nationals in Apopka, Fla. resulted in a Quarter Midget Light A Division National Championship title.

At 10-years of age, Clauson already had more than 200 quarter-midget victories under his belt and thus began looking at other racing avenues to pursue. He decided 600 Micro and North American Auto Racing Series (NAMARS) Kenyon Midgets would be his next course of action.

In 2001, Clauson embarked on his 600 Micros career that over a two-year period resulted in a rookie of the year title at Camden (Ind.) Speedway and 26 A Main event wins. In the midst of his 600 Micros career, he also started running the Kenyon Midgets, presenting him with the challenge of a double-duty season in 2002. The heavier schedule didn’t seem to deter Clauson’s on-track performance as he again captured rookie of the year honors in the Kenyon Midgets as well as a national championship. Clauson’s outstanding efforts also led him to being named the “First Year Driver” by the Hoosier Racing Fan Club (HARF). It was a prestigious award for a young racer to receive, with former recipients including some of the most successful racers in motorsports today, including Tony Stewart and Ryan Newman.

Clauson proceeded to compete in both the 600 Micros and Kenyon Midgets the following year to score an unforgettable career finale victory in the Open Division of the Tulsa Shootout. The win made him the youngest racer to ever win the prestigious event. During that same 2003 season, he also scored six A Main Event victories in the Kenyon Midgets on his way to claiming a second-consecutive national championship.

Again, looking to further develop as a driver, Clauson took a stab at racing Sprint Cars toward the latter part of 2003, competing at Kokomo (Ind.) Speedway. Although he was almost twice as young as most of his competitors, Clauson quickly gained respect as he showed he could run with the best. He was nicknamed “The Bullet,” after proving to qualify his Sprint Car into all 10 races he entered. Clauson’s consistency not only earned him an intimidating nickname but also rookie of the year honors at Kokomo.

Clauson’s sophomore year in Sprint Car competition resulted in unprecedented numbers. The 14-year old racer made a total of 37 starts, which resulted in six wins, 20 podium finishes and 31 top-five finishes. Clauson, again, looked back on another racing season that concluded with two more rookie of the year honors—one coming from Lawrenceburg (Ind.) Speedway and the other at Bloomington (Ind.) Speedway, where he also finished second in the overall 2004 speedway points standings. The National Sprint Car Hall of Fame recognized Clauson’s outstanding efforts and presented him with the “Wildcard Award,” which made him the youngest recipient ever to receive the infamous prize.

The 2005 season started with Clauson running the first half of the year in his Sprint Car on the local Indiana track scene. Then, after his 16th birthday in June, Clauson made his first United States Auto Club (USAC) start in the Buckeye Nationals at Limaland Speedway in Lima, Ohio. He couldn’t have asked for a better first step into USAC as his first run resulted in a podium third-place finish.

One of Clauson’s most notable runs of the year came at Tri-State Speedway in Haubstadt, Ind., as he took on his first Indiana Sprint Week. The teenager turned heads as he grabbed five top-10 qualifying efforts and topped it all off with a podium finish.

The young man’s talent caught a lot of attention and soon he was picked up by Keith Kunz Motorsports, which was one of the most successful USAC teams in the country. The new partnership enabled Clauson to race on both dirt and pavement, in both midgets and sprints, which would only continue to strengthen his talent and broaden his experience.

In October of that same year, Clauson won his first USAC Midget race at Columbus (Ohio) Motor Speedway, which also made him the youngest National Feature winner in USAC history. By the conclusion of the 2005 season, Clauson accumulated a total of nine victories on dirt and pavement in three different divisions—Midgets, Sprints and Kenyon Midgets.

Again Clauson’s performance caught a lot of attention including that of Lorin Ranier, director of driver development for Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates (CGRFS). Clauson soon met with the team and was signed up to be part of the CGRFS development program.

Going into 2006, Clauson was solidly in the hunt for a USAC championship and his on-track results quickly proved that as he collected wins in both the USAC Sprint Car and Midget Series’. One of the victories included an April USAC National Sprint car event at Winchester (Ind.) Speedway, which also made him the youngest driver to ever claim the top seat at “The World’s Fastest Half-Mile” and the youngest to ever win a Sprint Car feature in USAC history.

From there through the late summer, Clauson proceeded to record 11 top-five and 18 top-10 National Sprint Car finishes, in addition to eight top-five National Midget finishes. August was highlighted when the 17-year old became the youngest driver ever to sweep a Midget/Sprint double-header weekend by winning both USAC Midget and Sprint Car feature events at Salem (Ind.) Speedway. The victorious sweep placed Clauson in the USAC history books alongside other notable drivers who had accomplished the same feat, including Jeff Gordon, Pancho Carter and Dave Steele. The wins at Salem and Winchester also meant Clauson had successfully swept the high banks of the 2006 USAC competition schedule.

Even after an injury at Lucas Oil Speedway in Wheatland, Mo., sidelined him for the remainder of the year, Clauson still maintained a top-10 position in both the National Sprint and Midget Car Series’ by season’s end. He brought home a fifth-place standing in the National Midget division and a seventh-place rank in the National Sprint division. In addition to the outstanding final tally, Clauson again received freshman props by being named the 2006 rookie of the year in the National Midget division.

It was in late 2006 when Clauson asked his teacher for a hall pass so he could be excused from class to meet briefly with a potential sponsor that was interested in supporting him in the NASCAR Busch Series. Just a few months later, in January 2007, it was announced Clauson would pilot the No. 41 Memorex Dodge for CGRFS in the last seven NASCAR Busch Series races of the season, starting at Richmond International Raceway (RIR) in early September.

Leading up to that fall weekend at RIR, Clauson will embark on a 26-race schedule, competing in the Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA) with CGRFS, and also running the American Speed Association (ASA) North, ASA Challenge, USAC and the Georgia Asphalt Series (GAS) with various car owners, including Kasey Kahne.

The 2007 season is going to involve some major turning points in Clauson’s young life, both personally and professionally. In addition to his hectic racing schedule, he will graduate from high school in May, and then celebrate an 18th birthday in June. However, the third major turning point of his year will arrive in September when he climbs inside the No. 41 Memorex Dodge to take his first green flag ever in NASCAR Busch Series competition. Just like any teenager, he is looking forward to graduation, as well as the big 1-8, but glancing over his racing credentials one will quickly realize this teen has been preparing and anxiously awaiting that ride in September more than anything else.

June 2007 Podcast