Summer is in full swing. Here in the Times-Union sports department that means there’s a little bit of a break between the end of the spring sports season and the start of cross country, girls golf, boys tennis and Friday night football games. During this annual “down time” I like to keep myself busy by fishing and going to the races. I’ve caught quite a few fish lately ... no, really I have, that’s not a made up fish tale .. but this column is about racing, and I want to start by telling a story. It’s a story of a kid born in California, who later moves to Indiana and becomes a star behind the wheel of a racecar. This driver has won multiple championships and built quite a following in the Hoosier State. He’s sat on the pole at both Daytona and the Brickyard. Given that information, I’m willing to bet you think I’m talking about Jeff Gordon. I’m actually talking about 27-year-old Bryan Clauson, who was born in Sacramento and now calls Noblesville home. He’s a two-time United States Auto Club (USAC) National Midget Series champion and a two-time USAC National Sprint Car Series champion. He’s won some of the biggest races in open-wheel dirt competition ... the Turkey Night Grand Prix (twice), Chili Bowl Nationals, Belleville Midget Nationals (3 times), the list goes on and on. This season, he’s already won the Indiana Midget Week title, as well as the Eastern Storm title for USAC non-wing sprints. He begins his quest for another Indiana Sprint Week title July 8 at Gas City Speedway. If you’re unfamiliar with things like Indiana Midget Week, Indiana Sprint Week, or the Eastern Storm ... it’s a week-long championship. For example, Indiana Midget Week and Indiana Sprint Week are six-night tours of the state, with races at a different track each night. At the end of the week a champion is crowned based on a points system. Fans plan vacations around these weeks and travel from track to track, much like the drivers and crews. Clauson has dabbled in stock car racing, even qualifying on the pole for what was then called the NASCAR Busch Series at Daytona in 2008. He sat on the pole for the 2011 Firestone Indy Lights Series at the Brickyard. He’s driven the Indy 500 three of the past four years, and was the leader on lap 100 of the 100th running of the Indy 500 last month. Clauson, however, has remained true to his dirt-track roots, and he’s in the midst of an historic season. Clauson has dubbed his 2016 season “The Chasing 200 Tour, Circular Insanity.” Clauson, who’s season began in New Zealand in early January, plans to drive in 200 races this year – a schedule that includes USAC midgets, USAC non-wing sprints, 410-winged sprints (with both the World of Outlaws and the Tony Stewart-owned All-Star Circuit of Champions), and the Indy 500. So far this season, including Wednesday night at Hagerstown Speedway in Maryland, Clauson has driven 91 races. His stats read like this: 25 feature wins, 48 top-5 finishes, 65 top-10 finishes. That is most definitely, as the name of his season says, “Circular Insanity.” I’m a race fan, so I’m a little biased I guess, but I think race drivers are just about the most passionate about their sport. And Clauson is a perfect example of that. I’m not saying baseball players aren’t passionate about their sport, but would Albert Pujols look for a game on his day off? Would NBA star and worldwide celebrity LeBron James look for a basketball game to compete in on his day off? In May, a short time after driving in the Indy 500, Clauson made his way to Kokomo Speedway to complete what he called the “Indiana Double.” He won the sprint car feature in dominating fashion that night, and a near-capacity crowd cheered him on. There were four chartered buses parked at Kokomo Speedway that night – part of a deal where you could watch Clauson compete in the Indy 500, then ride to Kokomo. Like his season so far, that night in May was certainly special. And to think, he still has more than 100 races to go.
