One
can only speculate upon the inherent risks of racing night after night one
takes, as multiple times USAC champion Bryan Clauson, who'd passed the halfway
mark of his "Circular Insanity" tour, planning to run a total of 200
races this year was critically injured at the Belleville Midget Nationals at Kansas
Saturday night.
Clauson
was running His 116th event to date, and claimed his 27th win last Wednesday -
was airlifted to hospital after
suffering a wicked crash, having just assumed the lead after starting
ninth from Chad Boat, son of ex-Indy Racing League winner Billy Boat, before
perishing from a violent accident Sunday night.
I personally became a fan of Clauson's during
his rookie outing for Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing at Indianapolis in 2012, even
going so far as to purchase a T-Shirt from his website to wear to that year's
Indy 500.
As how could you not be impressed by this
novice trying to make his way into Indy Cars at Mother Speedway? Especially
with his natural enthusiasm, charisma and simply upbeat personality which
seemed quite infectious!
As Clauson was quick in anything with wheels,
and his triumphs in Dirt Cars led to seat time in Indy Lights after winning the
2010 USAC National Championship, which then included a USAC IndyCar Scholarship
award, thru an initiative by past IndyCar CEO Randy "the CandyMann"
Bernard.
This award saw Clauson contest six Indy
Lights races in 2011, before he won the USAC IndyCar Scholarship a second time
which the award's intentions were to enable funding to bring a USAC Sprint Car
driver to the Speedway, which was once the normal progression to the B-I-G'
DANCE at 16th & Georgetown.
Bryan then elected to split this funding
between Indy Lights and his maiden outing at Indianapolis in 2012 where his
team-mate was Josef Newgarden.
Clauson returned to Mother Speedway in 2015
as part of KVSH Racing's three car entry and then led his first three laps at
the Speedway this May in his third and final outing for Dale Coyne in the
Jonathan Byrds Racing Dallara/Honda.
NOTE
Sunday Night while listening to the Speed
Freaks, Crash Gladys mentioned how a SICK individual had created a FAKE Donation Fund site
for the fallen driver, which hopefully has since been deleted? As Crash asked
listeners to please wait for news from the Family instead.
Which now has asked that in lieu of flowers,
donations be sent to the USAC Benevolent Fund, for which you can get the
details from the Robin Miller Obituary link above.
R.I.P. BRYAN!
