Bryan Clauson remembered as ‘a person that fellow competitors and fans alike enjoyed being around’
Bryan Clauson was more than the top dirt-track racer in the country. He drove in the Indianapolis 500 three times, leading this year’s race for three laps, and he spent a couple of years as a development driver for Chip Ganassi in NASCAR.
But the 27-year-old, who died Sunday from injuries suffered during a midget-car race the previous day, will be remembered for much more than his racing skills.
“Our Bryan fought to the end with the same desire that he demonstrated behind the wheel of all the various race cars he would park in victory lane,” the family said in a statement. “However, we were more proud of our Bryan that took a moment to make a young fan's day, or demonstrated his uncommon kindness and appreciation toward his friends, family and fans.”
Clauson was leading the Belleville (Kansas) Midget Nationals USAC race Saturday night when he crashed while passing lapped traffic. His car rolled and was hit by another driver. After being airlifted to a hospital in Nebraska, Clauson died Sunday evening surrounded by loved ones.
His death was announced the next morning at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
“Bryan Clauson combined his passion and enthusiasm for grassroots racing with a God-given talent that made him the favorite to win every time he got in a midget or sprint car,” said Doug Boles, Indianapolis Motor Speedway president. “He possessed a humility and character out of the race car that made him a person that fellow competitors and fans alike enjoyed being around. His spirit, his positive outlook and his thrilling talent will be missed by the entire racing community.”
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Clauson, who started racing professionally at 16, notched 112 wins across a variety of U.S. Auto Club series. He spent several years racing for Tony Stewart’s sprint car team.
"He was on pace to become USAC's all-time winningest driver," USAC President Kevin Miller said. "We not only lost one of the best drivers in the history of USAC, but we lost a true ambassador for all of motorsports. His passion for the sport was unparalleled."
Stewart said of Clauson: “I don't care what happened, no matter how bad his day was, he always found a way to smile with it.”
The racing community mourned Clauson’s loss on Monday.
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