Race 2 Win: Nationwide Series Race Notes

Nationwide Series

Lipton Tea 250 - Bryan Clauson Notes

Bryan Clauson
Richmond International Raceway Advance Notes

Race: Lipton Tea 250 on Friday, May 2 (NNS) (LIVE, ESPN2, 7:30 p.m. ET)
Track: Richmond International Raceway (3/4-mile D-Shaped Oval)
Location: Richmond, VA

Bryan Clauson and the No. 40 Fastenal Dodge Team (NNS)

NOTES

Catching up with Clauson: Clauson’s last NNS run was at Nashville Superpseedway this past March when he started 18th and then battled a tight-handling race car to finish 17th. Although he hasn’t competed in the last four NNS competitions, he has still been a busy teenager by becoming a team owner himself, attending some of the last few NNS races and testing, helping around the CGRFS race shop and splitting his time between two states—North Carolina and Indiana. Read all about it below.

Clauson Takes on Team Owner Role: Clauson, who is just 18-years old, is embarking on another avenue in his young motorsports career by becoming a team owner, forming Bryan Clauson Racing, Inc., which will field the No. 47 and 7 midget cars throughout the 2008 midget car racing season. Clauson will be handling the role as a team owner and part-time driver with the help of his father Tim Clauson. He will share the driver’s seat with more than one up-and-coming open-wheel racer, including Hunter Schuerenberg from Sikeston, Mo.; Shane Golobic of Fremont, Calif.; and Ryan Kaplan of Chico, Calif. The main purpose of the team is to serve as a catalyst in the development of young drivers. Clauson and his fellow teammates are preparing to run about 20 races in the cars he purchased from Tony Stewart Racing. The team’s first run took place in early April at Anderson (Ind.) Speedway with Clauson wheeling the initial effort. For more information, please go to www.bryanclauson.com.

Richmond was his First: When Clauson gets on track Friday morning, it won’t be his first time making laps around the .75-mile oval. In fact, RIR is where the rookie racer made his NASCAR debut last September. He raced up as high as 21st before a left-front tire rub relegated him into a four-lap deficit (finished 36th). Overall, it was a solid first step and clean run for the 18-year-old racer and his team last fall. Since then, he has tallied 10 total NNS runs, averaging an 18th-place starting position and 25th-place finish. His career best start and finish of sixth place came out of Daytona Beach, Fla., earlier this year during the season-opening NNS race at Daytona International Speedway.

Testing 1, 2, 3: Clauson and his teammate Dario Franchitti both tested at RIR in late March with the No. 40 Fastenal Team and other NNS teams.

Rookie Update: Clauson’s teammate Dario Franchitti still leads the NNS Raybestos Rookie off the Year standings, but Clauson is second. With a total of 52 points, he is just 37 behind Franchitti (who has a total of 89 points).

Standings Update: The No. 40 Fastenal Team now stands 17th in the overall NNS owner points. With a current tally of 1,112, the team is 115 points outside of the top 10, and 370 away from first.

Check out the Parrott Perspective: Clauson’s NNS crew chief Brad Parrott is keeping fans up to date on what is going on in the world of the Fastenal Racing Team through an on-line log he is keeping throughout the 2008 NNS season. Check out the Parrott Perspective at www.fastenalracing.com.

CHASSIS INFO
No. 40 Fastenal Dodge (NNS): Chassis #851. This is a new car Clauson and his teammate Dario Franchitti tested at Richmond International Raceway in late March. Quotes
Bryan Clauson commented on what gave him the idea to become such a young team owner and what his main goals are in regard to taking on such a role. “We got the idea and started talking about it a lot more toward the end of last year. Then, in November we met with a company and got sponsorship for a car we didn’t even have yet. The main reason for all of this is I love racing and I honestly can’t get enough of it. There also really isn’t a lack of development for racers getting into stock cars, but when it comes to the aspiring open-wheel racers there aren’t as many development opportunities for those guys trying to get a better ride with the big USAC teams like Tony Stewart Racing and Kasey Kahne Racing. We hope to bridge that gap between dirt and pavement with our team.”

Now, you plan to enter a car in a regional touring series and a few National USAC races. So, does that mean you could be racing against your own car at some points throughout the year? “I wouldn’t mind racing against my cars some. If it comes down to me and Hunter or one of the other guys winning a race, someone’s going to get spun out. I won’t feel too bad about spinning my own car out. I know the owner won’t be mad [Clauson says with a smile].”