Oval-racing champion and Indianapolis 500 competitor Bryan Clauson has died on Sunday, August 7, following injuries sustained from a crash during the United States Auto Club’s (USAC) Belleville Midget Nationals at Kansas’ Belleville High Banks.
Clauson competed in three Indy 500s (2012, 2015, and 2016) and also has won multiple USAC championships. The 27-year-old driver leaves behind a too-short legacy of 112 USAC victories—his last coming August 3 at Solomon Valley Raceway—which was fifth all-time. Clauson won the prestigious Chili Bowl Nationals in 2014 and was the USAC National Drivers Champion from 2010 to 2012. He also made several stock car starts in the NASCAR Nationwide series in 2007 and 2008 as well as a full season in the ARCA series in 2007.
Clauson had planned an extraordinary 200 races on his 2016 calendar and with Belleville event number 116 of the year, the young racer had racked up an incredible 15 race victories. He was a hard-working, humble driver with a world of talent in whatever car he sat in. His unexpected death leaves a void in the world of American dirt-oval racing.
In lieu of flowers, the Clauson family requests that donations be made to the USAC Benevolent Foundation in Bryan Clauson’s name.
Read the statement from Bryan Clauson Racing here.
Read USAC’s story here.
Read IndyCar’s statement here.
Watch USAC’s tribute to Bryan Clauson below
https://www.facebook.com/usacracing/videos/1144632025559234/
Prayers for family and friends. Dying doing what one loves does not make it easier on them……