senor honda

Brian Clausen, sprint cars and Indy 500

MILLER: Remembering Bryan Clauson

Monday, 08 August 2016


Robin Miller / Images by Boyd Adams & LAT
ABOVE: Bryan Clauson in a midget at this year's Chilli Bowl. (Boyd Adams image)

Bryan Clauson was a likeable mix of intensity, aw shucks, hard work and a 1960s racer who lived on the loud pedal and loved driving anything with four wheels – anywhere and anytime.

• Bryan Clauson: 1989-2016
• Racing community mourns Clauson

From his quarter midget prowess as a 10-year-old to winning sprint car races at 14 to becoming USAC's youngest-ever victor at 16 to his amazing catalog of success in the past five years, B.C. was consumed by racing.
Speaking on the phone a couple weeks ago after completing his 100th main event of 2016, the 27-year-old Noblesville resident sounded like a man with the perfect job.
"I'm crisscrossing the country and racing almost every night so getting this motorhome was a really good idea," he said with a laugh. "It's kept me sane. Well, as sane as I can be but it's been fun and I am definitely a full-time racer this year.
"Our goal from the start is to run 200 races and I think we're going to make it."
It was impossible not to like this kid with the scrawny build and sunken eyes who worked on his own racecars in his garage with his dad, Tim. He took everything in stride – the successes and the realities of racing when he lost his NASCAR deal almost before it got started and when he crashed on his fourth lap of qualifying as a rookie at the Indianapolis 500.
He accepted the fact he wasn't going be a Cup star and make NASCAR money or spend 20 years in an Indy car. He treated every May he got to run the Speedway as a bonus.
"If I can win 20 races a year, I can make a living in midgets and sprints and it's a pretty damn good life because it beats working," he said in the summer of 2012.
Since then he'd been one of the most prolific winners in North America. He won 21 features in 2012, 26 in 2013, 22 in 2014 and 21 in 2015. This year in 115 starts he'd already amassed 27 victories in non-wing sprinters (1, midgets (5) and winged sprinters (4) while running USAC, weekly Indiana sprint shows, World of Outlaws, All-Stars and POWRi.
The real challenge had been jumping back and forth between a winged and non-winged sprinter.
"You can get yourself in trouble pretty quick because you don't feel like you're going that fast into the corners," he said with a laugh back in early June. "The non-wing car is a little more fun because the winged car is so intense.
"Qualifying is so important in a WoW race and if you don't qualify well, forget it. I haven't won one yet but we seem to get better every week."
In this age of specialization, B.C. was a refreshing throwback to days gone by when racers drove everything. Sure, he was a four-time USAC champion and carved out his reputation in USAC but he wasn't afraid to step outside his comfort zone – be it at 225mph at Indy, a WoO race against all the regulars at Knoxville or a Wednesday night ASCS show in South Dakota.
Parnelli Jones and Jim Hurtubise didn't have a motorhome, they slept in Herk's station wagon during their barnstorming IMCA days but Bryan embodied their spirit with his desire. Last May, a couple hours after finishing the 100th Indy 500, he was at Kokomo Speedway winning a sprint race.
His prowess in midgets and sprints would have made him an Indy star in Parnelli's era and, instead, it only made him one of the most respected racers in the land but that was rewarding in itself. He enjoyed his life, lap by lap, with his fiancee Lauren at his side and his fan following just kept growing from state-to-state.
He dodged a bullet in a nasty crash on Friday at Belleville, but his number came up Saturday night through no fault of his own.
His final act was classic Clauson – charging from ninth to first on the cushion. That's the way we should remember him.

senor honda

Bryan Clauson: 1989-2016

Monday, 08 August 2016


Robin Miller / Images by IMS Photo, Boyd Adams
Bryan Clauson, who will go down in USAC history as one of its most prolific performers, succumbed to injuries suffered in a devastating accident in Saturday night's Belleville Nationals midget race in Belleville, Kansas. He was 27.
Clauson, who started ninth, had just taken the lead from Chad Boat and was starting to pull away when he encountered lapped traffic on the lightning-quick, high-banked half-mile dirt track. He got stuffed into the fence by a lapped car and went into a series of snap rolls before landing on his side, at which point he was struck in the cockpit by an oncoming car at a high rate of speed. Clauson was airlifted to Bryan Medical Center West in Lincoln, Nebraska.

He is survived by his parents, Tim and Diana, sister Taylor and fiancée Lauren Stewart.

"Last night, the 7th of August, we said goodbye to our son, my fiancé, our friend, Bryan Clauson," Clauson's family and fiancée said in a statement. "He was surrounded by family and friends and we were grateful that we could experience his final moments with him.
"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. 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.
"We would like to thank everybody who has shown their concern toward us and kept us in their prayers. We will never be able to truly thank you. We would also like to thank the staff at Bryan Medical Center who stood and fought with our Bryan since he arrived here early yesterday morning."
"We know that our Bryan is also your Bryan and that you would like to participate in honoring him. A service will be held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway at a date and time to be announced soon. In lieu of flowers, or to make a donation, people may direct their contributions to the USAC Benevolent Fund website at http://usacbf.org/cash-donation/ or checks should be made out to the USAC Benevolent Foundation in the name of Bryan Clauson. The address is 124 E Northfield Drive, Suite F #129, Brownsburg, IN 46112.
Thank you for being a part of our Bryan's life."
The Noblesville, Indiana, resident captured 40 sprint features, 39 midget main events and a pair of Silver Crown races to go with his four USAC titles and three all-around USAC championships in a career that started in 2005.
That tied him with the great Gary Bettenhausen for No. 5 on the all-time USAC sprint list and put him No. 7 in the midgets – in between Chuck Rodee and Jimmy Davies. And his 112 total wins put him No. 5 on the overall USAC ladder.
"This is one of the darkest days in the 60-year history of USAC," USAC president Kevin Miller said in a statement. "Not only was Bryan on pace to be USAC's all-time winningest driver, he was a great ambassador to the sport. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and fiancée."
At age 16, Clauson became USAC's youngest-ever victor with a midget triumph at Columbus Motor Speedway in 2005 – two years after he began running sprint cars around the Indiana outlaw circuit.
When he was 17, B.C. swept the USAC midget/sprint doubleheader at Salem Speedway to join an exclusive club that included Pancho Carter, Jeff Gordon and Dave Steele.
He was signed to Chip Ganassi's driver development program in 2006 and began racing stock cars, winning at the ARCA race at Gateway in 2007 in addition to the pole at Talladega. He made 21 starts in NASCAR's Nationwide series in 2008 and won the pole at Daytona, but his ride evaporated before the '09 campaign began.
So it was back to open wheel and USAC, where Clauson developed into one of the drivers to beat in any discipline or any surface. He swept the three biggest outdoor midget shows at Indianapolis Raceway Park, the Belleville Nationals and Turkey Night Grand Prix and racked up 19 feature wins.
In 2010, he scored 19 more victories, including the Hut Hundred at Terre Haute, and in 2011 he earned his initial USAC midget title and the overall USAC championship, which earned him a ride in the 2012 Indianapolis 500.
In May 2012, after practicing in or around the top 10 most of the month for Sarah Fisher's team despite having no previous IndyCar experience, Clauson began his fourth and final lap of qualifying when he hit the Turn 1 wall. He made the race, but the team's budget and his confidence took a shot.
But he bounced back to capture the 2012 USAC sprint championship and began a roll like few drivers have ever experienced. From 2012 through 2015 he won 90 midget and sprint races all over the country – scoring another USAC midget and sprint crown in the process.
He also qualified at Indy in 2015 and this past May, but admitted he wasn't as comfortable as he wanted to be and it was difficult just running an IndyCar once a year.
The family of Jonathan Byrd, longtime owner and sponsor at the Indy 500, took a liking to B.C. and put his last two Indy programs together in addition to this year's "Circular Insanity Tour" – Clauson's attempt to run 200 races.
Going into Saturday night's race in Kansas, Clauson had been to victory lane 27 times in 115 starts and was leading the Belleville Nationals when he lost his life.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Tim Clausen's memorial speeech
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7XV3b9Bxhgg

The celebration of racer Bryan Clauson's life was interrupted by stormy weather Wednesday afternoon at Kokomo Speedway but not before Tim Clauson delivered an emotional and compelling speech about his 27-year-old son to the packed house at the track where he began his sprint car career 14 years ago.

senor honda

Sox and Martin Drag Racing by randykeever48
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fyc7uo5b2JY
A tribute to Ronnie Sox
Drag Racer, Mr. 4 Speed


At Quaker Steak and Lube by darthvic
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fOF5cSaOWdw
we got ambushed by Sox and Martin vintage racing Mopars

by V8TV
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yi6ABJwOL-E
http://www.v8tvshow.com - The legendary red, white, and blue Mopars of the Sox & Martin drag team are being thrashed again, thanks to the Ronnie Sox Foundation and Time Machines. The new cars are based on 2009 Dodge Challengers that have been converted into 'Cuda street-legal race cars. Check out the video feature and learn about the Ronnie Sox Foundation helping raise money and awareness for cancer research.

by Billy Kleinspehn
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uTIHEWEoLic

by Daytona2139
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F9SNVVa_OEY

senor honda

Don "The Snake" Prudhomme Drag Racer part 1 by strokerengine
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DdscTl88BF4

part 2
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wiWX...C4Ahn8X5ys84gA

and parts 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 This is great....self-playing! Includes some Keith Black footage
also includes Don's car collection....great videos!

Winners Don Prudhome
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SaEq6y1SAbk

senor honda

History of Mickey Thompson Bonneville
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mngq4uZlFXQ

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
History of Bonneville itself is here:
https://www.tamparacing.com/forums/g...e-history.html
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mickey Thompson 69 Mustang Funny Car with a blown nitro 427SOHC vintage Drag

Racehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJU3M-T0TXI

Mickey Thompson roared out of the hot rodding world of Southern California to become the "Fastest Man on Wheels," when his Pontiac powered Challenger One broke the 400 mph mark at the Bonneville Salt Flats.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pClv-XwBVOs

Thompson's life in the fast lane provides ample material for the filmmakers. From the drag strips, to desert racing to land speed record challenges, to car building, designing and race promotion Thompson earned his place as a certified automotive icon.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cv9c5M22fDQ

Built in 1968, then in storage for more than 40 years. This land speed racer went 400 mph+ in 1968 testing with only 1800 hp. It'll have 4000-5000 for this year at Bonneville Speed Week! Rebuilt by Mickey's son, Danny Thompson, this is a great story of perseverance and a father and son project.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xG5n4kFNlsA

Who killed Mickey Thompson?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zzcLVPlatKI

Closing Argument Alan Jackson
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Esqu6twXfg

Forensic Files Murder in the fast lane
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hrIqBu-kcZ8

senor honda

Juan Manuel Fangio 5 time world champion F1

https://www.tamparacing.com/forums/auto-x-road-racing/823975-formula-1-f1-racing-legends.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oKxw090DVFI

senor honda

Ricky Smith Drag Racing
https://www.tamparacing.com/forums/drag-racing/825278-ihra-62-legend-rickie-smith-still-has.html#post9379909

senor honda

Al Unser Sr, Indianapolis 500



[h=2]Al Unser Sr. named honoree for 2017 Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance Congratulations![/h] Tuesday, 30 August 2016


RACER Staff / Images by LAT

Four-time Indianapolis 500 winner Al Unser Sr. has been named the honoree for the 22nd annual Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance, which will be held March 10-12, 2017.


"The 100th running of the Indy 500 has made us even more nostalgic than usual," said Bill Warner, founder and Chairman of the Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance. "When we started to think about an honoree for 2017 'Big Al' seemed like the perfect choice. Next May is the 30th anniversary of 'Big Al's' fourth '500' victory and the 60th anniversary of his first race win: perfect bookends to an extraordinary career. We were very flattered when he agreed to join us in 2017."
Thre three-time Indy car champion (1970, '83, '85), mastered all forms of motor racing, including four times as a Hoosier Hundred victor and sprints, midgets, Formula 5000 and stock cars; in May, he took to the track in the winner of the first Indy 500, the 1911 Marmon Wasp, as part of the festivities for the 100th running of the Indianapolis 500 (pictured). The Hall of Famer was USAC stock car rookie of the year in 1967 and IROC champion in 1978. In his final Indianapolis 500 (1987) win he broke Ralph De Palma's 67-year-old record for most career laps led in the historic race and is the current leader at 644. In 2011 he was voted by fans as second all time to A.J. Foyt in the "Greatest 33" ever to compete in the Indy 500.
In June 2015, SVRA gave Unser the honor of grand marshal for the Brickyard Invitational at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
About the Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance – Now in its third decade, the Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance is among the top automotive events in the world. Always held the second full weekend in March, "Amelia" draws over 250 rare vehicles from collections around the world to The Golf Club of Amelia Island and The Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island for a celebration of the automobile like no other. Since 1996 the show's foundation has donated over $2.75 million to Community Hospice of Northeast Florida, Inc., Spina Bifida of Jacksonville, The Navy Marine Corps Relief Society, Shop with Cops, Micah's Place (for abused women) and other deserving charities. The 21st annual Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance is scheduled for March 11-13, 2016. For more information, visit www.ameliaconcours.org or call 904-636-0027.

senor honda

Carroll Shelby Sports car racer, Shelby designer, Cobra designer
https://www.tamparacing.com/forums/general-car-chat/821549-carroll-shelby-interview-snake.html

Historic partnership
https://www.tamparacing.com/forums/f...rtnership.html

senor honda

Jungle Jim Lieberman
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqexMLnzlfc

Jungle Pam Lieberman Pam Hardy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SWuhLqZQc9k


************************************************** **********
Racing Legends TampaRacing.com Tampa Racing part 1

You are looking at Part 1 page 1 on Tampa Racing:
https://www.tamparacing.com/forums/ge...pa-racing.html

Part 2 is here on Tampa Racing:
https://www.tamparacing.com/forums/ge...ml#post9383302