(Author’s Note: One year ago today, the racing world lost Bryan Clauson, a dirt racing superstar and a driver who was willing to drive any racecar. In fact, Clauson was attempting to run 200 races during the 2016 season and the feat was appropriately named the Chasing 200 Tour: Circular Insanity. The native of Noblesville, Indiana, would compete in sprint cars, midgets, and even IndyCars to complete the incredible feat. As the tour entered its 117th race on August 6th, he had won 27 races and was looking for his fourth win in the Belleville Midget Nationals at the Belleville High Banks in Kansas. The race started out well for Clauson as he grabbed the lead in the A-main with a fast midget. However, the event quickly turned into a tragedy. A lapped vehicle spun right in front of him and he slammed into the stopped car, which caused him to flip violently in front of the field. Another driver had nowhere to go and slammed into Clauson, which caused even more damage to his midget and added to an already vicious incident. The track’s safety crew worked for around thirty minutes to extricate Clauson from his racecar and once the crews safely removed him from his midget, he was airlifted to the Bryan Medical Center in Lincoln, Nebraska, Throughout Saturday night and into Sunday evening, he fought to survive the violent crash, but he tragically succumbed to his injuries on August 7th, 2016. Following his passing, Clauson’s family and friends mourned his death along with the racing community. Fans, like myself, purchased decals, t-shirts, hats, and other memorabilia to honor one of racing’s most prolific young drivers. To honor Bryan today, we will be discussing one of his triumphs behind the wheel of a stock car. For a couple of years, Clauson competed for Chip Ganassi Racing in the ARCA Re/Max Series and what we now know as the NASCAR Xfinity Series before sponsorship woes prevented his rise in NASCAR. Yet, he did win in a stock car as he grabbed the win in the 2007 Gateway ARCA 150. We will analyze his triumphant victory in that race and discuss the major aspects of the event as if the checkered flag just waved a few minutes ago at the Gateway International Raceway. I miss you, Bryan, and I hope to continue to honor your accomplishments for years to come.)
Thanks to a late restart, Bryan Clauson passed Justin Allgaier with 18 laps to go to take his first career win in the ARCA Re/Max Series at Gateway International Raceway. Throughout the race, Clauson and his team managed the race strategy to perfection and avoided the big wrecks as they looked to visit victory lane for the first-time. Those strategy decisions caused the line-up to scramble during each caution period and the huge wrecks caused many contenders to fall out of the race. Josh Wise grabbed his first career ARCA pole and he was the early leader of the event. He led through the first caution on lap 23 and he was leading when the second caution came out eleven laps later. However, his crew chief, Wayne Carroll, brought him down pit road as several drivers stayed on the race track. Dominick Casola inherited the lead, but he quickly lost it on the restart to Michael McDowell. From there, McDowell began to dominate the event as he looked to gain points on Frank Kimmel in the championship battle. He led through the third caution on lap 53 and he was the leader on lap 63 when the red flag waved after an unbelievable crash involving Ryan Fischer. When the catchfence was fixed and the race went back green, McDowell continued to maintain the top spot as the possibility of pit stops weighed on the minds of teams and drivers. When the fifth caution waved on lap 84 after a short run, McDowell made the decision to come down pit road while nine drivers stayed on track. Bryan Clauson inherited the lead for the first time in the race, but Justin Allgaier managed to pass him on the restart. It looked like Allgaier would run away with his fast racecar and grab the victory, but the sixth and final caution waved on lap 96. The yellow flag gave Clauson another shot at the lead, but it also allowed the drivers with fresher tires to close on the leaders. When the race went green for the final time, every driver was looking to grab the lead. The restart turned out to be the break Clauson needed as he took the top spot from Allgaier thanks to a pass entering turn 3 on lap 103. Yet, the run to the checkered flag wasn’t over yet. McDowell and Wise moved into the Top 3 and began to chase down their fellow competitor. However, McDowell lost fourth gear with six laps to go and Wise was unable to gain on the leader. Because of that, Clauson cruised to the checkered flag for an impressive first victory in his stock car career with Chip Ganassi Racing. For 150 miles, ARCA’s finest raced fiercely around the tight corners of Gateway. Winning the race came down to managing restarts, making the right strategy calls, and saving equipment around the 1.25-mile flat oval. As these five stages of analysis display, the battle for the win on a Friday night was competitive and the attrition filled race came down to a final restart to decide the winner.
Stage 1:
Clutch Closer: Clauson Passes Allgaier on Final Restart to Grab an Impressive Victory at Gateway
While Bryan Clauson is only 18 years old, he has been competitive in every series he has competed in and he has opened the eyes of many owners throughout racing. For the past few years, he has competed in both sprint cars and midgets and even made the move to USAC midget competition in 2005. He became the youngest winner in USAC history after a victory in October of 2005 at the Columbus Motor Speedway. Last year, he continued to compete in USAC midgets and he added another victory to his career statistics. His abilities at such a young age grabbed the attention of Chip Ganassi, who is a prolific owner in open wheel and NASCAR competition. Ganassi gave Clauson a development opportunity in stock cars and coming into today’s race, the team had competed in five ARCA events with two second place finishes. With all the team’s success this season, they came into Gateway with a lot of confidence and a chance to compete for the win. Clauson started the race in 15th, but he immediately began to move towards the front. Just before the first caution waved on lap 23, he moved into the Top 10. However, his team decided to utilize some strategy during the caution as they came down pit road for four tires and fuel with most of the leaders staying on track. Clauson came out in the 12th position, but he was the third driver in line with fresh tires. On the restart, the young driver began to pass fellow competitors on older tires until the second caution waved on lap 34. More strategy played out during the caution and Clauson stayed on track with several drivers, which allowed him to restart fourth in the event. When the green flag waved, he managed to pass two drivers in front of him and he was sitting in second when the third caution waved on lap 53 with only Michael McDowell in front of him. Again, strategy changed the line-up and Clauson came out of the pits in fifth with fresh tires while the four drivers in front of him, including McDowell and Justin Marks, stayed on track. On the restart, he began to battle hard with Frank Kimmel, but he maintained the fifth spot as a huge crash resulted in the fourth caution on lap 63. The track was cleaned up and when the green flag waved, Clauson charged past Colin Braun and Brett Rowe to move into third place. On lap 73, he shot past Justin Marks to move into second place. He looked to catch McDowell for the lead, but the fifth caution waved on lap 84 before he could make the move. However, Clauson inherited the lead during the caution because McDowell and several other drivers came down pit road. For the first time, he was sitting in the lead with a fast racecar. When the race restarted, though, he struggled to move through the gears and Justin Allgaier passed him in turn 3 for the lead. It appeared Allgaier was in control of the race and he could cruise to the win, but the sixth and final caution on lap 96 presented Clauson with another opportunity to battle for the lead. The green flag waved for a final time and Allgaier held the lead on the restart, but he wasn’t pulling away from second like he did on the previous restart. Clauson managed to close on him and take the lead on lap 103 after an impressive pass entering turn 3. Over the new few laps, he managed his advantage over the field and drove away from the pack. McDowell and Josh Wise tried hard to chase him down, but Clauson took the checkered flag for a thrilling first victory in ARCA competition. Thanks to a clutch pass on the final restart and perfect strategy calls, Bryan Clauson stood tall in victory lane for the first time in his young career behind the wheel of a stock car.
Stage 2:
Wild Wreck: Fischer Sails into the Catchfence and Rolls Four Times on the Backstretch
Wrecks in racecars are an inherent danger of competing at high speeds through tight corners. At superspeedways like Daytona and Talladega, flips and vicious crashes are common due to speeds over 200 mph and the air that lifts cars off the ground. While Gateway is a faster track compared to most of the short tracks where the ARCA Re/Max Series competes, a rollover was the last outcome on the minds of the drivers in tonight’s event. However, Ryan Fischer experienced first-hand that no race track can prevent a racecar from flipping over and crashing violently. Fischer, who was making his first career ARCA start, ran into problems before his vicious crash. He bumped into Erin Crocker as several drivers were involved in a crash that led to the second caution on lap 34. Fischer had a good bit of damage to his nose and he came down pit road after the incident, but he continued in the event. When the third caution waved about fifteen laps later, he returned to pit road with Patrick Sheltra, Bryan Silas, and other drivers around him. Those three drivers restarted the race close together and when the green flag waved, they began to battle hard for positions around the Top 10. A lap after the restart, Sheltra drove out of turn 2 with Silas to his outside. Sheltra broke loose and attempted to maintain his momentum without losing positions. He moved up the track to block Silas, but he wasn’t clear and the two drivers made contact. The bump sent Sheltra up the track right in the path of Fischer, who was running full speed. He slammed into Sheltra’s right front and ramped up into the air. Fischer piled into the catchfence and flipped one time in the air before hitting the asphalt on his roof. He continued to roll down the backstretch as parts and pieces flew off his racecar. He rolled three more times on the ground and came to a stop on his wheels as the field crawled by to miss his heavily damaged racecar. While Fischer flipped violently, Silas made contact with Josh Wise, which sent him spinning through the backstretch grass. All three of the other drivers involved drove away as the caution waved. Shortly after the yellow flag waved, ARCA officials waved the red flag to attend to Fischer’s car and fix the mangled catchfence. Incredibly, Fischer climbed out of his Venturini Motorsports car unscathed and he even talked to the SPEED broadcast crew after he was cleared in the infield medical center. Track workers repaired the catchfence and after a 23-minute delay, the field began to roll again at caution pace. Unfortunately for Fischer, his first ARCA race ended after he destroyed a portion of the catchfence and flipped a total of four times, but he was unhurt and is prepared to continue making starts with Venturini Motorsports after a wild wreck.
Stage 3:
Comeback of the Race: Wise Overcomes Missed Strategy Call and Spin to Finish in Second
Josh Wise is a relatively new name in both ARCA and NASCAR, but he has already started building for the future. He competed in two races for Eddie Sharp Racing last year in the ARCA Re/Max Series and he has run five races already this season in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series with Darrell Waltrip as his owner. In addition to his races in the NCTS, Wise has continued to compete in select ARCA events with ESR and he came into tonight’s race with two Top 5’s in eight starts for the team this season. However, tonight’s 150-mile event would turn out to be a night of adversity for Wise and he would have to prove his capabilities behind the wheel of a racecar. He started on the pole and he led through the first caution on lap 23. When the second caution waved on lap 34, Wise was still out front with a fast Toyota. However, the caution proved to be pivotal for the remainder of his event. He came down pit road for four tires and fuel while ten drivers stayed out in front of him. That move put Wise in eleventh for the restart, but he had fresh tires and a quick racecar. However, when the race went back green, he was unable to gain any positions before the third caution waved on lap 53. Instead of staying on track, Wise came down pit road for service because the timing of the caution allowed him to make it the rest of the race on fuel. Most of the field pitted with him and he returned to the track around 15th. When the race restarted, the California driver looked to move back to the front, but his race would completely change on lap 63. As Ryan Fischer jumped into the catchfence after heavy contact with Patrick Sheltra, Bryan Silas shot down the track and bumped into Wise, which sent him spinning through the grass on the backstretch. His Toyota received some damage as he spun, but he drove away from the accident. However, when the red flag waved, Wise continued rolling around towards pit road before he finally came to a stop at the entrance of pit road. When the red flag was lifted, ARCA officials reported to the ESR team that Wise would have to start at the rear of the field on the restart for driving when the red flag was out. While the penalty would hamper the team’s opportunity to move to the front, they repaired the damage to their racecar and put on fresh tires. When the race restarted, the penalty and fresh tires ignited Wise’s competitive nature and he began to move through lapped traffic to battle for positions on the lead lap. After a fifteen-lap run, the fifth caution waved on lap 84 and Wise had moved all the way up to 11th in the short run. Since he pitted under the previous caution, Wise stayed on track and he inherited the fifth position after an impressive use of strategy and speed. When the race restarted after the fifth caution, he made quick work of Andy Lally to move into fourth and he was sitting there when the sixth caution waved on lap 96. For a final time, the race restarted with Wise hoping to retake the lead. As the final run progressed, he began to gain time on Dominick Casola and Justin Allgaier, but his teammate, Michael McDowell, was chasing him down for fourth. Wise held off McDowell and he passed the two drivers in front of him to move into second place. Yet, it appeared McDowell would move past him and chase down Clauson for the lead and win. However, McDowell lost fourth gear with six laps to go and Wise maintained second place while chasing down the leader. The final laps clicked by and when the checkered flag waved, Wise finished in second place after a thrilling comeback from a missed strategy call and damage in a mid-race accident. Josh Wise qualified fast for tonight’s race and overcame incredible adversity to tie his career best finish in the ARCA Re/Max Series.
Stage 4:
Memorable Moment: McDowell Finishes Third to Keep Championship Battle Close with Kimmel
Tonight’s race was the 18th event of the season for the ARCA Re/Max Series in 2007. More importantly, it was the fifth race before ARCA decides its champion at Toledo Speedway in October. When the race began today, only two drivers were in the hunt for the championship: Frank Kimmel and Michael McDowell. Kimmel, who has won the last seven championships and eight in total, was leading the championship fight by 95 points with wins in the last two races. McDowell, who is experienced in the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series and is running full-time in ARCA this year for Eddie Sharp, was looking to close that gap with a desire to break Kimmel’s streak and win the title. Tonight’s race turned out to be a memorable race as the series looks to crown a champion. McDowell started the event in 10th while Kimmel rolled off in 14th in pursuit of a second win at Gateway. Early in the race, both drivers moved towards the front and McDowell grabbed the lead on lap 47 after staying out during the first caution while Kimmel maintained his spot in the Top 10 after he stayed out. The race moved through the third caution on lap 53 with McDowell staying on track and Kimmel pitting for four fresh tires and fuel. The race restarted and McDowell held onto the lead while Kimmel remained in sixth place with his fresh tires. Kimmel was unable to make any moves as the fourth caution quickly waved on lap 63. Both drivers stayed on track and on the subsequent restart, Kimmel battled to move into fifth while McDowell continued to hold onto the top spot. However, the race started to unravel for the eight-time ARCA champion. He began to lose a lot of positions and he reported to his team that his engine was running on seven cylinders while McDowell held onto the lead. When the fifth caution waved on lap 84, Kimmel came down pit road two times as his team attempted to rectify the engine issue. The two pit stops put him into 17th position as the last car on the lead lap. McDowell also pitted for four tires and fuel, but he came out in eleventh with fresh tires and a fast racecar. On the next restart, McDowell moved into sixth while Kimmel struggled to advance towards the Top 10 when the sixth caution waved on lap 96. The green flag waved for a final time and McDowell quickly moved into the Top 5. He began to pressure his teammate, Josh Wise, before the two drivers managed to move into second and third, respectively. Kimmel, on the other hand, was finally gaining positions, but he still wasn’t a threat to crack the Top 10. As McDowell looked to move into second with about seven laps to go, he ran into a problem himself. ARCA racecars must shift around Gateway due to the speed changes entering and exiting the corners, which causes transmissions to become wore out. McDowell lost fourth gear and was unable to challenge for second, but he looked to hold onto third place. As the checkered flag waved, McDowell brought his ESR Dodge home in third while Kimmel fought all the way to 12th place. In terms of the championship battle, McDowell now only trails Kimmel by 40 points as the series heads to DuQuoin on Monday. If the young driver from California steals the ARCA title from an eight-time champion, this race could be a memorable moment where the championship picture completely changed.
Stage 5:
Underdog of the Race: Long Uses Strategy and Attrition to Take Underfunded Car to Top 10 Finish
James Hylton is 72 years old, but he is still competing in the ARCA Re/Max Series and he is also an owner when he is not racing. Hylton, who won the Rookie of the Year award in what is now the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series in 1966 and grabbed two wins in the series over his career, has raced in ARCA since 1986 and he has run two events this season. In the rest of the events, he has used a variety of drivers to run his famous #48, but the year has been a struggle to make events and finish well for the organization. Coming into today’s event, the team only had two Top 15’s and the #48 had DNQ’d for four events. Yet, the team came into today’s event with a new driver: Carl Long. Long has been a journeyman driver in both ARCA and NASCAR and Hylton presented him with the opportunity to compete in tonight’s race at Gateway with hopes of grabbing an excellent finish for the underfunded team. Long started in 17th and from the start, the team began to employ strategy moves to progress to the front. Long stayed on track after the first two cautions and when the race was ready to restart around lap 38, he was sitting in the second spot with a terrific opportunity at the front. When the green flag waved, he lost a couple of positions, but he was still towards the front when the third caution waved lap 53. His team brought him down pit road during the caution and he returned to the race around 15th position. Fortunately for Long, he was far enough back to drive through the grass and avoid the massive crash on lap 63, which allowed him to stay in the race without damage. However, he came down pit road after the red flag was lifted and when the fifth caution waved about fifteen laps later, he came back down pit road for the final time. From there, Long methodically used his racecar to move towards the Top 15. When the sixth caution waved on lap 96, he was sitting in 15th with another opportunity to gain positions on the restart. The green flag waved for the final time and the North Carolina driver continued to gain positions. As the laps wound down, Long was just on the edge of the Top 10 with his entire team pushing him to move into tenth. He took the tenth spot with about 15 laps to go and he managed to hold onto it as the rest of the field battled around him. When the white flag waved, Long was still in tenth with no challengers around him. Finally, the checkered flag waved and the #48 crossed the line in tenth after an impressive battle through strategy and accidents. After a tumultuous year of competition, James Hylton desperately needed tonight’s Top 10 run for his underdog team and Carl Long delivered a great run thanks to dedication and resolve throughout the race.
After 150-miles around the flat oval known as Gateway, the ARCA Re/Max Series only takes two days off before it heads to the DuQuoin State Fairgrounds for a Labor Day showdown on the 1-mile dirt track in Illinois. ARCA has a unique schedule that features races on superspeedways, short tracks, mile and a half speedways, 1-mile ovals, and dirt tracks. Monday’s race will test the regulars in ARCA as they look to manage the tough conditions dirt tracks have to offer and make their equipment last for 100 laps. Plus, dirt track racers like Ken Schrader will be in the race and they will fight hard to snatch the victory, which could lead to potential chaos and accidents. Finally, teams will only have a limited time to prepare for the event after tonight’s race, which could cause mechanical failures and leave teams unprepared for the trickiness of the DuQuoin dirt track. While the track itself carries a lot of critical storylines, several ARCA drivers have storylines surrounding them as they head into Illinois for Labor Day. Frank Kimmel might have lost some points to Michael McDowell tonight, but he heads to a track where he has won four times and could increase his points advantage. Michael McDowell finished second in his only dirt appearance in ARCA two weeks ago, which could be the experience that allows him to grab the win and gain on Kimmel in the points. Finally, Justin Allgaier heads to the site of his only career ARCA win and the Illinois driver will look for a second win in his home state. Tonight’s race featured a first-time winner in Bryan Clauson, a violent series of flips for Ryan Fischer, a tightening of the points battle with four races left in the season, and several crucial strategy decisions that affected the finishes of several drivers.
(More Stats Down Below!)
Cautions:
1st Caution: Lap 23- Brian Keselowski had a tire go down entering turn 1, which caused him to drive up the track and slam hard into the outside wall.
2nd Caution: Lap 34- Erin Crocker bumped Jason Hedlesky entering turn 2, which sent Hedlesky spinning into the infield grass. Ryan Fischer slammed into Crocker as she slowed down and Gabi DiCarlo piled into Crocker’s right-side door. All four drivers drove away and continued.
3rd Caution: Lap 53- Dexter Bean tried to drive between Marc Mitchell and Frank Kimmel entering turn 3. Mitchell bumped into Bean and the two drivers spun up the track towards the outside wall. Bean slammed into the wall with his right side while Mitchell backed into the outside wall. Mitchell slid back towards the inside of the turn and made slight contact with Phillip McGilton. Mitchell and Bean’s good runs would both be over due to their heavy damage.
4th Caution: Lap 63- Patrick Sheltra broke loose exiting turn 2 and tried to squeeze in front of Bryan Silas to maintain his spot. He wasn’t clear and the two drivers made contact, which sent Sheltra spinning up towards the outside wall. Ryan Fischer had nowhere to go and he slammed into Sheltra, which caused his car to lift off the ground and sail into the catchfence. He flipped four times heading down the backstretch and came to a stop on his wheels as the field raced by. Josh Wise also spun in the crash after Silas bumped him. Fischer’s day was done due to his heavy damage along with Sheltra while Wise and Silas continued.
5th Caution: Lap 84- Pete Shepherd had a right front tire blow out on the frontstretch, which caused him to slam into the outside wall and ride it all the way through turn 1.
6th Caution: Lap 96- Jason Hedlesky spun in turn 4 and went up the track, which caused him to slam into the outside wall with his driver’s side door. The damage ended Hedlesky’s day.
Top 5 Finishers:
1st: Bryan Clauson
2nd: Josh Wise
3rd: Michael McDowell
4th: Justin Allgaier
5th: Dominick Casola
Notables Not in Top 5:
6th: Michael Annett
8th: Justin Marks
9th: Colin Braun
10th: Carl Long
12th: Frank Kimmel
17th: Erin Crocker
19th: Mike Harmon
23rd: Norm Benning
29th: Patrick Sheltra
36th: Jeremy Clements
Credits:
-My Own Notes
-Statistics:
http://racing-reference.info/race/2007_Gateway_ARCA_150/A
http://www.thethirdturn.com/wiki/Bryan_Clauson
-Image:
https://www.arcaracing.com/articles/1971674
-Full Race (The race is split into two parts. Both are listed.):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ND_H1A7L9U
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-HgyIt5Y9GE
