Lonnie Wheatley, BARBERVILLE, Fla. (February 17, 2016) – The whirlwind “Circular Insanity Tour” is gradually gaining force, as a half dozen winged 410-ci Sprint Car races over the past two weekends have brought Bryan Clauson’s 2016 race count to 17 in the early stages of the pursuit for 200.
And, a half dozen events aboard the Cancer Treatment Centers of America/Elk Grove Ford No. 17w Sprint Car proved fruitful with a pair of strong top-fives among four overall top tens in Florida.
This week, action shifts to the wingless variety with Clauson taking the seat of the Cancer Treatment Centers of America/B&H Contractors/Dooling Machine No. 63 entry fielded by Joe Dooling and Brodie Hayward for three nights of USAC “Winter Dirt Games” competition at Ocala’s Bubba Raceway Park.
The Ocala venue is the same site that the recent run of six winged races kicked off at with an All Star event on February 5 before the following night’s action fell victim to rain.
After a seventh-place run at Ocala in his 12th race of the year, five nights of action followed at Volusia Speedway Park’s DIRTcar Nationals this past Wednesday through Sunday.
And Clauson turned heads in his first visit to the lightning fast half-mile clay oval with a tenth-place run in the Wednesday All Star event followed up by a fifth-place All Star run on Thursday and a charge from 14th to fifth in Friday’s World of Outlaws season opener.
“We’re pretty happy with how we ran down there,” Clauson comments. “Four straight top tens and a couple of fifth place finishes that were probably among the best we have had with a wing against that strong a field of cars.”
The strong performances have Clauson and the Cancer Treatment Centers of America/Elk Grove Ford No. 17w team optimistic about the rest of the year.
“It showed a lot of potential for the year ahead, we’re excited about it,” Clauson explains. “We’ll be spending a lot of time with the World of Outlaws on the road for the next month and a half or so, it will really give us an opportunity to get better as a team and continue to improve.”
While the week’s high note was clearly Circular Insanity race Number 15 with a fifth-place World of Outlaws run, the week ended with engine woes on Sunday in race Number 17. After a 17th place showing on Saturday, the Sunday finale was cut short after engine problems in hot laps and then a narrow track that offered little opportunity for advancement.
“We made the decisions to cut our losses on that one,” Clauson explains after scratching from the B Main. “We had a good week and gained a lot, we had to look big picture and not risk making a bad night an even worse one.”
Overall, Clauson’s first Volusia Speedway Park experience was a positive one.
“I enjoyed it, it really was a level playing field all week long,” Clauson says. “Even the first and third nights that were a bit on the heavier side got to be racy where there were at least two grooves and you could race and maneuver around.”
“We learned a lot, we’re already looking forward to coming back here next year and doing even better,” Clauson summarizes of his Volusia experience.
Now, Circular Insanity shifts slightly to the west for three nights of USAC Sprint Car action at Ocala’s Bubba Raceway Park beginning on Thursday night.
“We’ve always been pretty okay at Ocala without the wing, so hopefully we can pick up a win or two while we’re there,” Clauson wraps up.
With three previous USAC scores at Bubba Raceway Park, Clauson will try to add to his season win total that is already at four as the Circular Insanity Tour count continues to climb from the current number of 17.
2016 Circular Insanity Tour Quick Stats: 17 races, 4 wins, 10 top-fives, 13 top-tens.
Up Next: USAC Sprint Car “Winter Dirt Games” at Ocala, Florida’s Bubba Raceway Park this Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
Keep Track: Keep track of Bryan Clauson’s 2016 Circular Insanity Tour at www.bryanclauson.com, on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/bryanclausonracing/?fref=ts and on Twitter at @bryanclausoninc.
If you would like Bryan Clauson “Circular Insanity Tour” press releases e-mailed directly to you, send your e-mail address to Lonnie Wheatley at lonniewheatley@gmail.com.
Penning the recurring series of “The Wheatley Chronicles” articles on www.sprintcarmania.com, Lonnie Wheatley provides media, public relations and more for select tracks, drivers and events. For more information, Wheatley may be contacted at lonniewheatley@gmail.com.
- administrator on Feb 17, 2016
- Article Date: 2/17/2016 by Lonnie Wheatley