Bryan Clauson update

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Flying Penguin

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From Racer.com:

Bryan Clauson was airlifted to a hospital in Lincoln, Nebraska, after a violent accident in Saturday night's 39th annual Belleville Nationals midget race.

Starting ninth, Clauson had just taken the lead from Chad Boat and was starting to pull away when he encountered lapped traffic on the lightning-quick half-mile dirt track. The 27-year-old resident of Noblesville 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. It was reminiscent of the crash that badly injured Jan Opperman in 1976 at the Hoosier Hundred.

It took rescue workers approximately 30 minutes to cut off the cage of his car, remove Clauson and place him in an ambulance.

A friend of the family told RACER he was breathing on his own, but no other information was available.

The three-time Indy 500 starter walked away from a nasty crash in Friday night's preliminary race and tweeted his thanks to Simpson Racing and Spike Chassis.

Clauson scored his 27th feature win of 2016 on Wednesday night in Beloit, Kansas and was looking to become a four-time winner at Belleville. Saturday night was his 116th start of the season as he was attempting 200 starts in midgets and sprints.

Boat, the son of former Indy 500 veteran and USAC champ Billy, went on win the 40-lap main event.

From Jalopnik.com:

The American Racing Drivers Club tweeted that Clauson is in stable condition, per race officials. Video of the crash has also surfaced, showing Clauson’s car rolling several times along the wall and going airborne when upon impact with another car.


 
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From the Lincoln, NE Journal Star:

Bryan Clauson, a race-car driver from Indiana whose "Circular Insanity” pursuit of running 200 races this year has captured widespread media attention, was flown to a Lincoln hospital following a crash Saturday night in Belleville, Kansas.

Racing in the feature of the annual Belleville Midget Nationals, Clauson was leading the race when his car made contact with a slower car, flipped several times against the wall and was hit again after coming to rest in the middle of the track.

Belleville is about two hours southwest of Lincoln on U.S. 81.

Officials with the United States Auto Club confirmed that Clauson, 27, was flown to Bryan West Campus in Lincoln, where his condition is unknown. Fellow racers in all series have offered tweets asking fans to pray for Clauson.
 
The following statement was released Sunday afternoon by his father, Tim.

"Bryan was severely injured last night while competing in the Belleville Nationals midget race at Belleville High Banks in Kansas.

"Bryan was airlifted to Bryan Medical Center West in Lincoln, Nebraska following the accident, where he remains in critical condition and under the care of the medical staff.

"We appreciate the support of the racing community and are thankful for the outreach we've received. We ask that you continue to respect our privacy as we focus on Bryan."

- The Clauson Family
 
As of 8pm Sunday:

The nation’s top short-track driver remained in critical condition with severe injuries Sunday evening following a USAC midget crash in Kansas. (From Indianapolis Star Newspaper)
 
Officials representing two Indianapolis-based racing organizations will update the news on standout short-track driver Bryan Clauson during a briefing this morning at Indianapolis Motor Speedway at 8:00.
 
http://www.indystar.com/story/sport...ference-bryan-clauson-scheduled-8-m/88385852/



Bryan Clauson succumbed to injuries suffered in Saturday night’s USAC midget crash in Belleville, Kan., two racing officials confirmed today.

The Noblesville, Ind., driver had just taken the lead in the 39th Belleville Midget Nationals when he came upon a lapped car approaching Turn 4. Upon contact with that car, Clauson’s car flipped end over end several times before landing in the middle of the dirt track. A trailing car driven by Ryan Greth could not avoid hitting him, sending both cars tumbling.

Amateur video caught most of the Lap 14 incident, including the final impact. After a lengthy extrication, Clauson was airlifted to Bryan Medical Center West in Lincoln, Neb., where he died Sunday.

"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," Clauson's family announced in a statement.

A funeral service will be held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway at a later date.

"It's one of the darkest days in USAC Racing history," said USAC president Kevin Miller.

Clauson is survived by his parents, Tim and Diana, sister Taylor and his fiancé, Lauren Stewart.

Former USAC champion Tony Stewart said Clauson “had a bright future.”

Clauson, 27, has been regarded as the nation’s top short-track dirt-car driver for much of the decade. He won four USAC national championships in all – two in sprint cars, two more in midgets. He had started three Indianapolis 500s since 2012 and led three laps in this year’s race before finishing 23rd.

"This is certainly a sad day for the racing community as a whole, and on behalf of IndyCar and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, we send our deepest condolences to the family of Bryan Clauson," said Mark Miles, CEO of Hulman & Co., in a press release. "Anybody who witnessed Bryan behind the wheel of a race car can attest to his elite ability, relentlessness and unbridled willingness to race anything on wheels. While he'll be remembered most as a legend of short-track racing, his participation in the Indianapolis 500 exemplifies his fearlessness, true versatility as a competitor and the pure depth of his talent as a driver."

Proof of his versatility, Clauson finished this year’s 500 and drove to Kokomo Speedway, where he won a 30-lap sprint car race. Also in his career was a win in a stock car race in the ARCA series, and he was the fastest qualifier for NASCAR Xfinity Series and Indy Lights races.

Clauson also had a bad crash in Friday’s preliminary race in Belleville, and he tweeted thanks to makers of his safety equipment and chassis manufacturer. In almost the same location as his Saturday night crash, Clauson couldn’t avoid hitting the stalled car of Morgan Frewaldt. The impact did not injure either driver, although Clauson’s team tweeted that he was sore the day after.

The Belleville High Banks is a half-mile dirt oval 200 miles northwest of Kansas City and is one of the fastest tracks in the U.S. Clauson was aiming for his fourth victory in this event; he won last year. He had started ninth in this race.

Clauson was in his 116th start of the season. He was bidding to compete in 200 races this season. He won Wednesday night’s midget race in Beloit, Kan., for his 27th victory of the year.

Clauson’s first Indianapolis 500 start came with Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing, but mechanical issues forced him out of the car after only 46 laps. His second start came as a Byrd’s Racing/KVSH entry last year, and he ran 61 laps before crashing. He completed all but two laps of the recent race in a Byrd’s/Dale Coyne Racing entry.

"He possessed a humility and character out of the race car that made him a person that fellow competitors and fans alike enjoyed being around," said IMS president Doug Boles in a press release. "His spirit, his positive outlook and his thrilling talent will be missed by the entire racing community. The thoughts and prayers of everyone at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway are with the Clauson family in this difficult time."

Saturday night’s race was won by Chad Boat, the son of former midget champion and IndyCar Series driver Billy Boat.

The family asks that 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.
 
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