SPRINT CAR: Clauson reaches milestone win

Since dashing out of Indianapolis Motor Speedway after the 100th Indianapolis 500 last month so he could make hot laps at Kokomo Speedway, Bryan Clauson has been on the run. And on a tear.

In the past couple of weeks he's won eight out of 10 sprint-car shows, charged from 16th to second in the USAC Silver Crown race at Williams Grove and captured the Eastern Storm title.

Clauson, who turned 27 today, already has already amassed an amazing 78 starts in 2016 and owns 21 victories (six in USAC sprints, seven non-wing 410s, four non-wing 360s, one winged 360 and three midget main events).

A few hours after competing at Indy for the third time and finishing his best yet at 23rd, the four-time USAC champion won the weekly sprint show at Kokomo and followed that up with wins at Montpelier, Gas City and Putnamville. He ran sixth at Bloomington and came back the next night to triumph again at Kokomo.

In USAC's recently-completed Eastern Storm sprint tour of Pennsylvania (and one race in New Jersey), Clauson captured Grandview, Lincoln and Port Royal, tying Gary Bettenhausen for seventh on USAC's all-time wins list with No. 40.

"I always struggle to run in the top five at that place (Port Royal) and after 10 laps I don't think anybody would have guessed we'd be in victory lane," said Clauson, who started 11th and dropped back to 15th before passing Brady Bacon for the win with one lap to go in Joe Dooling and Brodie Hayward's Spike/Stanton Mopar.

"I caught some breaks with yellows and guys falling out, and when I restarted behind Brady at the end I was committed to doing whatever he didn't. I got my momentum through Turns 1 and 2 and pulled the trigger."

Bettenhausen was 39 when he captured win No. 40 at Winchester, and Clauson, who is trying to make 200 starts this season, is just hitting his prime, so Dave Darland's USAC mark of 58 (and counting) is certainly within his sights.

The Noblesville resident currently stands second in USAC midget points, seventh in Silver Crown and ninth in USAC sprints because he's jumping back and forth between non-wing and winged sprinters.