Bryan Clauson

Clauson made his USAC National Sprint Series debut on June 17, 2005 — two days after his sixteenth birthday — at Limaland Motorsports Park, Ohio, finishing third. On October 8, 2005, he won the Open Wheel Oktoberfest Midget race at Columbus Motor Speedway, Ohio, becoming the youngest driver in USAC history to win a National feature event, aged 16 years, 3 months and 23 days.

On August 12, 2006, Clauson recorded a historic USAC Sprint/Midget doubleheader sweep at Salem Speedway, Indiana, winning both the thirty-lap Midget race and the 50-lap Sprint race held the same night — only the 24th such sweep in USAC history. He also scored his first ARCA win on August 31 at Gateway International Raceway.

Beginning in late 2006, Clauson drove the No. 41 Memorex Dodge Charger for Chip Ganassi in the NASCAR Busch Series. He competed full-time during the 2007 season in the USAC National Sprint and Midget Series as part of the Keith Kunz Motorsports stable. In 2008 he raced the No. 41 Polaroid/Texaco Havoline Dodge for Ganassi in the Nationwide Series before being replaced by Kyle Krisiloff. He subsequently drove the No. 40 Fastenal entry for Ganassi, filling in for Dario Franchitti in select races and winning his first pole at Daytona in July 2008.

Clauson was set to make his Cup debut at the Bank of America 500 at Lowe's Motor Speedway in the No. 40 Target/MotorStorm: Pacific Rift Dodge, but qualifying was rained out and the team lacked sufficient owner points; a second attempt at Atlanta Motor Speedway was also washed out. At Texas, Clauson failed to qualify outright. After Ganassi merged with Dale Earnhardt Inc. and the Nationwide program was shut down, Clauson could not find a NASCAR ride for 2009 and returned to dirt racing. He won the Turkey Night Grand Prix in November.

Clauson joined Tony Stewart Racing's USAC Silver Crown program in 2010. That season he won the USAC National Midget Championship and became the inaugural USAC National Drivers champion. He earned a $300,000 scholarship to compete in all six Indy Lights oval races in 2011.

In the 2012 Indianapolis 500, Clauson ran with Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing but finished thirtieth after mechanical problems. He won the USAC Sprint Car Championship in 2012 and repeated in 2013.

In 2013, Clauson replaced Jerry Coons Jr. in the Joe Dooling/Rusty Kunz No. 63 Westin Packaged Meats Esslinger-powered Midget. On January 18, 2014, he won the Chili Bowl Nationals at the Tulsa Expo Center. Later in 2014 at the Gold Crown Nationals at Eldora Speedway, following a rain delay, he led all 25 laps for his first Gold Crown Midget win, holding off Christopher Bell in the No. 71 KKM midget.

At the 2015 Indianapolis 500, Clauson drove for KV Racing Technology/Jonathan Byrd's Racing, finishing 31st after an accident while moving out of the way for a faster car. That same evening he competed in the "Kokomo Classic" at Kokomo Speedway, finishing 2nd to Kevin Thomas Jr. in a photo finish.

In 2016, Clauson undertook what was billed as "The Chasing 200 Tour, Circular Insanity" — an attempt to compete in 200 races in a single year, encompassing the 100th Indianapolis 500, USAC Midget and Sprint cars, World of Outlaws sprint cars, and wingless sprint cars. He normally ran approximately 150 shows per year and planned to double up by racing 360 wingless sprint car events alongside 410 winged events. Clauson traveled the country living out of a mobile home. At the IndyCar Series banquet on October 4, 2016, he was posthumously named INDYCAR Nation Fan Favorite driver.

On August 6, 2016, Clauson was competing in the Belleville Nationals midget race at Belleville High Banks Speedway in Belleville, Kansas — his 116th race of that year — when he made contact with a lapped car, flipped, and was struck by another car. He was taken to Bryan Medical Center West in critical condition and died the following evening.

Tony Stewart said: "It sucks when it's anybody in racing. It's hard when you lose them, but it's even worse when they're somebody as close to you as Bryan was."

Clauson was a registered organ donor; his donation contributed to saving five lives. His parents Tim and Diana Clauson established the Chasing 200 organ donation registration campaign shortly after his death. By the time of his memorial service on August 24, more than 750 people had registered; by one month after his death, more than 3,750 had registered, making it one of the largest donation campaigns in recorded history — with future donations estimated to contribute to saving approximately 18,800 lives.

Following Clauson's death, drivers in the Xfinity Series race at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course ran a BC decal on the A-post of their cars, with race winner Justin Marks dedicating his victory to Clauson. The following week at the Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. ran a Fastenal scheme modelled after Clauson's 2008 Nationwide Series car, finishing in a then career-best 2nd place. On May 28, 2017, the video board at the start-finish line of the Indianapolis 500 displayed a commemorative green image with #BCFOREVER.

In 2018, Clauson was elected on the first ballot into the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame. A Bryan Clauson Tower was built with fan donations overlooking turn 2 at Knoxville Raceway. Beginning in 2018, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway's infield dirt track hosts a 39-lap USAC Midget race in his memory.

The Bryan Clauson Classic — known commercially as the Driven2SaveLives BC39 presented by NOS Energy — is held during the NASCAR meeting at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The race promotes organ donation registration and carries his car number, 39, as the race distance. It was originally run for the 25th Brickyard 400 and moved to the week after the NASCAR meeting in 2021 to avoid a date clash with the Knoxville Nationals; it is now a September race.

On May 19, 2021, the NTT IndyCar Series announced that the pole-sitter for the inaugural Big Machine Music City Grand Prix in Nashville, Tennessee, would receive the Bryan Clauson Trophy, awarded in partnership with Tennessee Donor Services to raise awareness for organ and tissue donation.

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