From Dick Jordan
Bryan Clauson is the new point leader in the 2010 USAC Mopar National Midget Series standings after his second-place finish in last Saturday night’s 65th NOS Energy Drink “Night Before the 500” at O’Reilly Raceway Park in Indianapolis, Ind. Clauson holds a 21-point lead over Brad Sweet entering the June 11 “Kevin Doty Classic” co-sanctioned by POWRi at Tri-City Speedway in Pontoon Beach, Ill.
Tanner Swanson of Kingsburg, Calif. caught Clauson on the 32nd lap of Saturday night’s 50-lapper in Indianapolis and led the rest of the race in his F & F Mechanical Beast/Esslinger Ford. The victory ended Clauson’s bid for an unprecedented back-to-back-to-back-to-back sweep of the four major USAC Midget races with histories dating to pre-1980. Ironically, Tanner spun in turn two after taking the checkered flag!
Clauson, who had won the 2009 Belleville Midget Nationals, 2009 Turkey Night Grand Prix and 2010 Hut Hundred, finished second after leading 30 laps. Kody Swanson, Brad Kuhn and Sweet rounded out the “top-five” at the checkered flag. Daniel Bedford escaped injury when his car vaulted over the backstretch wall on the third lap of the race.
USAC MOPAR NATIONAL MIDGET SERIES POINT STANDINGS
1-Bryan Clauson-399, 2-Brad Sweet-378, 3-Darren Hagen-369, 4-Bobby East-368, 5-Tracy Hines-367, 6-Dave Darland-342, 7-Jerry Coons Jr.-307, 8-Brad Kuhn-295, 9-Henry Clarke-248, 10-Zach Daum-232.