By Dick Jordan
Two-time USAC National Drivers Champion Bryan Clauson of Noblesville, Ind. leads the AMSOIL USAC National Sprint Car Series but his commitment to the Toyota Pro-Celebrity race at Long Beach, Calif. this week means that Brady Short will sub for him for this Saturday night’s AMSOIL USAC race at Lawrenceburg (Ind.) Speedway
Short, of Bedford, Ind., has four career USAC Sprint wins to his credit, including a 2008 win at the Lawrenceburg oval. He also scored at Bloomington, Ind. in 2006, North Vernon, Ind. in 2007 and Brownstown, Ind. in 2010.
Among drivers to keep an eye on at Lawrenceburg is USAC/CRA Sprint Car star Nic Faas of Huntington Beach. Calif., who is slated to compete in the Fox Brothers Racing entry. Faas finished a close second to Mike Spencer in a March 31 thriller at Perris (Calif.) Auto Speedway which many call one of the track’s greatest races in history. Faas made a half-dozen USAC National Sprint appearances at the end of last season and scored a feature win at Perris.
The Foxco entry will also take center stage in subsequent AMSOIL USAC National Sprint races at Gas City, Ind. and Rossburg, Ohio April 20-21 with four-time USAC/CRA Sprint Car king Mike Spencer at the wheel.
Clauson has a five-point lead over Damion Gardner in the 2012 standings, seeking his first title in the series. Gardner was one of two Florida race winners, the other being Darren Hagen, who finds himself atop the early USAC National Drivers Championship.
Lawrenceburg has proven to be an unpredictable track in recent times. The last six USAC Sprint races there have produced seven different winners. Defending four-time series champion Levi Jones of Olney, Ill. was one of the two winners there in 2011. The other was Robert Ballou.
Jones holds the track’s 1-lap qualifying record of 12.926 seconds, set in 2008.
2011 AMSOIL USAC NATIONAL SPRINT CAR POINT STANDINGS
1-Bryan Clauson-187; 2-Damion Gardner-182; 3-Jon Stanbrough-179; 4-Justin Grant-167; 5-Levi Jones-159; 6-Dave Darland-147; 7-Darren Hagen-140; 8-Kevin Thomas Jr.-140; 9-Tracy Hines-137; 10-Casey Shuman-135.