Macon, IL | July 2, 2017 – Opening a three-day stretch with the USAC National Midgets on Saturday night at Macon Speedway, the trio of Tyler Courtney, Justin Grant and Shane Golobic delivered a stellar 3-4-5 finish as Clauson-Marshall Racing landed all three entries inside the top five. With Courtney leading a race-high of 23 laps and Golobic charging all the way from 21st-to-5th, the night was full of intriguing storylines as CMR made their return to Illinois for the first time since winning the Shamrock Classic at Du Quoin with Justin Grant in March.
With Sunshine’s No. 7BC and JG’s No. 39BC starting from 1st and 2nd, Tyler Courtney and Justin Grant would combine to make it an all Clauson-Marshall front row last night at Macon. Rebounding from a rough qualifying time, California’s Shane Golobic would roll out from the 11th row, bound and determined for a phenomenal run to the front in his No. 17W.
Taking advantage of his pole position, Courtney immediately powered the No. 7BC into the race lead and took command of the opening circuit. Blistering his CMR, Driven 2 Save Lives, Spike/Stanton SR-11 entry around the top, the Indianapolis native held a steady lead until a three-way challenge busted onto the scene during the eighth round. The 23-year old proved ready for the fight, however, as Courtney regained control of the top spot on lap nine and started to walk away.
Courtney ensued to work up a full-straightaway lead on the “Mighty Macon” 1/5th mile, but a caution with 11 laps remaining would alter the race. Putting Christopher Bell at the tail of Courtney’s No. 7BC, the duo would engage in a slider fest as the laps ticked away and the battle for the lead heated up. Going back and forth lap after lap, Bell grabbed the edge with five to go and Sunshine’s last-ditch effort with three to go fell just short. Courtney would close the race with a third-place finish, making it five straight top five finishes on the USAC National tour.
“This one hurts a little after leading most of the race, but mistakes lead to losing,” commented Courtney. “In races like that with these guys on your heels, you have to be perfect for 30 laps and I just wasn’t tonight. In the big picture, it was a good night overall as we’ll move onto Lincoln and try to minimize mistakes and get a couple spots better.”
Starting from the outside pole, Ione, California’s Justin Grant slipped back to the fourth spot at the start of the race. Grant would remain a consistent challenger at the front of the field, moving as far forward as second on the tenth circuit. However, Grant would fall back and despite his late-race bid at Tyler Courtney for third, the driver of the No. 39BC would hang on to secure a fourth-place finish.
“Tim, Rizzy, Kevin and Adam gave all three of us great cars tonight,” said Grant. “I wasn’t quite as aggressive as I needed to be. Midgets at Macon are pretty tight and there is a lot of contact going on. It was a solid night though and we will go into Lincoln looking for a win.”
After suffering a bad qualifying time to start the night, Elk Grove, California’s Shane Golobic completed a masterful comeback to a top five finish. After starting 21st in the main event, the 25-year old quickly went to work and wheeled his No. 17W into the top ten by the tenth lap. Continuing his charge to the front, Golobic guided his machine throughout the pack and took the fifth spot with five laps left. He tracked down his CMR teammate, Justin Grant, over the final few laps, but would end up there in the fifth spot, bringing an end to an impressive hard-charging performance.
“It felt great to salvage a top five finish after such a rough start to the night,” noted Golobic. “Matt Wood and Clauson-Marshall Racing provided me with another awesome race car and we were able to charge from 21st-to-5th. Luckily, we stayed inside the inversion and went on to win our heat from the pole, but our poor qualifying effort came back to bite us on the lineup.”
Tonight, the Clauson-Marshall Racing crew will head to Lincoln Speedway in Lincoln, Illinois for the second event of this Illinois tripleheader. With strong performances all-around last night, all three drivers managed to cut into the points deficit separating them and USAC National Midget points leader, Brady Bacon. Shane Golobic sits 25 markers back, Justin Grant remains 35 points behind, and Tyler Courtney is trailing by just 66 points.
For the latest results, news and stories concerning Clauson-Marshall, Justin, Shane, Tyler and Zeb, you can follow the team on Twitter at @ClausonMarshall, on Facebook at Clauson-Marshall Racing, or online at www.clausonmarshallracing.com.
EVENT RESULTS:
7BC Tyler Courtney – Qualifying: 8th (10.705), Heat: 4th (5), Feature: 3rd (1).
39BC Justin Grant – Qualifying: 7th (10.638), Heat: 3rd (5), Feature: 4th (2).
17W Shane Golobic – Qualifying: 24th (11.008), Heat: 1st (1), Feature: 5th (21).
UPCOMING EVENTS:
Sunday, July 2nd – USAC National Midgets at Lincoln Speedway in Lincoln, IL.
Monday, July 3rd – USAC National Midgets at State Fairgrounds Multi-Purpose Arena in Springfield, IL.
MEDIA LINKS:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ClausonMarshall/
- Tim Clauson on Jul 02, 2017
- Article Date: 7/2/2017 by Brian Walker