Clauson-Marshall Racing Records Three Top Ten Finishes in Belleville Return!
Belleville, KS | August 5, 2017 – Returning to the Belleville High Banks for the first time since that tragic night in last August, emotions ran high as the Clauson-Marshall Racing team fielded three entries during the opener to the 40th annual Belleville Midget Nationals. Belleville was an event that Bryan Clauson left a lasting impact on, not only as a three-time champion, but also as a true fan with a burning passion for one of midget racing’s most iconic crown jewel races. On Friday night, Tim Clauson and Richard Marshall returned to that hollowed half-mile with their trio of drivers: Tyler Courtney, Shane Golobic and Justin Grant. With three solid top ten finishes and impressive storylines across the board, the CMR team has set themselves up well to contend for Saturday’s championship in the 40-lapper.
For Ione, California’s Justin Grant, he rolled his Driven 2 Save Lives No. 39BC out in the seventh spot for Friday’s 25-lap feature. Working his way into the sixth position on the ninth circuit, Grant continually pressured the frontrunners as he challenged for a top five bid. In the closing stages, Grant moved into the fifth spot and closed the night with his ninth top five of the year.
“We had a good first night here in Belleville, got us in a good position heading into tomorrow,” noted Grant. “Ended up fifth in the feature and felt like we had a fairly strong car. Looking forward to seeing what we can do during the 40-lapper on Saturday night!”
After struggling throughout preliminary action and switching to the backup car, Tyler Courtney started the main event from 23rd. Quickly working his way throughout the field, the Indianapolis native roared into the 12th spot by the fifth lap and then maneuvered into the top ten on lap 16. As the race wound down, Courtney advanced into seventh and ended his night with a phenomenal hard charging performance in the Driven 2 Save Lives No. 7BC entry.
“The night didn’t start too great as I messed up in qualifying again by getting over the cushion on the second lap,” claimed Courtney. “Then we had a slight issue in the heat race with something coming up and crushing the radiator, so we lost all the water and then we lost power. We had to go to the backup car, luckily, I have an amazing team behind me and the car was pretty much ready to go within minutes. Started 22nd and we made our way up to 7th. I know we’ve got three really fast race cars and the best team here, so I’m looking forward to tomorrow and hopefully bringing home the Belleville Midget Nationals.”
Dealing with a tough qualifying run, Fremont, California’s Shane Golobic started in the tenth position for the feature. Fighting a heavy race track, the Indiana Midget Week champion did his best as he slightly maneuvered ahead to finish in the eighth position. A run that gave Golobic, or “Mr. Consistency,” his 17th top ten finish in 19 races this season.
“Our night was alright, but not really what we came for,” said Golobic. “We qualified 11th and then won our heat race, which was good. Started 10th in the feature and ended up finishing 8th at the checkered. Just didn’t really have that much speed, so we’ll have to tune it up for tomorrow. Hopefully this place will get a little slicker and wider, and we should be good for the main event."
Tonight, the 40th annual Belleville Midget Nationals will conclude as the USAC National Midgets tackle the High Banks of Belleville. With a $12,500 check, let alone midget racing immortality on the line, the event is sure to be a hotly contested 40-lapper as the best of the best battle to become the newest Belleville champion. Saturday night at the world’s fastest half-mile will serve as Golobic’s third career championship start while Courtney & Grant are making their Belleville debut.
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. You can also watch all four of this week’s races LIVE on pay-per-view at www.speedshift.tv.
EVENT RESULTS:
Justin Grant – Qualifying: 7th (17.663), Heat Race: 1st (4), Feature: 5th (7).
Tyler Courtney – Qualifying: 9th (17.689), Heat Race: 5th (4), Feature: 7th (23).
Shane Golobic – Qualifying: 11th (17.780), Heat Race: 1st (3), Feature: 8th (10).
UPCOMING EVENTS:
8/5: USAC National Midget Series at Belleville High Banks in Belleville, KS.
SEASON STATS:
Tyler Courtney – Races (20), Feature Wins (5), Top 5’s (12), Top 10’s (15), Heat Wins (7).
Shane Golobic – Races (19), Feature Wins (0), Top 5’s (11), Top 10’s (17), Heat Wins (10).
Justin Grant – Races (19), Feature Wins (2), Top 5’s (9), Top 10’s (13), Heat Wins (6).
CLAUSON-MARSHALL RACING:
Race on. A saying that Bryan Clauson always related to his father Tim when our sport faced its darkest moments. It’s what racers do, we continue to race on. Following Bryan’s tragic passing in August of 2016, Tim Clauson and Richard Marshall never wavered when they formed Clauson-Marshall Racing. After unveiling a dream team at the 2017 Chili Bowl, CMR shifted focus to USAC. With a trio of Tyler Courtney, Justin Grant and Shane Golobic competing on the national level, along with Zeb Wise in the development ranks of POWRi Midgets and micro sprints, the future at Clauson-Marshall Racing looks brighter than ever.
- Tim Clauson on Aug 05, 2017
- Article Date: 8/5/2017 by Brian Walker