Prior to July 16, Tyler Courtney had little to complain about.
Of course, things could always be better, but the driver of the No. 7bc winged sprint car fielded by Clauson Marshall Racing had collected five wins since the opener in February and appeared on his way to a third straight All Star Circuit of Champions title.
But in mid-July, his outlook turned upside down in a hurry — literally.
During the World of Outlaws Knight Before the Kings Royal at Ohio’s Eldora Speedway, Courtney endured a violent flip between turns one and two. Courtney sustained a back injury in the wreck, forcing him to push the pause button on his prosperous season and lose his points lead with the All Stars.
Courtney spent a month recovering — with Anthony Macri and Corey Day taking over driving duties in the No. 7bc during his absence — before he made his return at Outlaw (N.Y.) Speedway on Aug. 18.
“I think we had a lot of strong moments after my injury,” Courtney said. “We came back and won our first race and kind of ran really well the second half of the season.”
The 29-year-old won five races following his return, including an October World of Outlaws triumph at the Nittany Showdown at Port Royal (Pa.) Speedway. It was his second career World of Outlaws victory.
“If you go get a win against the Outlaws, that’s probably the hardest thing you can do during the season,” Courtney explained. “To go and do that and prove to yourself that you can beat these guys who are the best in the country, if not the world, it gives you a lot more confidence and the ability to go out and do it again.”
Though Courtney came up short in the All Star Circuit of Champions title fight, finishing third in the standings, the Clauson Marshall Racing team only missed the owner’s championship by eight points.
“To even have a chance at the owner’s title there at the end of the year after having different guys drive the car and me sitting out for a month — I felt like it was a testament to our team and how hard these guys work to keep getting better,” Courtney said.
Following the All Star finale in September, “Sunshine” capped off his season on a high note with a surprising performance during World Finals week at The Dirt Track at Charlotte in November.
“We’ve statistically sucked here the last couple years,” Courtney stated candidly on opening night at The Dirt Track. “But we rolled out yesterday and we’re fast.”
A top-two qualifying effort on Wednesday set Courtney up for a trio of top-five finishes over the next three nights. His best result was a third-place finish on Friday.
“It’s hard to be disappointed about it,” Courtney said following Saturday’s finale. “You always want more, but like I said, this is a place we tend to struggle at. So to come down here and run top five all three nights, it’s a great weekend for us.”
With the World Finals signaling an end to his arduous race season, the 29-year-old was already focused on rebuilding for next year the moment he pulled off the track on Saturday night.
While standing in the dim light outside the Clauson Marshall Racing trailer, the heartbreak from his All Star season mixed in with the fresh momentum from the World Finals, giving Courtney cause to reflect.
“When you lose a championship, I think it helps you more than winning one. It kind of makes you reset and realize you’re not at the top anymore and you want to work your butt off to get back to the top,” Courtney said. “That’s our next goal, is to get back to the top of the mountain and try and stay there as long as we can.”