As the days, months and years pass, and as more distant as that somber day becomes, racing figures like Courtney and Jones are more inclined to keep Clauson’s name relevant, especially with the sport’s newcomers.
From time to time, Jones’ daughter and two sons will stumble across pictures of their dad and Clauson racing each other, and the conversation will begin anew.
“It’s fun to tell them the stories,” Jones said. “But it also really sucks because they didn’t get to see him live it. That’s the unfortunate part of life. Our memories, views and stories have to be passed down.”
Jones retired from racing in 2012 with a legacy of his own and helped paved the way for Clauson when he took over Jone’s ride at Tony Stewart Racing at the USAC National Sprint Car level.
In his first year in Jones’ old ride, Clauson rolled to seven wins in 31 races en route to the 2013 series title. The year before, Clauson qualified for his first Indianapolis 500 and as Jones shifted his on-track talents to more off-track duties, Clauson’s intrinsic skill set became clear to Jones.
“I try to tell these kids, ‘He didn’t just show up and plop into that Indy car,’” Jones said. “He was young and good and fast. He proved he could do it.”
Two of Courtney’s and Jones’ most prized accomplishments have something to do with beating Clauson, and they were no run-of-the-mill races.
Jones’ last win on June 12, 2013, came at Gas City I-69 Speedway. On that day, he had to fend off Clauson, Kyle Larson, and Christopher Bell in a running order for the ages.
“That’s probably one of the biggest wins in my career that paid $1,200 and didn’t mean shit,” Jones said. “But that’s why you raced. You wanted to beat the best.”
Courtney’s moment, on the other hand, also unfolded at Gas City, but unlike Jones, he was a winless youngster trying to add something to his name.
Courtney spun on the opening lap of the USAC National Sprint Car event, but began a methodical march through the field. He had gotten to second before a caution with seven laps to go, with Clauson right in front.
“I’m like, ‘It’s Bryan Clauson, you’re not going to beat Bryan Clauson,’” Courtney said of his thought process when he saw the last car he had to pass.
Courtney took the bottom and Clauson stayed true to the top, and that’s when all those years of learning came to life versus his mentor. Courtney got by Clauson in the late stages and went on to win his first USAC National Sprint Car feature.
“Here I am, a 20, 21-year-old kid who won his first USAC National Sprint Car race and beat my idol,” said Courtney, who basked in victory lane as he anticipated some kind of embrace from his mentor that never came in that moment.
It signified the competitive edge Clauson raced with, but the day after completed the image of Clauson’s persona.
“Sorry, I was in a bad mood last night, buddy,” Courtney recalled being told by Clauson the day afterward at Kokomo Speedway. “I’m super proud.”
“That, right there, meant more to me than winning the race,” Courtney added. “I spent those two summers looking up to him. A lot of things I learned to win that race was from him.”
The expectation was and has always been to win. Courtney will never forget the 2010 trip to the Belleville Midget Nationals and a Wednesday night trip to the local Dave & Busters.
Clauson had been rolling, so Clauson’s dad, Tim, made a deal to his son and his team: win all six races that week and we’ll buy a horse racing machine like the one in the arcade.
Clauson finished third in the opening night and disappointment ran deep.
“It didn’t matter if it was cornhole, or pop-a-shot, or racing horses at Dave & Buster’s, he was the most competitive person ever,” Courtney said.
Clauson went on to win the Belleville Midget Nationals series championship that week, holding true to his DNA. In a way, Courtney is trying to carry on Clauson’s winning and versatile nature.
Courtney is expanding his racing pursuits in the winged sprint car world, something Clauson did toward the end of his versatile career. Like Clauson, he has also developed his own, flashy brand. Courtney is mostly known as “Sunshine,” a nickname Clauson dubbed because of Courtney’s similar looks and personality to “Sunshine” in the movie Remember the Titans.
“Bryan was a superhero in those comic books: they never die, they’re always alive,” Courtney said. “When a guy like that passes away, it brings things back to reality that anything can happen to anybody.”
Days like Friday flowed in that perspective-keeping reality. And Courtney, watching a somber rainfall wash away the night at Path Valley, had reflected on it all.
“Every year on this day it seems like it rains,” Courtney said. “I think it’s his way of saying, ‘Hey, hello, you aren’t doing this without me.’ At least not today.”