Sprint car driver Bryan Clauson dies

Versatile race car driver Bryan Clauson died Sunday following injuries sustained in a hard crash at Saturday night’s Belleville Midget Nationals in Kansas. He was 27.

The Twitter account of sanctioning body USAC said Clauson climbed a guard rail between Turns 3 and 4 and flipped “heavily” before being struck by a car driven by Ryan Greth. The race continued after a red flag period and was won by Chad Boat.

Clauson ran in three Indianapolis 500 races – including this May for the 100th running, where he finished 23rd – and had a brief NASCAR Xfinity Series career, but he was best known for his talent in the dirt racing world.

He won two USAC national sprint car championships and two USAC national midget car championships in addition to a win in the prestigious Chili Bowl (2014) – one of more than 170 feature wins during his career.

Clauson also was a three-time winner of the Belleville Nationals, where he was racing as the defending champion Saturday night. The event was one of 200 he planned to drive this year as part of his “Chasing 200” tour.

A Northern California native, Clauson had another big crash just one night earlier at the same track.

“Took a tough hit last night, but the guys have me another hot rod ready for tonight’s Belleville Midget Nationals!” he tweeted just hours before his fatal crash. “Thanks to @SimpsonRacing and @SpikeChassis for keeping me safe!”

Clauson is survived by fiancée Lauren Stewart; their wedding was scheduled for February of next year. The driver was popular among dirt racing fans; his dog, Chevy Clauson, has its own Twitter account with more than 4,000 followers.

The racetrack, Belleville High Banks, is in north central Kansas, close to the Nebraska border. The Belleville Midget Nationals are prestigious and have been won by drivers such as Jeff Gordon, Kasey Kahne and Kyle Larson over their 39-year history.