INDIANAPOLIS — Clauson-Marshall Racing co-owner Tim Clauson has confirmed the team’s driver lineup for the third-annual CMR Dream Team that will compete during the 33rd annual Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Nationals.
The ‘Dream Team’ concept was first envisioned by Clauson’s son, the late Bryan Clauson, before his death in August of 2016.
A diverse group of nine drivers will make up the Clauson-Marshall Chili Bowl roster, which will again receive major sponsorship support from NOS Energy Drink.
“We’re going back with some veteran presence, but we’ve also got a lot of youth and I think that’s big, when you consider the commitment that we’ve made to developing our group,” said Tim Clauson. “We’re bringing back some really good faces, and not just good race car drivers, but guys who have excelled in the midget ranks. I think it’s one of our strongest lineups yet and I’m eager to get going.”
Leading the CMR charge at the Tulsa (Okla.) Expo Center will be NOS athletes and returning Dream Team veterans Tyler Courtney and Chris Windom, two of the six team drivers who made the Chili Bowl’s Saturday A-main last year.
Courtney will pilot the No. 7bc after winning the AMSOIL USAC National Sprint Car Series title in 2018. Windom recently announced plans to race in both USAC’s sprint car and Silver Crown divisions and will wheel the No. 17. The duo finished 12th and 13th, respectively, in last year’s Chili Bowl finale.
Also returning to the CMR Chili Bowl roster are Shane Golobic (No. 17bc) and Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series star Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (No. 17s). Golobic is a past regular with the team and ran 15th in the 2018 Chili Bowl finale, while Stenhouse ended up crashing out in a B-main.
Completing the lineup are five Clauson-Marshall Racing newcomers, all of whom reflect the ever-swelling youth movement and commitment to driver development built by the team in recent years.
Sixteen-year-old Zeb Wise, who ran full time for CMR on the USAC trail last year, heads that group alongside fellow teenager Andrew Layser, who debuted for the team at DuQuoin in December.
Wise will wheel the No. 39bc with support from Driven2SaveLives, while Layser will pilot the No. 47bc with backing from Priority Aviation.
Cole Bodine, who subbed for Wise during the summer and completed the year out west after Justin Grant’s departure from CMR, earned the Tony Elliott Chili Bowl Scholarship at the PRI Trade Show in December and will wheel the No. 57bc Tony Elliott Foundation entry.
World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series regular Sheldon Haudenschild will complete his three-race tenure with CMR in the No. 17h at the Chili Bowl, after rides at the Turkey Night Grand Prix and Gateway Dirt Nationals last season.
The lone true newcomer to Clauson-Marshall will be Dustin Golobic, the younger brother of Shane Golobic who has attempted four prior Chili Bowls and is seeking his first Saturday A-main start.
The younger Golobic will drive the No. 17w entry. Both Golobic brothers will carry support from Matt Wood’s Elk Grove Ford dealership, a longtime backer of their racing efforts.
“Dustin has turned into quite the little midget racer,” noted Tim Clauson. “I’m really excited to get to work with him. He’s the opposite of his brother — Shane is so methodical and Dustin is anything but methodical,” he laughed. “It’s going to be fun.”
NOS Energy Drink will serve as a primary or associate sponsor on all of the Clauson-Marshall Racing Chili Bowl entries again this season, underscoring the brand’s commitment to grassroots racing.
Clauson was quick to note how pivotal NOS’ support has been to their operation in recent years.
“To watch what NOS Energy Drink has brought to the table, not just with our team but in their commitment to short-track racing in general with their backing of the USAC midget series for this year, has been really cool both to watch and to be a part of,” he said. “We’re proud that they’ve continued to work with us again this year and value that relationship on all fronts. To have a partner that is looking at the betterment of the sport is both satisfying as a team and rewarding as a partner.
“We look forward to a great week upcoming at the Chili Bowl and hope that we can see a driver from this Dream Team in victory lane after the Saturday finale.”
