Three drivers have remained constants with the Dream Team since its inception and return for the third year of the program this season – now-USAC sprint car champion Tyler Courtney, NASCAR star Ricky Stenhouse and dirt open-wheel veteran Shane Golobic.
Courtney has become the de facto leader of the Dream Team this season, fresh off the organization’s first championship and having built a veteran presence in his own right after being a fresh-faced kid a few years back.
It’s a growth and rise that Clauson has watched with both pride and admiration.
“With Sunshine … he was the first kid that ever showed up to Bryan and I’s shop, and he just wanted to race, man,” Clauson recalled. “He was determined and willing to do whatever it took just to race, and his story has really become the foundation of our company and this team. To have him there as our first driver, have him help us live through the growing pains and now to see him lead this squad and mentor the younger guys has been really special and really gratifying.”
From Courtney’s side, he views the opportunity to build his career with Clauson-Marshall Racing as a privilege, one that has now given him the home in the sport that he was searching for when he came to the Clausons’ shop a decade ago.
“I couldn’t be more proud, humbled and appreciative to be in the position that I’m in and to still be such a big part of this team,” said Courtney. “Tim and Bryan helped me find my footing in this sport and gave me a place to grow, learn and now belong. To be able to give back to this team, win a championship with them and to be able to help build the next drivers coming in after me is an honor.
“The Dream Team has always been a special part of CMR and makes the Chili Bowl mean a lot each year,” he continued. “To be a part of it for the third time and be one of the guys that has been here with this group every year is extremely special.”
While a driver-development team and continually-growing Chili Bowl program wasn’t originally in the plans for Tim Clauson or his co-owner, Richard Marshall, the pair’s passion for the sport and their focus on giving back has turned into something far beyond anything that Clauson could have ever imagined.
“Our vision when Richard and I sat down for breakfast – we weren’t even talking about a race team at the time – was to see what our core values were going to be and the path we wanted to go down,” noted Clauson. “Three years later, to see it play out like this, is more than I could have ever hoped for.
“The Dream Team idea, though … that was Bryan, and I know he was proud to see it all come together.”
