Photo: Bryan in action at Volusia (Max Dolder Photo)
(Bill W) February 16, 2016 – The Matt Wood Racing #17w team got off to a fast start in Florida with the All Stars and the World of Outlaws. After a seventh place run with the All Stars at Ocala, driver Bryan Clauson ran at Volusia Speedway Park in five events last week. He would register two fifth place finishes and a tenth place run amongst one of the toughest sprint car fields assembled anywhere.
The Noblesville, Indiana driver looks back on Volusia after gaining some confidence. “Overall, we were very pleased with our week,” says Bryan. “It’s always a tough group of drivers who make the trek down there, and it was my first experience with it. To come out of there with a top ten and two top fives was a good start to the season.”
It was a good start for a team that will be headed west with the World of Outlaws the next several weeks. “We made a little bit of noise,” says Bryan. “We showed good speed all week long. We’ll work to get better, but I think we proved we could run up front with the Outlaws this week.”
Bryan’s strong finishes came amongst a tough field. “It was as deep a thirty-car field as you’re going to see,” he says. “Twenty-six to twenty-eight of those drivers can win about anywhere. We had to be on our game every night, and we did a good job of putting ourselves in position to have some good runs. The nights that we didn’t, we made something of it and rallied.”
Unfortunately, the week ended with some mechanical issues. “Obviously, things didn’t end the best for us with some mechanical problems on Sunday,” says Bryan. “That was a little bit of a bummer, but we’re trying to look at the big picture and not do anything to jeopardize our west coast swing coming up. It’s easy to get caught up in a bad night like that, but for our first time there, overall it was good for our team.”
While Bryan stays in Florida to compete with the USAC National Sprint Car Series this week in Ocala, the #17w team will prepare for two WoO shows in Texas. On Friday, February 26, they’ll compete at the Cotton Bowl Speedway in Paige, before heading to the Royal Purple Raceway in Baytown. “I was really proud of the team’s effort,” he says. “Now we’ll regroup and get ready for Texas in two weeks.”
Matt Wood Racing would like to thank: Elk Grove Ford, Cancer Treatment Centers of America, Jonathan Byrd’s Hospitality and Restaurant Group, America’s Best Value Inn, Quick Lane and Impact Signs, Awnings & Wraps!
To follow the Matt Wood Racing’s progress online, visit www.ColeWoodRacing.com!
Photo: Bryan in action at Volusia (Max Dolder Photo)
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