LAS VEGAS — They proved it last year that the Clauson-Marshall Racing No. 7bc driven by Tyler Courtney has the potential to win the championship with Kubota High Limit Racing – it’s just about the right things falling into place.
As deep as late May, they controlled the points lead after 19 races into the season and title hopes were very much alive. The dog days of summer set in, though, and the landscape shifted. The unrivaled consistency of the Kasey Kahne Racing No. 49 driven by Brad Sweet took over and the expected challenges of a new-to-them west coast swing weighed heavy on “Sunshine” and company.
The important thing to note is that wasn’t a losing experience for the No. 7bc boys, it was a learning experience.
“We chose to go to High Limit because we wanted that challenge to push ourselves and compete against a guy like Brad Sweet for a championship,” Courtney said. “We showed that we have the potential to do that, I think we just need to clean up the little things that a guy like him doesn’t make. It felt like the smallest thing ended up having the biggest impact on our season, and we can’t let that happen.”
The snowball effect was real down the stretch when the Fishers, Ind., based team had to head west for the first time ever as a winged team. After a confidence-boosting win at Kings, one bad night at Placerville sparked a dreadful 11-race swing that lasted from California through Oregon, up to Washington, and all the way to Pennsylvania. A series-low average finish of 16.0 was the final nail in the coffin for Courtney’s chance to unseat Sweet in 2024.
The good news is that the core components of the Clauson-Marshall crew are all returning to their roles. Courtney will be surrounded again by Jake Argo at crew chief, Bobby Lamond at car chief, and Camron Burley at tire specialist, and you can never have enough team chemistry in sprint car racing.
“Those guys aren’t just important to our team and our program, but they’re important to me,” he noted. “They’re like family as much time as we all spend together. I think it’s huge to bring all three guys back, we get to keep the same chemistry and flow we’ve built together. You see it with the top teams over the years, keeping that core group together is important for long-term success.”
If the NOS Energy Drink No. 7bc comes out of the gates as fast as they did last year, look out. “Sunshine” saw nothing but positives in the season-opener shifting to Las Vegas and now has added motivation in seeking redemption as they head west again.
“I’m really, really excited for Vegas, hopefully we can celebrate some wins back at the casino,” Courtney joked. “Looking at the rest of the schedule, obviously all the Eldora races are important to me with our package, my understanding of the track, and all the money. I know it’s hard to believe but I am excited for that summer west coast swing after Knoxville. That’s a big stretch we have with Gold Cup and Skagit back-to-back, and I’d like to redeem myself from last year.”
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