What’s Going on at the Hall of Fame?
Wednesday, August 8, 2018
by Joanne Cram
2018 is a big year at the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame and Museum. Not only is the Salute to Champion Bryan Clauson exhibit on display, but the Bryan Clauson Suite Towers are open and ready for tours. Along with revamped displays, new features throughout the museum, and fun new merchandise, the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame & Museum is ready to welcome Knoxville Nationals Fans through its doors.
The Salute to Champion Bryan Clauson exhibit will showcase some of Bryan’s family’s personal collection of memorabilia, including trophies and personal possessions. The display will also feature three unique videos on Bryan Clauson’s career, eight of Bryan’s driver suits and helmets, and five of the race cars Bryan Clauson raced over the years. The five cars on display include the #17 winged sprint car, which was raced at Knoxville Raceway and owned by the Clauson family, previously owned by Matt Wood; the Buffalo Wild Wings #82 winged sprint car - one of the first winged cars Bryan drove; the Tony Stewart owned 2013 USAC National Championship sprint car, the #39 USAC National Midget Series Championship pavement midget owned by Curb Records - the car Bryan couldn’t seem to lose in; and the #7BC mini sprint that Bryan dove to win the Tulsa Shootout in 2003.
This display hosts more uniforms than any other Salute to Champion exhibit, with eight of Bryan Clauson’s helmets and eight driver suits on display. In addition to trophies and championship rings from the Clauson Family collection, the Golden Driller from the Tulsa Shootout will be on display (which he won when he was12 years old), and the Golden Driller from Clauson’s Chili Bowl win. His prized trophy was the Chili Bowl Golden Driller. Many of the artifacts for this display have been generously loaned to the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame and Museum by the Clauson family, who have a museum in their shop out side of Indianapolis, where Clauson-Marshall Racing is housed.
As with past Salute to Champion collections, professionally commissioned posters are ready to frame, and t-shirts will be on sale in the gift shop for $20 and $22 depending on size.
“Bill Wright, our new museum coordinator, was instrumental in gathering all of the artifacts and bringing the display together,” Bob Baker, Executive Director of the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame & Museum reflects. “Bill did an excellent job of not only collecting all of Bryan Clauson’s race cars and memorabilia, but he also displayed everything in a way that race fans will appreciate along with the three Bryan Clauson videos that we have playing in the museum highlighting Bryan’s career”.
Other new things to the museum include three new Bob Trostle cars - one of the last he began to build, but became ill and could not finish himself. The second is a roadster that Trostle raced at Knoxville in the limited sprint car division, before they became the 360 class. The third Trostle car is a coupe type super modified, another unique car Trostle-design. All three new cars are located next to the Salute to Champion Bryan Clauson exhibit..
New this year, museum volunteers will be on hand to take small groups of people on tours of the Bryan Clauson Suite Tower. Tours to the new Richard & Jennifer Marshal observation deck will be included with paid admission, for anyone who would like to see Knoxville Raceway from this unique perspective. Bryan Clauson Suite Tower tours are included with paid museum admission.
The National Sprint Car Hall of Fame & Museum has a continued staff of dedicated workers and volunteers that make each experience memorable.
Lori DeMoss is the museum's most tenured employee, as she was the first person who was hired to be an employee, even before the museum was built. Lori takes care of all of the museum's administrative responsibilities and makes sure everything that 'has to be done' - actually gets done.
Laci White is the museum store coordinator who heads up our museum store and keeps it running smoothly, as well as greeting guests with a cheerful smile as they come through the doors.
Garry VanWaardhuizen is our superintendent, who takes care of more things than can be listed. Gary can fabricate just about any parts or fixtures we need, and keeps the building in great operational running order year-round.
Mike Noftsger is the special events coordinator at the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame & Museum who organizes auctions, the new Mach 1/Ryder 410 engine raffle car appearances and raffle ticket sales, golf tournaments, the Australian Sprint Car Vacation raffle and special events.
Brenda Brown, Bev Goesselink, Angie Dingeman, and Heidi Smith and Riya Smith are part-time associates who take care of the museum in so many ways. These ladies help keep the museum open and looking amazing for everyone who visits the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame & Museum year-round. They allow the NSCHoF & Museum to be open 7 days a week, year-round for race fans to come in and learn more about sprint car racing.
In short, if you haven’t visited the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame & Museum lately, this is the year to come back and check out all of the new exhibits,the Bryan Clauson Suite Tower, and to renew your membership to help the museum promote the future of sprint car racing and preserve sprint car racing’s past.
Following is a tentative list of our schedule of events!
Wednesday, August 8:
10:00 a.m. “Women in Racing” with host Amy Tatnell and Michaela Dumesny, McKenna Haase, Alex Hill, Paige Polyak, Harli White and other guests (Second Floor)
12 Noon “Talking with the Hall of Famers” with host Bill Wright (Museum Coordinator) and Brad Doty and Jac Haudenschild (Second Floor)
1:30 p.m. “World of Outlaws (WoO) Sprint Car Racing” with host Johnny Gibson (World of Outlaws) (Theater)
Thursday, August 9:
10:00 a.m. “International Sprint Car Racing” with hosts David Mills (Premier Speedway, Warrnambool, VIC, Aust.) and Wade Aunger (Valvoline Raceway, Sydney, NSW, Aust.) and Carson Macedo and other guests (Theater)
11:00 a.m. “Members Only VIP Reception” with host Bruce Ellis (Williams Grove Speedway) and Bobby Allen, Jacob Allen and Logan Schuchart (Shark Racing) (Second Floor)
12 Noon “Sprint Car Safety Tips” with Greg Nicol (Speedway Motors) and Jay Masur (MedStar), Aaron Zentgraf (Simpson) and other guests (Theater)
1:30 p.m. “Sprint Car Racing: State of the Union” with Larry Boos (Eldora Speedway) and Steve Beitler (Skagit Speedway), Rex LeJeune (Attica Raceway Park) and Steve Sinclair (IRA) (Second Floor)
Friday, August 10:
10:00 a.m. “Sprint Car History” with Gary Guehler and Steve Beitler (Theater)
11:00 a.m. Performance Racing Industries (PRI) Manufacturers Luncheon (Second Floor)
12 Noon “Visiting with Erin Crocker Evernham” with host Jim Donnelly and Erin Crocker Evernham (Theater)
1:30 p.m. “Meet the Pennsylvania Posse” with host Bruce Ellis (Williams Grove Speedway) and Pennsylvania drivers and personalities (Second Floor)
Saturday, August 11:
11:30 a.m. National Sprint Car Hall of Fame & Museum Nationals Auction (Second Floor)
Every Day
10:00 AM – 4:00 PM Driver Autograph Sessions
Check the museum lobby or our social media pages each morning for drivers scheduled to appear each day.
When Theater is Available – Previous Knoxville Nationals videos
For more information on the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame & Museum, visit www.SprintCarHoF.com!
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