Race Weekend Central

Clauson-Marshall Racing, Pippa Mann Entering 2019 Indianapolis 500

USAC sprint car team Clauson-Marshall Racing is making its first foray into the NTT IndyCar Series with an attempt at the 2019 Indianapolis 500, the team announced Wednesday (Feb. 27).

Sponsorship will come from Driven2SaveLives, and Pippa Mann will pilot the No. 39 Chevrolet.

Clauson-Marshall Racing was founded in 2016 after the death of Hall of Fame sprint car driver Bryan Clauson and is co-owned by his father Tim.

“Merging our dirt programs with the Indy 500 program is very important to our future, and we are fortunate to have Pippa Mann behind the wheel,” Tim Clauson said in a press release. “After watching the way she handled the circumstances of last year with such grace, we were sure that if we could help her return to the Speedway, we would.”

Bryan Clauson competed in three Indy 500s with a best finish of 23rd for Dale Coyne Racing in 2016. He also competed in the NASCAR Xfinity Series from 2007-08, mostly for Chip Ganassi Racing, where he posted a best finish of fifth at Kentucky Speedway in 2008. He also attempted three 2008 races for Ganassi in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series but failed to qualify each time.

Clauson won the Chili Bowl, midget racing’s premier event, in 2014, and qualified for the A-Main six times.

Driven2SaveLives is a campaign of the Indiana Donor Network to raise awareness for the need of organ and tissue donations.

A powerhouse in the USAC dirt world, Clauson-Marshall has featured Ricky Stenhouse Jr in one of its entries during the Chili Bowl, and the team has also occasionally fielded cars for Kyle Larson. Tyler Courtney is driving a full schedule for the team this year.

“I am so thankful for this opportunity to join Clauson-Marshall Racing for their first Indianapolis 500,” Mann said. “This is more than just a car entry to me, and the journey has been an emotional one.”

Mann was a teammate of Clauson in IndyCar and has competed in three previous Indy 500s with a best finish of 17th in 2017 for Dale Coyne Racing, failing to qualify for the race with Coyne last year. She has 16 total starts in the series dating back to 2011.

About the author

Wesley has been with Fronstretch since October 2017. He loves well-told stories in whatever format he finds them. Aside from NASCAR, he enjoys reading, country music and OKC Thunder basketball. He has a BA in Liberal Arts/English and currently lives in eastern Oklahoma, where he works as a freelance writer/editor.

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