INDIANAPOLIS – The late Bryan Clauson, a legendary figure in the annals of the United States Auto Club, headlines the newest induction class entering the USAC Hall of Fame.
Headlining the Class of 2019, Clauson will be joined by champion mechanic Johnny Capels, late USAC PR director Dick Jordan and fellow driving champion Dave Steele in the eighth class of inductees.
The quartet will be formally inducted on Wednesday, Sept. 4, during the Driven2SaveLives BC39 powered by NOS Energy Drink at The Dirt Track at IMS.
New Mexico native Capels is a five-time championship-winning chief mechanic, claiming back-to-back USAC national titles with Joe Leonard in 1971 and 1972, plus USAC Champ Dirt Car titles with Al Unser in 1973, Mario Andretti in 1974 and as a chief mechanic and car owner for Pancho Carter in 1978.
Capels was also victorious as a USAC Sprint Car driver in 1968 and served in the roles of USAC Senior VP and Director of Competition in 1992, USAC President and COO from 1997 to 2001 and as Chairman of the Board of Directors for USAC from 2002 to 2010.
Clauson, of Noblesville, Ind., won 112 USAC races as a driver between 2004 and his 2016 passing. He is one of six drivers to reach the 100-win mark during his career with the club.
Clauson ranks seventh on both the USAC National Sprint Car and USAC National Midget wins list, with 41 and 38 wins, respectively. He also scored two career USAC Silver Crown victories.
He captured the overall USAC National Driving Championship in 2010, 2011 and 2012, a pair of USAC National Midget Series championships in 2010 and 2011 and USAC National Sprint Car titles in 2012 and 2013.
Jordan, of Brownsburg, Ind., was USAC’s public and media relations man for over half a century from 1968 until his death on Aug. 9, and it’s safe to say that no individual has witnessed more USAC events than Jordan did.
Jordan devoted his entire working life to publicizing the club’s drivers and events, working with the media, as well as preserving the club’s rich history with his thorough race reports, statistics and record-keeping.
One of the most respected individuals in all racing media, the recognition Jordan received from around the racing world because of his contributions was extensive.
Tampa, Fla., native Steele racked up one of the greatest careers in the history of USAC, ultimately becoming a two-time Silver Crown driving champion in 2004 and 2005 and one of the club’s most accomplished drivers in the decades of the 1990 and 2000s.
Steele earned 60 USAC national victories, all of which came on pavement, including 16 Silver Crown, 26 National Sprint Car and 18 National Midget wins.
A two-time Little 500 winner at Anderson (Ind.) Speedway – where he earned his final USAC win in 2009 – Steele passed away in 2017 following a crash on the opening lap of a Southern Sprint Car Shootout Series event at Florida’s Desoto Speedway.
The USAC Hall of Fame began in 2012 and has inducted 80 individuals over its seven-year history.