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Hi Everyone,

Despite the cold temperatures that are leading me to believe otherwise, it truly is spring and the 2009 racing season is underway.

Kinross Speedpark in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula will be opening their gates this weekend and starting the 2009 season off with a 5-in-1 show and Memorial Day special.

Kinross is a very nice, fun facility that just has a feeling of comfort and home.   The atmosphere in the grandstands and the pits is a little different than most.   As the track is an association rather than a privately owned facility, it is run primarily by volunteers.   It is not uncommon to see a driver “tech-ing” for another division or scoring up in the tower.    This has made Kinross a track whose drivers pride themselves on sportsmanship and camaraderie.

As often is the case no better on-track battles are fought as by those of rivals or good friends.    It is not uncommon to see three-wide action on this ¼-mile paved oval, and it is also not uncommon to see one car always on the move, that car being driven by Pickford, Michigan’s own John Clawson.

Growing up in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, John learned at an early age that he loved motorsports and had a passion to drive.   In the 2003 season his chance to step behind the wheel came with an old 4-cylinder.   John’s father-in-law at the time rolled up to the house one day hauling a car and told John, “Make it into a race car”.    John worked on the car until the middle of that 2003 season when he first got the chance to stomp on the throttle at Kinross Speedpark in Kinross, Michigan.

John was so impressive that despite running only half the season he was named the tracks “Rookie of the Year”, a season later he was accepting the track championship trophy for the 4-Cylinder division.
With success having been found in 4-Cylinders in the 2005 season John moved up into Pony Stock.   By 2006 he already had a top-3 points finish to his credit and in 2007 he won the title.    As the 2007 season wound down, John began looking for a new challenge and found one when he purchased a Late Model.   He competed in three Late Model events in the fall of 2007 and came out full time last season.

In addition to fine tuning and learning the feel of his #35 Late Model, John also ran the #69 Factory Stock weekly and occasionally competed in Pure Stock and 4-Cylinder.   Pulling triple-duty some nights was no easy task, but the staff and volunteers at Kinross made the process as easy as possible, John said with a chuckle, “I was definitely staying busy.  But normally they would switch up the race schedule so I could have a little bit of time in between races”.

When 2008 came to a close John had learned the Late Model well enough to earn a couple 4-car dash and heat race wins as well as a feature win.    That A-Main victory will long stay in John’s memory, “The first time I win a feature in a new class it is memorable, but when I won the feature in the Late Model, well…that was REAL exciting”.

For 2009 John plans to take things down a notch; although he will still be piloting the #35 Late Model weekly, he will be running in only one other division on a regular basis, that being 4-Cylinder.   After selling his starter car, John has found himself with a ride for ’09 in that same car that saw John to victory lane for the very first time.

Although John has been very successful over the past 5-seasons, for him the best part about the sport is, “All the people.   Just hanging out with everybody…we are like a big family here”.

John’s goals for 2009 are to, “Have fun and keep racing.  It’s my favorite hobby” John then added with a laugh, “Well…Now I guess it’s my only hobby.  I had to sell my other toys for this one”.

Racing is definitely at the top of John’s list of favorite things, when he is not at the track or at Carmeuse Lime & Stone, the Limestone quarry where he is employed, you will usually find him wrenching on his car, helping someone with theirs, or watching racing.

John would like to thank his sponsors; Jacobson Brick & Landscaping, and Hayk Trucking for all their support.

He would also like to thank Marty Jacobson and Nick Perie for all the help and dedication.

Thank you so much John!

Thank you Kinross Speedpark and I will see you when the next green flag flies, Darcie Fuzi