K&N-Sponsored Tyler Clem Has Great Start To 2017 Racing Season
- 4 Apr 2017
He finished the 2016 season Mid-South Racing point competition in second place accumulating 264 points. On April 1, 2017 Clem became the youngest driver in the United Sprint Car Series to win a feature event. On March 31, he returned to Bubba Raceway Park in Ocala, Florida, to compete in the USCS Outlaw Thunder Tour presented by K&N Filters. He stampeded to an 8-lap heat race win from the second row, which locked up the second starting position for the 25-lap A-Main and won it. He aced out Thomas Kennedy, Jordon Mallet, Tony Stewart, and AJ Maddox. The next night Clem faced a field of 26 cars and advanced six positions in his heat race, landing a 2nd place finish behind Thomas Kennedy. Starting in 4th in the USCS Hoosier Speed Dash, Clem charged to the win, which put him on the pole for the main event. As he made the pass for the top spot, the leader hit the slick and pushed up the track colliding with Clem and forcing him into the wall. His car suffered a bent and cracked frame. However, undaunted, Clem re-entered the race and recovered to record a top-5 finish. He crossed the line in 4th behind Tony Stewart, Danny Martin Jr., and Mitch Brown. “Saturday night was a little disappointing, but still it was incredible weekend for the team,” said Clem. “It’s a big honor to be not only the youngest winner ever with the tour, but also to beat such a strong field of drivers.” Tyler Clem has been showing steady progress during the early going of the 2017- racing season including three podium finishes and a 4th place finish in March. On Friday, March 17, 2017 he competed in the Bash at the Beach at Southern Raceway in Milton, Florida, in the Southern All Stars Series sanctioned contest. Twenty-six cars competed in the two-day event. Clem came up short of a transfer spot in qualifying sending him into the B-Main. He battled to a consolation victory and locked up a spot in the $4,000-to-win-A-Main. Coming from far behind, Clem ultimately finished 16th. On Saturday, March 18 Clem competed for the $5,000 top prized and achieved a podium finish in the feature after competing for the top spot throughout the whole race. He competed for the lead in the closing laps of the 50-lapper, but fell one spot on a late-race restart posting and finished in 3rd place behind Casey Roberts and Tyler Millwood. On Tuesday, March 21st, Clem competed in his home state behind the wheel of his Hedman Hedders #14 Rent-N-Roll Rocket Chassis Super Late Model in the Southern All Star Dirt Racing Series at Southern Raceway in Milton, Florida, and finished 3rd in the Saturday night finale of the two-day event. Clem landed a podium finish in the feature after battling for the top spot throughout the finale. In the closing laps of the 50-lapper, he fell one position on a late-race restart and posted a 3rd place finish behind Casey Roberts and Tyler Millwood. On Saturday, March 25th he traveled to Bubba Raceway Park in Ocala, Florida to compete in the unsanctioned Mike Peter’s Open. A total of 16 Super Late Models battled and Clem finished 5th in his heat pushing him to the 15th-starting position for the $3,000-to-win-A-Main. He stormed through 11 positions in the 40-lap event achieving a 4th place spot behind Mark Whitener, Kyle Bronson, and Doug Horton. | |||
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