Bryan Clauson to test Ganassi's No. 40 Cup car at Charlotte

By Bob Pockrass - Associate Editor

Saturday, September 20, 2008

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DOVER, Del. – Bryan Clauson will drive the No. 40 Chip Ganassi Racing car during the Sprint Cup test session next Tuesday and Wednesday at Lowe’s Motor Speedway.

Clauson, who has competed in select Nationwide Series events this year and will run the entire season next year, could make his first Cup start later this season.

Dario Franchitti drove the No. 40 car for the first half of the season before a lack of sponsorship resulted in the team being shut down. Crew chief Steve Lane remained with the team and will lead the test, while Franchitti has moved over to Ganassi’s IndyCar Series stable.

“It obviously is going to be another step forward in my career," Clauson said of the test on Saturday at Dover International Speedway. “ ... When Dario [Franchitti] left … there were still some potential sponsors for that car.

“We’re going to Charlotte just to be prepared if anything comes from those. We’ll be ready and prepared, not only as a driver but as a team.”

Where the 19-year-old Clauson would make that first start is still to be determined, but Atlanta has been mentioned as a possibility.

“It’s always a dream to get your first start and you want it to come as soon as it can,” Clauson said. “I’ve got the Nationwide car the rest of the year, and that’s what we’re focusing on right now and [we're] working hard to better our program for next year.

“It would be awesome to make a Cup start or two this year.”

Clauson has spent time testing a Cup car at non-NASCAR tests.

“We’ll be going through a lot of different things, stuff that our guys want to try – Juan [Pablo Montoya] and Reed [Sorenson] – and trying to help their program so they can focus ore on the things they [want]. … And we’re kind of using this as an R&D team a little bit, trying to find some stuff that will help our program,” Clauson said.