Bryan Clauson's "Chasing 200 Tour" takes on new and more important goal

Clauson died Aug. 7 from injuries sustained in the Belleville (Kan.) Midget Nationals sprint car race the night before. He was 27. As a registered organ and tissue donor, Clauson was able to save five lives and help dozens more who suffered from debilitating injuries and illnesses.

He began 2016 in pursuit of an unprecedented goal – running a schedule of 200 races during the year.

On the eve of Clauson’s memorial service, scheduled Wednesday at Kokomo (Ind.) Speedway, his family announced a continuation of his tour, but with a new objective – registering 200 organ and tissue donors in his memory.

“This has been such a bittersweet moment for our family,” Tim Clauson, Bryan’s father, said in a statement. “We miss our son terribly. However, what has kept us going is the outpouring of support from the community and Bryan’s decision to be an organ donor.

“We have always been proud of him for the generous person he was. Being a donor saves lives and gives us hope to see Bryan continue to live on in the lives he has helped.”

Potential donors will have the opportunity to register in person at Wednesday’s service. Individuals can also register online at https://registerme.org/campaign/BryanClauson.

Each donor has the potential to save eight lives and heal 60 others. If the new “Chasing 200 Tour” goal is reached, up to 1,600 lives could be saved.

“Everybody we met from the Nebraska Organ Recovery network treated us with so much compassion and appreciation,” said Lauren Stewart, Bryan Clauson’s fiancé. “We really want to pay this forward for Bryan and for all the donor networks across the United States, including the Indiana Donor Network.

“Hitting our goal of 200 new donors in Bryan’s name would be an amazing accomplishment for the racing community.”