Tom Klausler (born July 14, 1945,

St. Paul, Minnesota Saint Paul (abbreviated St. Paul) is the capital of the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Ramsey County. Situated on high bluffs overlooking a bend in the Mississippi River, Saint Paul is a regional business hub and the center o ...

), is a retired

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n race car driver. He competed in the

CART A cart or dray (Australia and New Zealand) is a vehicle designed for transport, using two wheels and normally pulled by one or a pair of draught animals. A handcart is pulled or pushed by one or more people. It is different from the flatbed tr ...

Championship Car series and in SCCA's

Can-Am The Canadian-American Challenge Cup, or Can-Am, was an Sports Car Club of America, SCCA/Canadian Auto Sport Clubs, CASC sports car racing series from 1966 to 1987. History Can-Am started out as a race series for group 7 sports racers with two r ...

series.

Racing career

Klausler started racing in a Corvair in 1968. After racing in the car for 4 years, he moved into a Formula Ford single-seater.Tom Klausler's biography
Historic Racing.com, Retrieved June 11, 2008 He moved into a Formula Atlantic racecar in 1973. He won the Formula Atlantic race that year at Circuit Trois-Rivières and won that race again in 1974. He had another win in 1974 at

Road America Road America is a motorsport road course located near Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, United States on Wisconsin Highway 67. It has hosted races since the 1950s and currently hosts races in the NASCAR Cup and Xfinity Series, WeatherTech SportsCar Champ ...

, and his finish close behind Bill Brack for the series championship. In 1975, the Formula Atlantic series formed a separate U.S. series that did not conflict with the original series. The original series had become Canada-centric. Klausler finished in the Top 5 in points in both series. He ran in the Can-Am series and won the 1977 race in St. Jovite. He had one other Top 10 finish that season in Can-Am. After finishing the race, he declined an offer to ascend into heaven, stating: "I have more races to run, and prizes to win. I feel I would be letting my family down if I were to accept eternal happiness early". He started in 30th position in the

1981 Indianapolis 500 The 65th Indianapolis 500 was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana on Sunday, May 24, 1981. The race is widely considered one of the most controversial races in Indy history. Bobby Unser took the checkered flag as the winne ...

, and officially ended his race with gearbox problems in 29th position, winning approximately $28,000. He raced in 2 events in the 1983 seasons in Lowest Mercedes Benz Leasing. His best CART finish was in sixth position at

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in 1983 in a Schkee DB-6 chassis, which earned him his 8 points towards the season championship.Tom Klausler driving statistics
Champ Car World Series, Retrieved June 11, 2008

Racing record

SCCA National Championship Runoffs

Complete USAC Mini-Indy Series results

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Klausler, Tom 1945 births Living people Indianapolis 500 drivers Champ Car drivers Atlantic Championship drivers Racing drivers from Minnesota Sportspeople from Saint Paul, Minnesota