The National Sprint Car Hall of Fame and Museum will break ground on the Bryan Clauson Suite Tower On Thursday, June 15th at 12:30 p.m.

The new addition is a way for the museum to memorialize Clauson after his sudden passing in August of last year following a crash at the Belleville Midget Nationals in Kansas. Executive Director with the museum Bob Baker tells KNIA/KRLS News June 15th is Bryan Clauson’s birthday and Baker expects there will be cake at the groundbreaking.The new addition will feature an observation deck as well as 12 new suites located in turn two of the Knoxville Raceway. According to Baker, the museum has already raised $1.65 million of the $3.4 million needed for the project and he says the museum is still in need of donations. Baker says the museum is still in fundraising mode and that it is important to get the project completed because some of the suites have already been sold in anticipation for next racing season. Construction for the project will take approximately 10 months to complete with a completion deadline of April 1st 2018, just in time for next year’s sprint car season opening weekend at the Knoxville Raceway.