Otteau Scores Top 10 In Season Debut At Shellhammer

Clayton Otteau made his first Junior Sprint start of the season Wednesday night. (Alison Otteau photo)

LEESPORT, Pa. – In his season debut, Clayton Otteau picked up an eighth-place finish in Junior Sprint action during ‘Wingless Wednesday’ at Shellhammer Dirt Track.

The 11-year-old driver from Bernardsville, N.J., lined up a strong third for his 10-lap heat race to begin the night at the eighth-mile dirt oval, but was nudged out of the groove early and faded back to ninth while managing a loose handling condition on a new track.

With space further back in the field, Otteau took time to feel out his Friends of Jaclyn Foundation-sponsored No. 53 Storm Chassis, steadily gaining confidence and lowering his lap times in the process.

A few adjustments later, Otteau was more comfortable in the 20-lap Junior Sprint feature. He started ninth and advanced one position to finish eighth, but was turning laps close to the pace of the leaders by the end of the main event.

Over the course of the night, Otteau improved his best lap time by nearly a second from start to finish.

“Wednesday night was fun! I got to learn the car and the track, which was important since it was my first time driving it,” noted Otteau. “I had a lot of fun running close to other cars and passing. I’m looking forward to running the Junior Sprint more and tweaking some things to find more speed overall.

“It’s different than the quarter midget with a larger track, but I’m confident we will get the car where it needs to be so I can run up front.”

Enzo Ludicello set the fastest feature lap of 10.169 seconds (44.252 mph) en route to the Junior Sprint win, followed by Braylon Morris, Barrett Bressler, Andrew Ferriola, and Logan Schiblia.

Otteau would like to thank Race Face Brand Development, the Friends of Jaclyn Foundation, Otteau Group Real Estate, Landstone Finance, Level 10 Development, Esposito Construction, ConTra Group, The Werks Salon of Bernardsville, Hoffmann Pediatric Dentistry, and Laci Photography for their continued support of his racing endeavors.

The next planned Junior Sprint race for Otteau is Saturday, May 3 back at Shellhammer. His first quarter midget race of the season is Sunday, May 11 at Keystone State Quarter Midget Club in Schnecksville, Pa.

About Clayton Otteau

Clayton Otteau is an 11-year-old dirt quarter midget and Junior Sprint racer from Bernardsville, N.J., and first-generation driver with aspirations of climbing the motorsports ladder toward NASCAR competition.

After he began in quarter midgets, he learned that his grandfather drag raced and his great-grandfather competed in a Ford race car on dirt in Pennsylvania, further cementing his love for being behind a steering wheel.

At three years old, Otteau began off-roading in a Power Wheels machine, eventually moving into go-karts by the age of seven. He won his first-ever go-kart race and posted the fastest lap that day, to boot.

He turned eight during his rookie year of quarter midget racing in 2021, graduating to the senior classes the next year in both the Northeast Dirt Series and the USAC.25 Series (now the NASCAR Youth Series).

Otteau is currently competing in four quarter midget classes – Senior Honda, Senior Animal, Light 160, and Light World Formula – in addition to select Junior Sprint races, and away from the racetrack is a supporter of the Friends of Jaclyn Foundation and its mission to better the lives of children and families affected by pediatric cancer.

For more information on Otteau, including the latest news and schedule updates, visit https://claytonotteauracing.com/.