Dan Clarke

Daniel Clarke
Born	(1983-10-04) October 4, 1983 United Kingdom
Occupation	Professional race car driver
Years active	2004–present
Known for	Competed in Firestone Indy Lights, A1GP World Cup of Motorsport, Champ Car World Series

Daniel Clarke (born 4 October 1983) is a British professional race car driver who most recently competed in the Firestone Indy Lights series representing Walker Racing. His previous experience includes participation in the A1GP World Cup of Motorsport and the Champ Car World Series.

Early career

Clarke, an experienced competitor in British Formula Ford, captured victory at the Formula Ford Festival in 2004. The following year, he progressed to the British Formula 3 Championship with Räikkönen Robertson Racing, a team partly owned by Kimi Räikkönen. During the 2005 season, he secured fifth place overall, earned the team’s inaugural win at Castle Combe, and established a lap record that remains unbroken.

2006 and 2007

Following testing sessions, Clarke was signed by CTE Racing-HVM to compete in the 2006 Champ Car World Series, partnering with teammate Nelson Philippe. The team was co-owned by entertainer Cedric the Entertainer and motorsport figure Keith Wiggins.

Throughout the season, Clarke delivered strong results, including a sixth-place finish at Portland International Raceway and seventh at Burke Lakefront Airport, where he was involved in a collision with Mario Domínguez while vying for second position. At the San Jose event, he impressively moved up from ninth to second before a gearbox malfunction forced his retirement mid-race. In Denver, Clarke achieved his first Champ Car podium by finishing third after an incident ahead on the final lap; this marked the first rookie podium of that season.

He maintained competitive form with a near-podium fourth place in Montreal and earned the Bridgestone Pole Position award at Road America. This accomplishment made him the first rookie to claim pole since 2003 and the first British rookie since Nigel Mansell in 1993. Despite some difficulties late in the campaign, Clarke concluded the season as runner-up in the rookie standings behind Will Power after a tightly contested battle.

For the 2007 season, Clarke returned with Minardi Team USA alongside ex-Formula One driver Robert Doornbos. The year proved challenging; he finished 13th in the championship and missed the race at Zolder after being excluded for causing a multi-car accident during practice. Nevertheless, he secured a second-place finish at Road America. When Champ Car merged with the IndyCar Series, Minardi rebranded as HVM Racing and signed E. J. Viso, leaving Clarke without a racing seat.

2009

During the 2008–09 campaign, Clarke represented Great Britain in the A1GP series, competing in three rounds. Announced mid-season at Taupo, New Zealand, he adapted swiftly to unfamiliar machinery and circuits. A highlight came at Brands Hatch in the UK where, despite qualifying setbacks placing him fourteenth on the grid, Clarke recovered to finish seventh while setting fastest laps, earning praise from local supporters.

Unfortunately, with the A1GP series folding again during the off-season, Clarke found himself without a drive.

2010

In 2010, Clarke joined Walker Racing to contest the Firestone Indy Lights series—IndyCar's primary development category—starting from round two at Barber Motorsports Park. He completed the season seventh in points, achieving two runner-up finishes at both Toronto and Mid-Ohio. After overcoming an initial adjustment period, he posted a notable fourth place at the prestigious Indianapolis Motor Speedway Freedom 100, followed by consistent performances including five top-five finishes and seven top-ten results throughout the year.

2011

During 2011, Clarke participated in a NASCAR Nationwide Series event held at Watkins Glen International, where he ended the race in 39th place because of an engine malfunction.

2023

In 2023, Clarke made his comeback to professional motorsports by competing in the Porsche Carrera Cup North America series, representing the Nolasport team.

American open-wheel racing results

(key)

Champ Car

Year	Team	No.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	Rank	Points
2006	CTE-HVM Racing	14	LBH 11	HOU 16	MTY 13	MIL 8	POR 6	CLE 7	TOR 17	EDM 9	SJO 16	DEN 3	MTL 4	ROA 6	SRF 17	MXC 18	12th	175
2007	Minardi Team USA	4	LVS < br >15	LBH < br >12	HOU < br >17	POR < br >6	CLE < br >11	MTT < br >14	TOR < br >12	EDM < br >8
SJO < br >17	ROA < br >2	ZOL < br >Wth	ASN < br >11	SRF < br >17	MXC < br >17	13th	129

Indy Lights

Year	Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	Final Position	Total Points
2010	Walker Racing	STP	ALA 7	LBH 13	INDY 4	IOW 9	WGL 13	TOR 2	EDM 5	MOH 2	SNM 13	CHI 5	KTY 10	HMS 17	7th	304

Full A1 Grand Prix Results

(key) (Races shown in bold denote pole positions) (Races in italics highlight fastest laps)

Year	Team Entrant	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	Championship Position	Points Earned
2008–09	Great Britain	NED SPR	NED FEA	CHN SPR	CHN FEA	MYS SPR	MYS FEA	NZL SPR 12	NZL FEA 12	RSA SPR	RSA FEA	POR SPR 11	POR FEA 7	GBR SPR 13	GBR SPR 7	10th	28

NASCAR

(key) (Bold indicates pole position earned by qualifying time. Italics signify pole awarded via points or practice results. * denotes the driver who led the most laps.)

Nationwide Series

NASCAR Nationwide Series performance summary
Year	Team	No.	Manufacturer	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31	32	33	34	NNSC	Points
2011	Means Motorsports	52	Chevy	DAY	PHO	LVS	BRI	CAL	TEX	TAL	NSH	RCH	DAR	DOV	IOW	CLT	CHI	MCH	ROA	DAY	KEN	NHA	NSH	IRP	IOW	GLN 39	CGV	BRI	ATL	RCH	CHI	DOV	KAN	CLT	TEX	PHO	HOM	Finished in position: 87th	Total points: 5