TheLegacy
Bryan William Carnett · 1960 – 2015.
Bryan Carnett was a Placerville man his whole life. He went to El Dorado High School and grew up to run his father's business, Carnett Chimney Sweep. Above all, he loved anything with a big engine and wheels. Motorcycles, semi-trucks, race cars, it did not matter. The bigger, faster, and louder, the better.
That love brought him to Placerville Speedway, where he raced, owned, and sponsored cars for over a decade. Along the way he picked up a tight group of friends he called his racing family.
Everybody who knew him has a story, and usually it is one that made them laugh. He could talk to anyone, and more often than not he left the room in tears laughing. He knew cars inside and out, and he would give you the shirt off his back without thinking twice. When we started racing, our number was 14J, the J for Jesus, and that faith was part of who he was.
Away from the track he was a husband to Wynne and a dad. He coached his son's Little League team, pulled for the Niners and the Giants, and loved getting the family out to Hawaii and on farther trips to Mexico, Italy, and Greece.
On October 18, 2015, after a short, hard fight, Bryan went home to be with the Lord, surrounded by his family. He was taken far too soon.
So every year we bring the cars back to Placerville and race in his name. Anyone is welcome, and everyone who shows up is part of it. It is a night to cheer your driver, grab a hot dog and a beer, and remember one of the best friends a lot of us were lucky to have. That is the legacy. That is the Clash.
Through the Years
How it grew2016. The first one.
It started with 71 cars and a simple idea: put on a night of racing worthy of Bryan's name. Ryan McDaniel took the first Late Model win, and the Clash was born.
The name takes hold.
By 2018 it was the Carnett Clash, the third straight running, and the stock car regulars started circling it on the calendar as the one they wanted.
Back and bigger.
After a year away, the Clash came back in 2021 with 94 cars in the pits and real money on the line, a $2,500 top prize for the Late Models. Bobby Hogge, one of the biggest names in California dirt racing, showed up and took it.
The high-water mark.
2022 packed a season-high 104 cars into the pits. What started as one night for one man had become one of the biggest stock car races of the year.
Still going.
Every year, the Late Models and Pure Stocks load up and come to Placerville to race in Bryan's name. It grows because the people who loved him keep making it grow.
The Crew
The Clash keeps going because of three people who were close to Bryan and honor his memory every year.
Ted Ahart and Russ Murphy were two of his closest friends. Forryst is his son. Together they keep his night alive.
Memories
Stories of Bryan, told by those who knew himShare a Memory
Have a story about Bryan? We'd love to hear it and add it to the wall. Send it our way. A proper submission form is coming soon.