Race 2 Win: United Way 300 presented by Yellow and Sprint

Busch Series

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United Way 300 presented by Yellow and Sprint - Clint Bowyer Notes

CLINT BOWYER
It’s Crunch Time Now

Huntersville, N.C. (Oct. 3, 2005) – With six races to go in the 2005 NASCAR Busch Series (NBS) season, the title chase between ACDelco driver Clint Bowyer and defending series champion Martin Truex, Jr. has become the fifth closest pursuit in series history. Since racing at Dover (Del.) International Speedway two weeks ago, the NBS took another weekend off and now heads to Bowyer’s home state of Kansas for the running of the United Way 300 on Saturday at Kansas Speedway. Bowyer trails Truex by 26 points, and would love nothing more than to take over the points lead in front of a hometown crowd.

“It’s crunch time now, but I have to stay focused,” said Bowyer, who will be driving a specially designed No. 2 Timberland PRO paint scheme this weekend. “We went to Dover with the mindset of just wanting to leave as unharmed as possible since it was a track we knew Truex could possibly put some distance back between us in the points. But, we stuck to our game plan and came out a lot better than expected after Truex suffered a blown tire. It’s unfortunate for those guys, but we put ourselves in a position to be here and have proved we belong. I can’t let the distractions of being close to home get in my way, but it sure would be nice to leave there in the lead and give all the fans something extra to cheer about.”

Five races ago Bowyer sat 204 points out of the lead, but has finished ahead of Truex the last four races to see the point deficit dwindle to a mere 26 markers separating one and two. With the help of a 25-point penalty after Richmond and Truex’s blown tire with 10 laps to go at Dover, Bowyer has steadily climbed his way to the top. If Bowyer can continue his recent pattern of finishing ahead of the No. 8, then look for this title chase to be a nail biter all the way to the end.

“It has been a wild ride these last couple of weeks,” added Bowyer. “Not that many races ago we were safely in second place and Truex was looking like he was going to take this thing without a fight. Fortunately the pendulum swung in our direction and we are right back fighting for the championship. This is exciting for our ACDelco team, our sponsors and most importantly the fans. We had expectations of being in this position from the beginning of the season and now we are here. It is hard to believe that the season is winding down and we are trying to win the NBS championship. This is like a dream come true.”

Points of Interest…

Runnin’ It…The Real Car Guys will take a brand new chassis this weekend to Kansas Speedway. This chassis was built specifically for the Kansas race and just participated in a two-day test session there on September 27th and 28th.

Track Stat…Bowyer has made one start at Kansas Speedway. That start came last year on Oct. 9th in the No. 21 Reese’s Chevrolet. Bowyer finished 32nd after starting 24th and suffering a crash. He completed 137 of the scheduled 200 laps.

Testing 1, 2, 3…During the off week the No. 2 ACDelco team used one of their last testing dates for Kansas Speedway to make sure they are on top of their game come Saturday afternoon.

ACDelco DuraStop ‘Brake Bucks’…Even though the ‘Brake Bucks’ logo may not be there because of the special Timberland PRO paint scheme this weekend, the promotion still is though. A promotion where consumers will receive a cash rebate on the purchase of ACDelco premium brakes that runs through the end of October.

Career Top-10’s… In Bowyer’s 46 NASCAR Busch Series starts, more than half of his finishes have been in the top-10. He heads to Kansas Speedway with 25 top-10 finishes, which is just over 54%.

NBS Points…After 29 races in the 2005 season, Bowyer sits second in the points standings. He’s now 26 markers out of the lead with one win, 10 top-five and 18 top-10 finishes.

Media Opp…Bowyer will be available at 1:00 p.m. in the Infield Media Center at Kansas Speedway on Friday, Oct. 7th for a press conference.

Start time…Saturday’s United Way 300 is scheduled for 2:10 p.m. EDT. TV coverage of the 200-lap event on NBC begins at 2:00 p.m., with live radio coverage beginning at 2:00 p.m. EDT on your local MRN Radio affiliate and XM Satellite Radio. Remember times and dates of the race may change so check your local listings.

No. 2 ACDelco driver Clint Bowyer on Kansas Speedway …

How was your two-day test at Kansas last week? “Our test went great. We had a really fast car. It’s a brand new car that was built just for this race. It proved to be very worthy. I have to thank all the guys back at the shop who worked hard to give me this car for this weekend. If things carry over like they should from our test, then we should be good to go. I am really looking forward to racing there in front of all my family and friends.”

Recently you guys have been one of the more consistent teams. Is that what it is going to take to win the trophy? “Consistency is still going to play out in the end, but we need to win a few more races. We’ve only won one race, and my goal is to win three this year. I need to win a couple more to be satisfied. I know our big track program has been really good earlier this year, so I’m looking forward to getting to Kansas, Texas, race tracks like that, because I think we’ll definitely have something for the No. 8 team.”

What are your thoughts about being RCR’s only hope for a title this year? “It’s no secret that RCR’s been struggling. Our Cup cars have struggled all year long. It gives them a breath of fresh air, anyway. There are a lot of people that pull hard for all those cars. Anytime they can at least be in contention for a championship, they’re all going to give that extra effort. There’s a lot of hype in RCR about the Busch car. The Busch program has been good all year. Both cars have run well, sat on poles and won races. So, it’s been a success down at the Busch shop. We just want to work really hard as a corporation, trying to get everyone on the same page and find out why our Busch cars are better than our Cup cars. That’s the main focus right now.”

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