Race 2 Win: Sam's Town 250 - Clint Bowyer Notes

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Sam's Town 250 - Clint Bowyer Notes

CLINT BOWYER
ACDelco Team Looks to Keep Championship Hopes Alive

Huntersville, N.C. (Oct. 18, 2005) – To keep the championship hopes alive ACDelco driver Clint Bowyer finds himself nearing must win situations as he heads to Memphis (Tenn.) Motorsports Park for Saturday’s running of the Sam’s Town 250. Two races ago Bowyer found himself 26 markers behind series leader Martin Truex, Jr., and amidst the fifth closest title race in series history with six races remaining. Now with four races to go, the Emporia, Kan., native finds himself 120 markers out of the lead due to back-to-back races that resulted in a couple very unfortunate finishes.

“In this racing business it is amazing how quickly the luck can change,” said Bowyer. “Just two races ago we were on the good side of the luck and Truex was receiving the bad. That’s just racing. We just need to keep doing what we have been doing and let the rest fall into place. With four races remaining anything can happen. By no means am I going to count us out of this championship. This championship hunt isn’t over until the last race in Miami.”

Some may think Bowyer has a daunting task on his hands heading into this weekend’s race. Martin Truex, Jr. won this race last year and pretty much sealed the deal on capturing the 2004 crown. But, let’s not forget the No. 2 ACDelco Chevrolet finished a close third with Ron Hornaday behind the wheel. Bowyer feels he can make the “Blue Deuce’s” presence felt again at the 0.75-mile oval. He hopes to keep the points race in check and then move onto Texas and Phoenix where he really feels he can regain some ground on Truex. If it all falls into place like Bowyer plans, then Homestead-Miami will be the race that determines this year’s 2005 Busch Series champion.

“We can’t leave Memphis losing anymore ground on Truex,” said Bowyer. “We know he is going to be tough there, but I feel we will be also. We need to rebound strong with a good clean race and get out of there with a win or a top-3 finish. After this weekend we have Texas, Phoenix, and Miami. That’s two more 1.5-mile tracks where we feel our program is better than the No. 8’s, and in Phoenix we had a great car but got wrecked early. Truex definitely isn’t going to lay down on us, but with the tracks remaining, I really like our chances.”

Points of Interest…

Runnin’ It…The Real Car Guys will take chassis No.019 this weekend. They have run this chassis four times this season. This is the same chassis Jeff Burton drove to a second place finish at Bristol Motor Speedway in April after starting second in the No. 21 Reese’s Peanut Butter Lovers Chevrolet. Burton led 93 laps. It was then used at Indianapolis Raceway Park where Bowyer finished second after starting eighth and leading 40 laps. Next up was Bristol Motor Speedway in August, where Bowyer finished fourth after starting 14th. The last time it was ran was at Dover Int’l Speedway in September, where Bowyer finished second after starting fifth.

Track Stat…Bowyer has made one start at the 0.75-mile oval. That start came last year on October 23, 2004, in the No. 21 Reese’s Chevrolet. He started 10th and went on to finish 4th.

ACDelco DuraStop ‘Brake Bucks’… Bowyer’s No. 2 ACDelco Chevrolet will carry the logos of ACDelco’s DuraStop ‘Brake Bucks.’ A promotion that runs through the end of October where consumers will receive a cash rebate on the purchase of ACDelco premium brakes.

2005 Top-10’s… In Bowyer’s 31 NASCAR Busch Series starts this year, more than half of his finishes (58%) have been in the top-10. He heads to Memphis Motorsports Park with 18 top-10 finishes this season.

NBS Points…After 31 races in the 2005 season, Bowyer sits second in the points standings. He’s now 120 markers out of the lead with one win, 10 top-five and 18 top-10 finishes.

Racing for St. Jude’s…Bowyer will participate in a 20-lap remote control car race to benefit the St. Jude’s children’s charity at Memphis Motorsports Park following the final NBS practice on Friday. This race will feature five other Busch drivers and the cars will look identical to the actual Busch Series entries. Bowyer will sign his car and donate it to the St. Jude’s children’s charity.

Media Opp…Bowyer will be available outside the No. 2 ACDelco hauler for 30 minutes to field any questions from the media after the first NBS practice on Thursday, approximately 3:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. This exercise will be in effect for the remainder of the year. A reminder will be in each advance updating time and location.

Start time…Saturday’s Sam’s Town 250 is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. EDT. TV coverage of the 250-lap event on TNT begins at 3:30 p.m., with live radio coverage beginning at 3:30 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 Memphis Motorsports Park…

Talk a little bit about your run there last year.

“It was a good day for us in the No. 21 Reese’s Chevrolet. It was my first time there and we qualified 10th and went on to finish fourth. RCR’s short-track program has been pretty steady the last couple years and I think it has showed this year as well. As long as we don’t stub our toe again we should be just fine this weekend.”

How do you feel about your chances on the remaining races in the season?

“I still feel we need a couple more wins and I think we can still get one or two by the end of the year. We have some good racetracks for us coming up. The best thing is that we have been to all but one of the tracks already and I am looking forward to going back again to each one. I know Texas has been good to us. In Phoenix we were running really good and got wrecked early in the race, but we were really good in practice. I just have a lot of confidence going back to those race tracks where we ran well. We just have to be consistent like we have been all year long and I think the rest will take care of itself.”

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