Race 2 Win: Aaron's 312 - Clint Bowyer Notes

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Aaron's 312 - Clint Bowyer Notes

CLINT BOWYER
Bowyer Looking to Team up at Talladega

Huntersville, N.C. (April 26, 2005) – As the NASCAR Busch Series heads to Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway this Saturday for the running of the Aaron’s 312, ACDelco driver Clint Bowyer looks to repeat last year’s qualifying effort, but steer clear of disasters like the one he got caught up in at the high-banked 2.66-mile superspeedway. With the help of his teammate, Kevin Harvick, and Harvick’s driver Tony Stewart in the No. 33 Chevrolet, Bowyer hopes to leave with a solid finish and keep his position in the NASCAR Busch Series standings.

“I had a really good run last year until I got turned around at the end,” explains Bowyer. “I sat on the pole in my third start in the Busch series and my first start ever at Talladega. I ran in the top-five pretty much all day long, but got turned around with the help of Bobby Hamilton, Jr. at the end running fourth with two laps to go. Hopefully I can steer clear of any wrecks this weekend.”

Richard Childress Racing’s superspeedway program has always been strong, and with NEXTEL Cup Series star Kevin Harvick behind the wheel of the No. 21 Chevrolet, Bowyer looks to work as a team to stay up front. Of course, with Harvick being a team owner now and having a NEXTEL Cup Series star of his own driving for him in Stewart, Bowyer hopes he can count on him as well.

“I am looking forward to getting back there and having a good run,” adds Bowyer. “I think we have two really good race cars to go there with. The No. 21 and No. 2 ACDelco Chevrolet should be really good to help each other out all day long. You really need to have a good teammate to go with you at the superspeedways, and Harvick has been nothing but a good teammate to me. Hopefully having Tony Stewart in the No. 33 car will help, also. Stewart will be in the same car he won with at Daytona, so hopefully I can team up with Kevin and Tony to stay up front. It’s crucial to get out of there with a good finish. Running where we are in points, we can’t afford to get wrecked.”

If Bowyer and the No. 2 ACDelco Chevrolet can stay up front and out of trouble throughout the Aaron’s 312, then look for the Real Car Guys to continue to make their climb in the point standings.

Points of Interest…

Runnin’ It…The Real Car Guys will take chassis No. 31 to Talladega Superspeedway. This is the same chassis that Bowyer drove at Daytona Int’l Speedway in February to a 12th place finish after starting sixth. The rear clip had to be replaced after Daytona due to the heavy bump drafting.

Track Stat…Bowyer’s only start at the 2.66-mile superspeedway took place last year in the No. 21 Reese’s Chevrolet. In his third start of his NASCAR Busch Series career, he grabbed the pole but finished 22nd after he got wrecked by Bobby Hamilton, Jr. with two laps to go.

NBS Points… After nine races in the 2005 season, Bowyer sits third in points, 189 markers out of first, with two top-five and five top-10 finishes. Despite his wreck last weekend, Bowyer managed to gain some ground on second place Reed Sorenson. Bowyer now sits 33 markers out of second.

Media Opp…Bowyer will be available outside the No. 2 ACDelco hauler for 30 minutes following NBS practice on Thursday to field any questions from the media, approximately from 10:40 am to 11:10 am. This exercise will be in effect for the remainder of the year. A reminder will be in each advance moving forward updating time and location.

Start time…Saturday’s Aaron’s 312 is scheduled for 2:05 p.m. EDT. TV coverage of the 117-lap event on FOX begins at 2:00 pm., with live radio coverage also beginning at 2:00 p.m. EDT on your local MRN Radio affiliate and on XM Satellite Radio – channel 144. Remember times and dates of the race may change so check your local listings.

No. 2 ACDelco driver Clint Bowyer on Talladega Superspeedway…

Talk about grabbing the pole last year.
“It really is a testament to everybody back at RCR, especially in the fab and engine shop. I can’t say enough how fortunate I am to be a part of such a great organization. RCR has had a good superspeedway program for some time now and in my short time on the superspeedways I’ve run pretty well. I think it makes for a great combination, so I am excited to get back there.”

Have you guys had to make any big changes to the car since you raced it at Daytona?
“We found out after the race that the rear clip was going to have to be replaced. There was so much bump drafting going on that it completely bent the rear clip. We have it fixed and ready to go now. We think we have a pretty good car going with us this weekend.”

Now that your Cup start has come and gone, did you meet your goals and expectations?
“For a first time, it went pretty good. My number one goal obviously was to make the race, which I did. After that I just wanted to go out there and run as many laps as possible and not wreck. The car didn’t handle very well. It got a little better in the second half of the race, but I was really fighting it. Maybe next time we’ll do a little better, but you can’t expect to go in there and beat everybody on your first try.”

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