Clint Bowyer
No. 07 Jack Daniel’s Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS
Event Preview Fact Sheet
Event/Date: Dodge/Save Mart 350 – June 26, 2006
Venue: Infineon Raceway – Sonoma, Calif.
Notes:
This Week’s Race Car at Infineon Raceway … Clint Bowyer will pilot Chassis No. 171 from the Richard Childress Racing (RCR) stable. This is a brand new Jack Daniel’s Chevrolet.
Inside the numbers … 9,376 – the number of miles Bowyer will travel this weekend as he travels back and forth from his North Carolina home to Infineon Raceway and between Infineon and The Milwaukee Mile. 4,358 – the distance Bowyer and teammate Kevin Harvick will travel from Infineon to Milwaukee and back as they commute between the Dodge/Save Mart 350 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series race at Infineon and the AT&T 250 at “America’s Legendary Oval.” 2,450 – the approximate number of gallons of jet fuel it will take to make the commute from Sonoma to Milwaukee. 469 – the number of miles both drivers are expected to complete this weekend on the race track. Two – the number of races in which both drivers are scheduled to compete.
Not Bad for a Dirt Guy … In three NASCAR Busch Series road course starts, Bowyer has completed 100 percent of the laps and posted a 12.7 finishing average. Not bad for a racer who hadn’t logged a single lap on a road course prior to 2005.
RCR at Infineon … Richard Childress is tied for third on the Infineon Raceway all-time car owner win list. Dale Earnhardt won the 1995 Save Mart Supermarkets 300 and Robby Gordon won the Dodge/Save Mart 350 in 2003. Additionally, RCR owns one pole, seven top-five and 13 top-10 finishes at the 12-turn stadium course.
Preparation and Planning Equals Progress … On Monday June 5, Bowyer and the Jack Daniel’s Racing Team tested at Virginia International Raceway (VIR) in preparation for this weekend’s Dodge/Save Mart 350. June 6-7, Bowyer and veteran road racing instructor Chris Cook visited Infineon for two days of instruction at the 12- turn, 1.99-mile northern California road course.
Thanks for the Ride Boss … Bowyer and Harvick will travel to Milwaukee via Childress’ Raytheon Hawker 700 Jet. The Hawker will be the RCR’s duo’s workhorse this weekend and can make the Sonoma to Milwaukee journey without stopping for fuel.
Dirt’s For Racing, Pavement’s for Getting There … Bowyer will be on hand this week when the National Sprint Tour invades the Missouri State Fair Speedway on Wednesday, June 21. Bowyer, along with the NHRA’s Gary Scelzi, Ron Capps, Cory McClenathan, Doug Kalitta, Jim Head and radio personalities Bubba the Love Sponge and Kenny Sargent will fight it out in a 10-lap celebrity modified race. All proceeds from the evening’s racing will benefit the Michael Ross Memorial Foundation.
Saturday Night Lights … Live television coverage of the AT&T 250 at The Milwaukee Mile begins Saturday, June 24 at 8:30 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) on FX. The race can be heard live on the Motor Racing Network (MRN) and XM Satellite Radio. Bowyer is currently fourth in the Busch Series championship hunt, three points out of third, 44 out of second and 416 markers behind leader and teammate Kevin Harvick.
Catch the Action … The Dodge/Save Mart 350 from Infineon Raceway will be televised live on FOX Sunday, June 25 beginning at 3 p.m. EDT. The 16th of 36 points-paying races on the 2006 NEXTEL Cup tour will also be broadcast live on the Performance Racing Network (PRN) and XM Satellite Radio. Qualifying will be broadcast live on SPEED Friday, June 23 at 7 p.m. EDT. PRN and XM Satellite Radio will also carry qualifying live beginning at 7 p.m. EDT.
CLINT BOWYER QUOTES:
After the last two weeks and heading into the third, and probably most challenging of the three, what’s your opinion of race time commuting?
“I enjoy it. I think it’s fun. You don’t get to many opportunities to fly across the country in nice jets to be able to do what you love and race. I was talking to Kenny Wallace last weekend and told him that this felt like racing back at home in Kansas. Coming home at two or three in the morning, tired and wore out – pull into the gas station and get a worn out burrito or a hot dog that’s been on the grill all day. I’ve been having a lot of fun traveling with Kevin (Harvick) my teammate. And believe it or not, I’ve been learning a lot these last couple of weeks. It’s been a big help. Milwaukee will probably be the biggest challenge for me personally because I won’t have any practice in the Busch car at all. We’re going to practice the Jack Daniel’s Chevy Saturday morning at Sonoma and then head straight for Milwaukee. I don’t think I’ll even be able to qualify the ACDelco Chevy. Basically, we’ll get there in just enough time to get in the car and race. It’s going to be tough. Just show up with no practice at all, get in the car and start in the back and go for it. I think it’s going to be a lot of fun.”
You’ve done plenty of testing and raced at Mexico City and Watkins Glen in the Busch Series. After doing that, what’s your favorite road course, be it at an actual race, a test or whatever?
“So far it’s been Mexico City just because I ran a lot better there than I do at Watkins Glen. I don’t know why I struggled at Watkins Glen. I enjoy road racing until everybody else is out there and you find yourself a second off the pace. As long as you can run comfortably, it’s a lot of fun. But, when there are those other guys out there who have been doing it a long time, that’s what makes you step up and basically have to drive over your head just to keep up with them. That’s how you can get yourself in trouble.”
What was you first impression when you first got to Infineon two weeks ago and got some practice laps in?
“I liked it. At the end of the day, I’m a fan of racing, any kind of racing. I love to watch racing. That’s the first road course I’ve ever been to where you can actually see a lot of the race track. At Watkins Glen and Mexico City, you basically watch them go by on the front straightaway and wait a minute-and-a-half for them to come back. At Infineon, you can see a lot of the race track, especially with all the elevation changes. Infineon is not as fast as Watkins Glen but it’s a lot more technical and you have to hit your marks consistently to be fast. I think that’s a big reason I’m really looking forward to this weekend.”
What section of Infineon was the most challenging to you and what was your favorite section of the race track?
“The esses and coming back up, setting up for turn 10. You have to get through there good and not bust your butt. You can run off the track right there pretty easily. The wall sneaks up on you and you can run out of road pretty quickly. I like going all the way up the hill in turn one, all the elevation changes and the blind corners. To me, those are the fun parts about it.”
If you had a magic wand and could cut a section out of Infineon and replace it with a section from a different road course, what would it be?
“Probably turns 10 and 11. There’s just something about those corners and you have to respect them. If you don’t get through 10 and 11 fast, you’ll be slow compared to the good guys. I like the last corner at Mexico City. It’s a big long right-hand sweeper. That’s a fun corner. It’s similar to what we do turning left. It’s the long corner, you have to let it roll for awhile and get back to the gas hard off the corner. So, I’d replace turn 11 at Sonoma with that turn from Mexico City.”
