No. 07 Jack Daniel’s Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS
Event Preview Fact Sheet
Event/Date: Pennsylvania 500 – July 23, 2006
Venue: Pocono Raceway – Long Pond, Pa.
NOTES:
This Week’s Race Car at Pocono Raceway … Clint Bowyer will pilot Chassis No. 147 from the Richard Childress Racing (RCR) stable. This is the same car Bowyer raced to a 21st-place finish last month at the uniquely configured three-turn race course. He also finished 29th with the same car earlier this year at Bristol. Built new for 2005, Dave Blaney raced this car last year at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The car also saw action last fall at Bristol and Richmond. Over the winter, the car was stripped and completely rebuilt.
Back in Black … After sporting a Sylvania paint scheme last week at New Hampshire, Bowyer’s No. 07 Chevy will return to its traditional black and white Jack Daniel’s paint scheme this weekend at Pocono.
An Ambassador for the Brand … On Tuesday, July 18, Bowyer was in Houston on behalf of Brown-Forman, Jack Daniel’s parent company, attending the Texas Package Store Association’s annual convention. Bowyer attended a breakfast sponsored by Brown-Forman and spoke to approximately 100 package store owners from Texas addressing various topics including responsible drinking, RCR’s association with Jack Daniel’s and his on-track performance.
RCR at Pocono … RCR has two wins at Pocono, both of them coming with Dale Earnhardt. Earnhardt won the Summer 500 on July 19, 1987, and the Miller Genuine Draft 500 on July 18, 1993. Additionally, RCR has earned one pole, nine top-five and 34 top-10 finishes at the three-turn speedway. Richard Childress, a former driver in NASCAR’s top division, contributed two of those top 10s from 1976-1980.
Busch Series Test at Martinsville … On Thursday, July 20, Bowyer and the No. 2 ACDelco team will test at Martinsville Speedway as the Busch Series regulars prepare for this weekend’s Goody’s 250. Immediately following the test, Bowyer and teammate Kevin Harvick will fly to Pocono to practice their NEXTEL Cup entries the following day.
Double Time in the Blue Deuce … Once again, Bowyer returns to the seat of RCR’s No. 2 ACDelco Chevrolet this weekend at Martinsville, as the NASCAR Busch Series (NBS) returns to the flat, half-mile oval for the first time since 1994. Bowyer and teammate Kevin Harvick will make the commute from Pocono to Martinsville via Harvick’s Lear 31 jet. Live television coverage of the Goody’s 250 from Martinsville Speedway will take the green flag Saturday, July 22 at 3:30 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) on NBC. The Motor Racing Network (MRN) and XM Satellite Radio will also broadcast the race live from coast to coast. Bowyer is currently third in the NBS championship chase, 79 points behind second place Carl Edwards and 387 markers behind Harvick.
Up to Speed … The Pennsylvania 500 from Pocono Raceway will be televised live on TNT, Sunday, July 23, beginning at 1:30 p.m. EDT and broadcast live on MRN and XM Satellite Radio. Qualifying for the 20th points-paying race on 2006 NEXTEL Cup calendar will be televised live on SPEED Friday, July 14 at 3:30 p.m. EDT and broadcast live on MRN and XM Satellite Radio.
CLINT BOWYER QUOTES:
You had a promising run that turned a little bit sour. Talk about your first race at Pocono.
“I’m excited to go back to Pocono. I learned a lot. One thing is for sure - the race track is still fresh in my mind so when we go back I think we’ll be a lot better.”
What happened the last time? You started deep in the field, drove to the front but had a snag there at the end.
“The first hang up was a poor qualifying effort. I hit the curb in turn two, and just about everybody who hit the curb, including Carl (Edwards) and myself, were starting about dead last. Everyone has their grills taped off solid for qualifying at Pocono so if you mess up on the first lap you’re pretty much done for. When you qualify at Pocono, you put all your marbles in one bag and it just didn’t work out but I’m confident we can run good when we go back.”
You led some laps at Pocono so you must have some sort of comfort level going back.
“Yeah we inherited the lead by default really. We were on a different pit sequence than a lot of guys so once they all had to pit under green, I cycled around to the lead. We were hoping for a caution to see if we could hang on but we had to pit and then when (Jeff) Gordon wrecked in front of me, I picked up some debris and thought I had a flat tire. We didn’t have any choice but to pit and that’s what ultimately cost us the finish we deserved. Hopefully, Gil (Martin) and all the boys can give me a Jack Daniel’s Chevrolet as fast as (Denny) Hamlin’s was last time. It looked to me like it was going to be pretty hard to screw that one up.”
Is there a place at Pocono where you’re a little more comfortable or maybe even where you struggled a little?
“I like tracks like that. I think it’s challenging that the corners differ from each other. That’s why I like places like Richmond and Memphis and some of the other tracks where I’ve run good. They definitely have two different corners and you can’t have a perfect handling race car. You have to give up something in one corner to be good in the other one. You have to find a balance between the two corners. Obviously, Pocono is like that, except that instead of having two different corners, you have three. In turn one, you carry a lot of speed and two is flat as a pancake and has an evil curve. If you get into turn two too hard you can very easily hit the outside wall. In three, you’re loose getting in and then it’s all about who can get back to the throttle first and beat everyone off the corner and get down that long straightaway.”
