Race 2 Win: NEXTEL Cup Series Race Notes

Nextel Cup Series

Dodge Avenger 500 - Clint Bowyer Notes

Clint Bowyer
No. 07 Jack Daniel’s Chevrolet Impala SS
Event Preview Fact Sheet

Event/Date: Dodge Avenger 500 – May 12, 2007
Venue: Darlington Raceway – Darlington, S.C.

NOTES

This Week’s Jack Daniel’s Chevrolet at Darlington Raceway … Clint Bowyer will pilot Chassis No. 192 from the Richard Childress Racing (RCR) stable. Built new for 2007, this is the same Car of Tomorrow Bowyer raced at Bristol (St. 18, Fn. 8), Martinsville (St. 21, Fn. 11) and Phoenix (St. 12, Fn. 22).

Back in Black … After wearing DIRECTV colors last weekend in Richmond, Bowyer’s No. 07 Chevy Impala SS returns to its traditional black and white Jack Daniel’s paint scheme this weekend in Darlington.

RCR at Darlington … Richard Childress is tied for third with Holman-Moody and the Wood Brothers for car owner victories at Darlington with eight – all of them coming with Dale Earnhardt. Additionally, RCR boasts 21 top-five and 30 top-10 finishes at the 1.366-mile egg-shaped, South Carolina oval with five different drivers including Earnhardt, Kevin Harvick, Jeff Burton and Robby Gordon. Childress, a former driver in NASCAR’s top division contributed two of those top 10s from 1976 – 1981.

Bowyer in the Loop …

First Impression … In his only NEXTEL Cup start at Darlington, Bowyer started third and finished 23rd. The Emporia, Kan., driver demonstrated a veteran’s savvy in the opening 96 laps until a right-rear tire got away from Mr. Jack’s Crew during routine service on pit road. By NASCAR rule, Bowyer was sent to the tail end of the longest line and forced to restart the race in 32nd. A pair of Darlington Stripes kept Bowyer from regaining his earlier form and stifled the Jack Daniel’s racing team with a 23rd-place finish.

Strong Sophomore Start … In the season’s first 10 races, Bowyer has earned four top 10s and has only finished outside the top 25 twice. He currently holds a 16.6 starting average and a 16.7 finishing average. The 27-year-old driver has completed 3,211 of the 3,286 total laps run this season (97.72 percent) and is 10th in points. Over those same 10 races last season, Bowyer’s average start was 22.9 coupled with an 18.7 finishing average. He was 15th in points at this time last year.

Testing One, Two, Three, Testing … Bowyer and the Jack Daniel’s racing team tested at Lowe’s Motor Speedway May 7-8 in preparation for next Weekend’s NEXTEL All-Star Challenge and the Coca-Cola 600 Memorial Day Weekend. The test was the fifth of seven allowed under NASCAR’s 2007 testing policy. The remaining tests available to teams in NASCAR’s top division will be conducted at Dover International Speedway next Monday and Tuesday and at Talladega Superspeedway September 10-11. CB at the SPEED Stage … Bowyer will be a featured guest on this week’s installment of Trackside Live. Trackside Live will shoot this week’s show from the SPEED Stage Friday, May 11 from 1– 2 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT). The SPEED Stage will be located outside the turn one tunnel near the front straightaway. The show will be televised on a live-to-tape basis on SPEED that evening at 11:30 p.m. EDT.

Thanks Mom … In keeping with Darlington’s Mother’s Day Weekend tradition, Bowyer’s mother, Jana Bowyer, will be on hand to walk with her son across the driver’s introduction stage and to offer the most famous words in motorsports, but with a Darlington twist – “Sons and gentlemen, start your engines.”

Experience in Essential … Bowyer will appear at the Jack Daniel’s Experience Saturday, May 12 from 4 – 4:15 p.m. The Jack Daniel’s Experience is a 42-foot tractor- trailer filled with artifacts, state-of-the art video monitors, sound system and graphics to give race fans a taste of Lynchburg and the Distillery. The Jack Daniel’s Experience will be located outside the turn one tunnel near the SPEED stage and be open on Friday from 11 a.m. – 8 p.m. and on Saturday from 11 a.m. – 7 p.m.

Double Down at Darlington … In addition to his duties behind the wheel of the Jack Daniel’s Chevrolet, Bowyer returns to the seat of the No. 2 BB&T Chevy for this weekend’s Busch Series event at the track “Too Tough to Tame.” Bowyer is the most recent winner on the 35-race NASCAR Busch Series tour after grabbing the checkered flag in last week’s Circuit City 250 at Richmond International Raceway. The win was Bowyer’s second victory in the last three races and fifth career on NASCAR’s junior circuit. The Diamond Hill Plywood 200 from Darlington Raceway will take the green flag Friday, May 11 at 8:30 p.m. EDT. The race will be televised live on ESPN2 and broadcast on the Motor Racing Network (MRN) and Sirius Satellite Radio. Qualifying for the 12th race on the 2007 Busch Series slate is scheduled to be televised live on SPEED the same day at 5 p.m. EDT.

Up to Speed … The Dodge Avenger 500 from Darlington Raceway will take the green flag Saturday, May 12 at 7 p.m. EDT. The race will be televised live on FOX and broadcast on MRN and Sirius Satellite Radio. Qualifying for the 11th points-paying race on the 2007 NEXTEL Cup calendar is scheduled to be televised live on SPEED Friday, May 11 at 3 p.m. EDT.

CLINT BOWYER QUOTES
What are your thoughts as we head to Darlington for what’s probably going to be the first true test of speed for the “Car of Tomorrow?”
“It’s a concern but so were Bristol, Martinsville, Phoenix and Richmond. I have every reason to believe that Gil and all the guys are going to bring a Jack Daniel’s Chevrolet that we can race in the top 10. They’ve done it every time we’ve unloaded this car so I have every reason to believe that we’ll have a good car this weekend. I’m looking forward to it. Darlington is a tough race track so it’s going to be a big challenge, not only for the driver but for everyone involved.”

Considering the speeds you’ll run at Darlington, do you think the teams will start to manipulate the angle of the wings a little bit more than they have?
“We’ll definitely need maximum downforce. We’ll need as much as we can get because at Darlington, you slide around everywhere. We ran really well there last year until we had a problem on pit road. After that, I got loose and hit the fence a couple times and went a lap down.”

What issues do you see at Darlington now that you might not have had with the old car?
“Durability is going to be a big question mark. It’s going to be a matter of how that car holds up. You’re going to be in the wall, especially with this car, as much as you’re on top of the race track. Grip-wise, we’ve got about half as much grip with this car as we did with the old car. I’d say just about everyone is going to have a Darlington Stripe after this one is over.”

Is tire management going to be an issue like it has always been?
“It’s probably going to be amplified. A good balance with the car is going to be very important because, otherwise, you’ll be pushing the right-front or the right-rear tire. The guys are going to have to do their homework for this one.”