Race 2 Win: NEXTEL Cup Series Race Notes

Nextel Cup Series

Pocono 500 - Clint Bowyer Notes

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

Event/Date: Pocono 500 – June 10, 2007
Venue: Pocono Raceway – Long Pond, Pa.

This Week’s Race Car at Pocono Raceway … Clint Bowyer will pilot Chassis No. 165 from the Richard Childress Racing (RCR) stable. This is the same Jack Daniel’s Chevrolet Bowyer raced to a sixth-place finish in May at the NEXTEL Open. Built new last season, this is also the same car Bowyer raced last March in Atlanta (St. 16 – Fn. 27), in May at Charlotte (St. 15 – Fn. 19) and at last June Michigan (St. 9 – Fn. 39). Since then, the car has been outfitted with all the required 2007 updates including a new body.

RCR at Pocono … In 86 starts, RCR team owner Richard Childress 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, 10 top-five and 36 top-10 finishes at the uniquely-shaped three-turn speedway. Childress, a former driver in NASCAR’s top division contributed two of those top 10s from 1976-1980. On the Hunt … RCR team owner Richard Childress will miss this weekend’s Pocono 500. Childress, along with his wife Judy and grandsons Austin and Ty Dillon, are in New Zealand this week. Childress and the Dillon duo are hunting Red Stag, Chamois and Tahr.

800 Miles and Then Some … As he pursues his third NASCAR Busch Series win of 2007, Bowyer will commute 3,220 miles between Pocono Raceway and Nashville Superspeedway in Lebanon, Tenn., where NASCAR’s junior division competes this weekend. The 28-year-old driver will depart Pocono via helicopter immediately following qualifying on Friday afternoon, and head for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton airport before boarding teammate Kevin Harvick’s Lear 31bound for Symrna (Tenn.) Airport. If all goes according to plan, Bowyer will practice the BB&T Chevy Friday night before returning to Pocono that evening to practice the Jack Daniel’s Chevy twice the following day. On Saturday, he will head back to Nashville in time to qualify and race the No. 2 machine that evening and return to Pocono that night. Brandon Miller will be standing by in the event that weather delays Bowyer’s arrival in Nashville.

Dirt’s for Racing – Pavement’s for Getting There … On Tuesday, June 5 Bowyer will race his Jack Daniel’s-sponsored dirt modified as part of the United States Modified Touring Series (USMTS) event at Adams County Speedway in Corning, Iowa. On Wednesday, June 6 Bowyer will head for Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio to race his Jack Daniel’s-sponsored dirt late model in the third annual NEXTEL Prelude to the Dream. The NEXTEL Prelude to the Dream is an event unique to Eldora Speedway and pits NEXTEL Cup drivers against one another in 2,300-pound dirt late models which produce in excess of 800 horsepower. For more information on the NEXTEL Prelude to the Dream, visit eldoraspeedway.com.

What a Difference a Year Makes … Following Monday’s eighth-place finish at Dover, Bowyer moved up two spots, to eighth, in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series championship point standings. In 13 starts this season, Bowyer has earned one pole and six top-10 finishes. He enjoys a strong 17.2 starting average and a solid 16.4 average finish. Heading into Pocono last season, the 28-year-old driver was 16th in points with only three top- 10 finishes to his credit.

Do You Have any Experience … Bowyer will appear at the Jack Daniel’s Experience Sunday, June 10 from 11 – 11:15 a.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 in the display area outside the front straightaway and will be open on Friday from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m., on Saturday from 8 a.m. – 1 p.m. and on Sunday from 8 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Catch the Busch Series Action … Live coverage of the Federated Auto Parts 300 presented by Dollar General will take the green flag Saturday, June 9 beginning at 6:30 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT). The race will be televised live on ESPN2 and broadcast on the Motor Racing Network (MRN) and Sirius Satellite Radio. Qualifying for the 15th race on the 2007 Busch Series calendar is scheduled to be televised live on ESPN2 the same day at 3 p.m. EDT.

Up to Speed … The Pocono 500 from Pocono Raceway takes the green flag Sunday, June 10 at 2 p.m. EDT. The event will be televised live on TNT beginning at 12:30 p.m. The race will also be broadcast live on MRN and Sirius Satellite Radio. Qualifying for the 14th points-paying race on the 2007 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series schedule is slated to air live on SPEED Friday, June 8 at 3:30 p.m. EDT.

CLINT BOWYER QUOTES:
The last time you were at Pocono, you got mixed up in some controversy.
“That race really set us back. We had a really good car but our season was at the point where it could go one way or the other. We were struggling with consistency but we had put together a few good runs and were hanging around somewhere near the top 12. I think just about everybody knows what happened between me, Tony Stewart and Carl Edwards next and that really set us back. I think we were something like 19th or 20th in points after that race and our chances of making the Chase evaporated. I’m just looking forward to putting that behind us and establishing some good memories about Pocono. We had really good cars at both races last year. We ran in the top 10 both times so hopefully, we can go back and improve and be in the top five.”

What’s the toughest part about Pocono?
“It’s just so different from anywhere else we race. I’d say the Tunnel Turn is the toughest place on the race track itself. It gets pretty hairy down there. It’s not like any another other corner we drive off into. You’re hauling the mail when you drive down in there. It’s flat and there’s no banking holding you in and the wall sneaks up on you really quick. “