Race 2 Win: Sprint Cup Series Race Notes

Sprint Cup Series

Subway Fresh Fit 500 - Clint Bowyer Notes

Clint Bowyer
No. 07 DIRECTV Chevrolet Impala SS
Event Preview Fact Sheet

Event/Date: Subway Fresh Fit 500 – April 12, 2008
Venue: Phoenix International Raceway – Avondale, Ariz.

NOTES:

This Week’s DIRECTV Chevrolet at Phoenix International Raceway …… Clint Bowyer will pilot Chassis No. 212 from the Richard Childress Racing (RCR) NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) stable. Built new for 2007, this is the same No. 07 Chevrolet Impala SS that sat on the pole and won last September at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Additionally, Bowyer raced this car to a 12th-place finish in September at Richmond International Raceway and to an 11th-place showing last November at Phoenix.

DIRECTV in the Desert … Bowyer’s No. 07 Chevy will feature a blue and white DIRECTV paint scheme this weekend at Phoenix International Raceway (PIR). Jack Daniel’s, Bowyer’s traditional primary sponsor, will be featured on the car’s deck lid and lower-rear quarter panels. DIRECTV is the leading digital TV provider dedicated to the best entertainment experience available. With more than 16.8 million customers, DIRECTV is the industry leader in satellite service.

Spin to Win with DIRECTV … DIRECTV will strategically place four Mobile Pit Boxes throughout the PIR concourse and display area for fans to enjoy a free preview of NASCAR HotPass™ Only on DIRECTV. At the Mobile Pit Boxes, fans also have the opportunity to play DIRECTV’s Spin to Win game. With one spin of the prize wheel, fans will win one of five great prizes: a DIRECTV Hat, a DIRECTV Diecast Replica Car, a free Fanview rental for the weekend - an exclusive DIRECTV offer, or the chance for an instant seat upgrade to the DIRECTV Zone. Winner’s who are upgraded to the DIRECTV Zone will enjoy a bird’s-eye view of the track from outside turn three, complete with catering, the chance to meet Bowyer, and watch NASCAR HotPass™ Only on DIRECTV on one of nine flat screen High Definition TVs at the Zone.

Back Where it Started … Bowyer made his NSCS debut at PIR on April 23, 2005. The 28-year-old driver started 25th and finished 22nd driving RCR’s No. 33 Chevrolet. Since then, the 2007 Sprint Cup Series championship contender has recorded two poles, one win, 10 top fives, 32 top 10s and led 636 laps in 80 races during his first three season’s on NASCAR’s senior circuit.

Loop Data Highlights …

Laps in the Top 15 … According to NASCAR’s Loop Data Statistics, Bowyer has spent 1,830 of the 2,387 laps run this season (76.7 percent) racing inside the top 15. That ranks him seventh among the 47 drivers graded by NASCAR.

Laps Led … Bowyer is ninth in the Laps Led category after spending 137 of the 2,387 laps run this season (5.7 percent) atop the leader board.

Average Running Position … Bowyer is ranked 11th in the Average Running Position category. His average position over the NSCS first seven races is 13.483. That statistic is derived from the sum of his position on each lap divided by the number of laps run in each race.

Driver Rating … Meanwhile, the 28-year-old driver enjoys a 90.0 Driver Rating. The Driver Rating is a formula that combines the following categories: wins, top-15 finishes, average running position while on the lead lap, average speed under green, fastest lap, most laps led and lead-lap finishes. The maximum a driver can earn in each race is 150 points. The Driver Rating number is used pre-race as a prediction tool and post-race as a performance evaluator.

Rock Chalk Jayhawk … Bowyer, a native of Emporia, Kan., watched his beloved Kansas Jayhawks win the NCAA Men’s Basketball National Championship from a local eatery near his North Carolina home on Monday night. Bowyer picked the Jayhawks to go all the way in his bracket and also picked all four No. 1 seeds to reach the Final Four.

A Look Back at Last Week … Bowyer was fourth coming to the checkered flag last weekend at Texas but contact with Denny Hamlin’s No. 11 Toyota forced him into the front stretch wall. He was still able to hang on to finish 10th and jumped from 12th to 11th in the Sprint Cup Series championship point standings.

After the First Seven … In the season’s first seven NSCS races, RCR-prepared cars have earned one win, six top-five and 13 top-10 finishes. At the same time, RCR cars have led 230 of the 2,387 laps contested this season (9.6 percent). Meanwhile, Bowyer’s teammates Jeff Burton and Kevin Harvick are first and second in points, marking the first time in RCR’s history that Childress-led cars are first and second in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series point standings.

Don’t Miss a Beat … This weekend, Bowyer’s DIRECTV Chevy will be one of four cars featured on DIRECTV’s HotPass Coverage. With two channels dedicated solely to the DIRECTV Chevrolet Impala SS during the Subway Fresh Fit 500, fans will be able to watch all the action through DIRECTV’s multiple camera angles, real-time car telemetry and listen to in-car audio communication. NASCAR HotPass™, only on DIRECTV, features four driver channels including dedicated announcers for each team. The service, combined with race day telecasts and nascar.com coverage, gives fans the most comprehensive and powerful NASCAR experience possible. Bowyer’s team will be showcased on DIRECTV in HD on channel 797 and in standard definition on channel 792. Every NASCAR race is now available in HD* — with a picture so crisp and lifelike viewers will "feel the thunder" in their living rooms. NASCAR HotPass™ in HD offers a full-sensory experience of being at the track, on pit rood and behind the wheel. Also new for 2008, NASCAR HotPass™ now has new enhanced audio features. Just tune in to channel 795 during the race to view all the expanded options.

Keep on Rolling … Bowyer has been running at the end of every race dating back to Phoenix in November 2006, a streak of 44 races. The only other driver running at the end of more consecutive races is Harvick who owns a streak of 51 events without a did not finish (DNF).

RCR at PIR … In 48 races at Phoenix, RCR has earned three victories, including Harvick’s sweep of both races at PIR in 2006. Prior to that, Dale Earnhardt won the Checker 500 on November 4, 1990. Additionally, RCR boasts 10 top-five and 20 top-10 finishes at the suburban Phoenix race track. RCR-prepared race cars have also led 677 laps at PIR.

Chevy Antes up for Autism … Autism Speaks and Chevrolet recently announced a month-long promotion to help generate up to $1 million for the non-profit organization and create greater awareness of autism, a disorder that is now diagnosed in one in every 150 children. During April – Autism Awareness Month – people who go to the Autism Speaks website (www.autismspeaks.org), can click on the “Help Chevy Help Autism” icon and take a free virtual test drive of the 2008 North American Car of the Year – the all-new Chevy Malibu. Chevrolet has committed to a minimum contribution of $500,000, but every virtual test drive taken gets Chevrolet closer to its goal of donating up to $1 million to Autism Speaks to support its mission of increasing awareness of autism and raising money to fund autism research. Those who participate in the virtual test drive will be offered a free 30-day online trial of XM Satellite Radio. All three RCR Sprint Cup Series entries will carry Help Chevy Help Autism decals throughout the month of April in support of the program.

Double Duty in the Desert … In addition to his duties behind the wheel of the DIRECTV Chevrolet, Bowyer returns to the seat of the No. 2 Camping World Chevy Monte Carlo SS for this weekend’s Bashas’ Supermarkets 300 NNS race at TMS. Live coverage of the eighth of 35 races on the 2008 Nationwide Series schedule will be televised live on ESPN2 Friday, April 11 beginning at 9:30 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT). The race will also be broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network (MRN) and Sirius Satellite Radio. Qualifying will be televised live on SPEED the same day beginning at 5 p.m. EDT.

Catch the Action … The Subway Fresh Fit 500 from Phoenix International Raceway will take the green flag Saturday, April12 at 8:30 p.m. EDT. The race will be televised live on FOX beginning at 8 p.m. EDT and broadcast worldwide on MRN and Sirius Satellite Radio. Qualifying for the eighth event on the 36-race NASCAR Sprint Cup Series schedule will be televised live on SPEED Thursday, April 10 at 7 p.m. EDT. MRN and Sirius Satellite Radio will provide qualifying updates live.

CLINT BOWYER QUOTES
It’s been a little bit of a trip from where you were when you made your first Cup start at Phoenix back in 2005 to now.
“Back then, it was all about just making the race. We weren’t even able to make a race run until Happy Hour so we didn’t even know how we’d stack up. Our whole focus was to get in the race and make sure we took care of the sponsor on the car. We never really worried about the race until it was time to take the green flag. We ended up way too tight but, nonetheless, it was a neat experience and one I’ll never forget.”

What do you remember most about that experience?
“Just starting my first Cup race. I remember being at driver introductions and looking over and saying ‘I’m getting ready to start a Cup race and that’s Jeff Gordon over there.’

What’s the toughest part about Phoenix?
“Making your car work on both ends of the race track is the toughest part. You’ve got a tight corner in (turns) one and two and a big sweeping corner in three and four. That’s definitely something that’s unique and separates Phoenix from other race tracks. “