Motorsports FanHouse

Sprint Cup N's & Q's: Banking 500

Geoffrey Miller — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 22:38:00 EST

Filed under: Casey Mears, Clint Bowyer, Kasey Kahne, Kurt Busch, Sprint Cup, Joey Logano

Kasey Kahne might have had the only car to really challenge Jimmie Johnson on the longer runs Saturday night at Lowe's Motor Speedway, but a late pit stop and a bad set of tires didn't let that situation play out.

"The tires we took on the last stop shook and didn't turn," said Kahne after the race in which he led 67 laps. "I guess that was our bad set for the night."

That didn't mean that Kahne was making excuses for coming up short with a third-place finish -- his best result since a win at Atlanta in September. Instead, he was stating the obvious.

"We were the best car at times, but the final run when it counted, we weren't," said Kahne. "Jimmie [Johnson] showed up and beat us all."

It seems that a mention in last week's N's & Q's provided a nice boost of momentum to Casey Mears again this week. (OK, maybe not...)

Anyways, Mears followed up an 11th-place finish last weekend at Auto Club Speedway with a 7th-place effort at LMS on Saturday night. LMS, of course, is the site of Mears' only career win in 2007.

Mears, though, was feeling that the finishes were finally starting to back up some strong race cars that didn't finish where they should have over the past few races.

"We've had some really strong runs over the last six races and we finally have the finish we deserve," said Mears. "We're really starting to click as a team and we're looking forward to carrying this momentum over to the final five races of the season."

Mears' teammate Clint Bowyer had the best night of the oft-struggling Richard Childress Racing group with a 6th-place finish -- a sign that the team is starting to turn the corner in terms of competitiveness. Unfortunately for Casey, though, team owner Richard Childress acknowledged this weekend that his No. 07 car is having trouble attracting sponsorship -- leaving the door open to the chance that Mears won't have a ride with RCR in 2010.

Current sponsor Jack Daniel's announced last month that they'll be leaving the sport at the end of the season.

The official stated attendance for Saturday night's Sprint Cup action at LMS was 105,000 -- a number that is dwarfed by the nearly endless grandstands around the 1.5-mile speedway.

But when you stop to think about the situation, it's not a big surprise that LMS was having trouble getting tickets sold to near capacity for the fall race. Not only was the weekend a cloudy, cold and often rainy mess, but the NASCAR Banking 500 was the third Sprint Cup event at the track this season when you count the Coca-Cola 600 and the Sprint All-Star Challenge.

Toss in the big NHRA weekend at the track and you're looking at a bunch of racing options that you're trying to get local fans to throw hefty amounts of money at to attend. Let's face it: this economy just isn't going to support such spending.

I'm not saying that the Charlotte market is oversaturated with racing or that the quality isn't there on the race track -- the end of Saturday night's race had me on the edge of my seat -- but that it's understandable that tickets aren't easy to sell at the moment.

News flash: Joey Logano is still, in fact, a rookie and a 19-year-old kid.

Just look at what Logano had to say after finishing fifth on Saturday night after a late-race duel with Jeff Gordon.

"I had a blast," said Logano. "Racing a world class champion race car driver like that, running door to door for a fourth-place finish -- that was a bunch of fun. It's still really cool to me. I'm still a rookie on this whole deal. To be racing Jeff Gordon, I never thought that day would happen."

It's kind of refreshing to know that he's still getting a kick out of turning laps with the best of the best, huh?

The top-five was Logano's best finish in the Sprint Cup Series since his win at Loudon in May.

Kurt Busch, fresh off a 10th-place finish at LMS, is starting to see a trend develop in NASCAR -- particularly in the first five races of the Chase for the Sprint Cup.

"You get into a marathon-type pace early on and then you have a 100-yard dash at the end," said Busch. "It's almost like clockwork."

Fortunately for NASCAR, they didn't have to endure any criticism for a phantom debris caution after Max Papis lost an engine latein Saturday night's race. That caution led to two more before a 20-or-so lap green flag stint to the finish.

Busch acknowledged that such a pattern makes it easier to know what a car will need to win at the end.

"The team that has the car to make that short run at the end is going to be successful," said Busch.

Based on their two Chase wins in 2009, it's apparent that Jimmie Johnson and Chad Knaus knew that beforehand.

Sprint Cup N's & Q's: Banking 500 originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Mon, 19 Oct 2009 22:38:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ten Questions With ... Clint Bowyer

Geoffrey Miller — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 08:25:00 EST

Filed under: Clint Bowyer, Richard Childress Racing, FanHouse Exclusive

Richard Childress Racing driver Clint Bowyer took a moment this week to chat with FanHouse. Here's what the Kansas native told us about good meals, gettin' back home, next Wednesday's Gillette Young Guns Prelude to the Dream (live on HBO pay-per-view) and Elvis:

1) What's the one race, across any division or any type of race cars, that you've always wanted to win?

Clint Bowyer: It'd definitely have to be Daytona. The Daytona 500 has always meant so much to our sport and to me personally. Kansas Speedway would certainly be a close second -- just because I have all my family and friends there.
2) If Clint Bowyer wasn't a NASCAR driver, he'd be...

CB: You know, I always worked in car dealerships as I grew up and I've always enjoyed the car industry. I can myself in some sort of management role at a car dealership.

3) You got your start in motorcycles and then doing some dirt track racing. Are you like Dale Earnhardt Jr. with his closet Indianapolis 500 dream? Do you want to race or try any other forms of motorsports?

CB: Man, I'm racing what I dreamed of racing. I always wanted to compete in stock car racing and NASCAR at its premier level. I'm doing what I've always wanted to do. I'm living out a dream.

4) Alright, Clint, tell me, why did you use the song C.C. Rider for your intro music at Bristol?

CB: [Laughs] I was always a big Elvis fan and that was the song he used to start off his concerts. If it's good enough for the King, it's good enough for me.

5) You had a nice two-week break here after Bristol. What did Clint Bowyer get himself into?

CB: Actually, I got home to my hometown Emporia, Kan., and hosted a golf tournament that raised over $250,000 for the kids and the community. I couldn't have asked for a better weekend off.

6) Some drivers talk of a 'Welcome to NASCAR' moment where they just suddenly realize that it doesn't get much bigger than this. Did you ever have that?

CB: It wasn't really the Nationwide Series for me, but it was when I got my first Cup start at Phoenix. It's crazy to be able to start your first Cup race and look over and see Jeff Gordon or Tony Stewart on the race track -- you know, all the guys I grew up watching on TV. Just to be able to be in that race was my 'Welcome to NASCAR' moment.

7) If dinner could come from anywhere in the world tonight, where would that be?

CB: Oh man, I've got to go with mom's home cooking. You can't beat that.

8) Your newest sponsors -- Hamburger Helper, General Mills -- don't exactly fit the same type of experiences involved with old sponsor Jack Daniel's. Still, what's the coolest thing you've done thanks to a sponsor?

CB: Obviously Jack Daniels had some pretty neat things, but with General Mills and Hamburger we've certainly done some fun things. I've been in some commercials and got to be in an episode of "The Biggest Loser" this year. That was cool.

9) If Clint Bowyer could run NASCAR, he would...

CB: [Laughs] Well, being a racer, I'd say I'd something with the schedule. I know everyone has got a job to do, but as a racer I'd say the schedule is a little long and drawn out. It'd be nice to shorten it up a bit.

10) Finally, how bad do you want to beat Tony Stewart next week at his home track of Eldora Speedway for the rescheduled Prelude to the Dream?

CB: Man, we're all shooting for Tony on that one because he's got that home-track advantage. Otherwise, being able to race Eldora means a lot to me. Growing up and racing dirt cars, that was the track that you always wanted to get to. My career path kind of turned before I had my chance there, so to go back and race Eldora means a lot to me.

Ten Questions With ... Clint Bowyer originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Thu, 03 Sep 2009 08:25:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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FanHouse Warmup: Coke Zero 400

Geoffrey Miller — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 18:30:00 EST

Filed under: Clint Bowyer, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Sprint Cup

The Essentials

Race: Coke Zero 400 @ Daytona

Where: Daytona Int'l Speedway
Time: Saturday 8:00pm/EDT
TV/Radio: TNT, MRN Radio
Twitter: Updates at FanHouseRacing
Forecast: 74 degrees, Partly Cloudy
Distance: 160 laps (400 miles)
Pole Winner: Tony Stewart
2008 Winner: Kyle Busch

The Storylines

Harking back to the DEI days of old, it's not hard to assume why Dale Earnhardt Jr. is finally coming to a track in 2009 where he'll have a legitimate shot to win.

Not only does Daytona afford Earnhardt a chance to get away from the tracks that his No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports machine has so mightily struggled at, but it also puts him back at a track he's won at twice. Additionally, for current drivers who have raced at Daytona more than 15 times, Earnhardt holds the best average finish overall.

The first trip to Daytona in 2009 for Earnhardt didn't end well with pit road miscues and a bad move on the backstretch that triggered a big crash in the Daytona 500. In fact, the number of mistakes Earnhardt made in the season-opener should, theoretically, not leave room for anymore in Saturday's 400-miler.

There'll be some fireworks off the track, but with the frustration seen by the No. 88 camp in 2009, don't be surprised if Earnhardt is looking to ignite his own with bold moves in an effort to finally find victory lane again.

If you got a look at last night's Nationwide race, you saw the first implementation of the double-file restart rule for that series and also a look at how dramatically the rule could shake up a race with a late caution.

Sure, two-wide, three-wide or four-wide aren't out of the realm of possibilities at NASCAR's restrictor plate tracks, and the cars generally don't have a problem getting side-by-side after a single-file restart. The biggest change, though, is how hairy a green-white-checkered finish at the plate tracks can now become.

It didn't pan out like it could of in the Nationwide Series race, but when Clint Bowyer took the white flag of Friday night's festivities on a GWC finish and nearly immediately saw a yellow flag, he knew right away that he had avoided a wild last-lap dash for the win.

Simply, the double-file restarts are going to give more drivers a chance to win a plate race thanks to a multiple drafting lanes already in place before the final green flag falls. And that, my friends, should make things just a little bit more exciting.

Time to break out the decal machine at Richard Childress Racing for Bowyer's win because of a deal that the three drivers of the No. 29 Holiday Inn machine made at the start of the year.

Because they didn't know which name to put on the car (Bowyer's, Jeff Burton's or Stephen Leicht's), the trio made a deal that whoever wins the most races by July's Daytona races got their name permanently on the car for the rest of 2009.

Bowyer's win is the only one for the RCR camp in 2009, so look for a Clint Bowyer Nationwide Series No. 29 near you.

It got a mention in our FH midseason report card, but isn't it amazing how NASCAR has seemingly done nothing from the public's point of view about keeping race cars from flying into the fence -- or worse -- at restrictor plate tracks?

Carl Edwards' catchfence ballet at Talladega Superspeedway (that injured some 7 fans, of course) was horrendously scary and showed just how close to the edge these cars are from going through or over the designated fencing. In fact, you know its a big deal when Edwards ends up on Larry King to talk about his unexpected fence-climbing exploits.

Yet, NASCAR hasn't released any statements or discussed any further investigation to the matter.

I'm not saying that NASCAR has avoided trying to look at the problem, but we honestly don't know if a team of experts have been summoned to look at Edwards' wreck or if NASCAR is just sticking its head in the sand and claiming that problems don't exist.

The Prediction

Geoffrey Miller: Kyle Busch

FanHouse Warmup: Coke Zero 400 originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Sat, 04 Jul 2009 18:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Talladega Marred by Early 13-Car Wreck

FanHouse Newswire — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 16:57:00 EST

Filed under: A.J. Allmendinger, Brian Vickers, Casey Mears, Clint Bowyer, David Gilliland, Jamie McMurray, Jeff Gordon, Kasey Kahne, Kevin Harvick, Kurt Busch, Mark Martin, Scott Riggs, NASCAR Crashes, Sprint Cup

TALLADEGA, Ala. (AP) --The "Big One" hit early at Talladega Superspeedway.

A massive 13-car accident just seven laps into Sunday's race at Talladega Superspeedway took out race favorites and left it open for an unlikely winner to emerge from the field.

The accident started just seven laps into the race near the front of the field when Matt Kenseth appeared to make contact with series points leader Jeff Gordon.

The bump made Gordon's car slide toward the top of the track, and the drivers running around them couldn't avoid the wreck.

"It was a little bit of aggressive driving, but everybody's jockeying for position here in the early laps," Gordon said. "I got squeezed and didn't have anywhere else to go. I saw an opening, went for it, and it closed up in a hurry."

Six of the drivers caught up in the wreck are Chase for the championship contenders. They are Gordon, Kenseth, Kurt Busch, Kasey Kahne, Clint Bowyer and Mark Martin, winner of last week's race at Phoenix.

"It's Talladega. You expect it," Gordon said. "You just hope to survive it."

Kevin Harvick, Casey Mears, Jamie McMurray, Scott Riggs, AJ Allmendinger, David Gilliland, and Brian Vickers were also involved.

"How could it not happen," Martin said. "It's not guys losing control of their cars. It's so many in such a wad that you can't help but move up or down on each other and it starts a wreck."

DYST V3 test

LeBron James #23 of the Cleveland Cavaliers watches as Mo Williams #2 takes a shoe to the face by Kobe Bryant #24 of the Los Angeles Lakers after a steal in the closing seconds of the first half at The Quicken Loans Arena on February 8, 2009 in Cleveland, Ohio. (David Liam Kyle, NBAE/Getty Images)

David Liam Kyle, NBAE/Getty Images

Brazil's Diogo (L) vies for the ball with Paraguay's Hernan Perez during their U-20 South American Championship football match in Puerto La Cruz, Venezuela on February 8, 2009.(Juan Barreto, AFP/Getty Images )

Juan Barreto, AFP/Getty Images

A Dalmatian looks at its handler as a judge goes to touch the dog during the first day of the 2009 Westminster Dog Show in New York February 9, 2009.(Lucas Jackson, Reuters)

Lucas Jackson, Reuters

Denver Nuggets forward Chris Anderson touches his head during a time out in the first half of their NBA basketball game with the New Jersey Nets in East Rutherford, New Jersey February 7, 2009. (Ray Stubblebine, Reuters)

Ray Stubblebine, Reuters

Margarita Marbler, of Austria, skis to a bronze medal finish the ladies moguls freestyle FIS World Cupskiing qualification at Cypress mountain in West Vancouver, British Columbia, Saturday, Feb. 7, 2009. (Jonathan Hayward, The Canadian Press/AP)

Jonathan Hayward, The Canadian Press/AP

West Virginia guard Darryl Bryant (25) is fouled by Providence guard Jeff Xavier (1) during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in Morgantown, W.Va. Saturday, Feb. 7, 2009. West Virginia won 86-59. (Don Wright, AP)

Don Wright, AP

Missouri's DeMarre Carroll, top, celebrates the Tigers' 62-60 win over Kansas in Columbia, Missouri, Monday, February 9, 2009. (Rich Sugg, Kansas City Star/MCT)

Rich Sugg, Kansas City Star/MCT

David Clarkson #23 of the New Jersey Devils fights Erik Reitz #4 of the New York Rangers during their game on February 9, 2009 at The Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey (Al Bello, Getty Images)

Al Bello, Getty Images

Driver Patrick Sheltra (60) begins to spin coming out of the fourth turn during the ARCA 200 auto race in Daytona Beach, Fla. Saturday, Feb. 7, 2009.

Darryl Graham, AP

Spain's Nuria Llagostera Vives serves the ball, in this multiple exposure, to Iveta Benesova of the Czech Republic during their Fed Cup tennis match in Brno February 7, 2009.

Petr Josek, Reuters

NASCAR issued a stern warning before the race, telling the drivers to avoid aggressive driving, which is common at Talladega but policed heavily for safety precautions.

Race director David Hoots warned drivers at the prerace meeting to show caution on the track.

"If you're thinking you're getting ready to get too close to crossing over this line then draw back," he said.

Several teams were in the garage trying to repair the cars and get them back on the track and get in more laps in the 500-miles race. Others, like Martin, had already called it a day.

Harvick returned about 50 laps later. Gordon, the points leader, and Kahne also returned.

"Everyone's trying to position themselves," Harvick said. "I don't think it's anybody's fault."

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. Active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.

Talladega Marred by Early 13-Car Wreck originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Sun, 26 Apr 2009 16:57:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jimmie Johnson Owns Martinsville Again

FanHouse Newswire — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 17:58:00 EST

Filed under: Clint Bowyer, Denny Hamlin, Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Tony Stewart

MARTINSVILLE, Va. (AP) - Jimmie Johnson nudged Denny Hamlin aside in the third and fourth turns with 15 laps to go and gave team owner Rick Hendrick a perfect place to celebrate the 25th anniversary of his first victory in NASCAR's premier series: Victory Lane.

Johnson, dubbed "Mr. Martinsville" by Jeff Gordon, lived up to his moniker, winning for the fifth time in the last six races on the smallest, trickiest track in the series. It was his sixth victory at the 0.526-mile oval, second only to Gordon's seven among active drivers.

Hamlin, the defending race champion, never challenged Johnson after he slid high into the banking after the bump and pass, and his winless streak extended to 32 races.

Hamlin finished second, followed by Tony Stewart, Gordon and Clint Bowyer.

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. Active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.

Jimmie Johnson Owns Martinsville Again originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Sun, 29 Mar 2009 17:58:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NASCAR Off-Week Check-Up

Holly Cain — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 20:00:00 EST

Filed under: Brian Vickers, Clint Bowyer, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Kurt Busch, Kyle Busch, Chase for the Sprint Cup, Sprint Cup, Joey Logano

During one of only four off-weeks all season, it's a good time to breathe and check out the early-season statistics. It's way to early to come to any conclusions, but it's been an interesting few weeks of haves and have-nots.

Here's a look at who's getting the thumbs-up or thumbs-down as we prepare for one of the best shows NASCAR has to offer -- 500 laps at the half-mile Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway next Sunday afternoon.

Jeff Gordon: Thumbs Up
This is an obvious and, let's face it, sentimental selection for the points leader. Gordon never fell off the championship wagon, but his first winless season last year convinced the non-believers that he was somehow on his way out. Come on, this is Jeff Gordon.

The four-time champ has returned to form with two runner-up finishes in the last three races -- and his 13th place in the roll-of-the-dice Daytona 500 is his only effort worse than sixth. Get used to seeing his name atop the leaderboard and soon his car in victory lane over and over.

Clint Bowyer: Thumbs Up
This is not only because Bowyer is ranked second, only 43 points behind Gordon, but because of the fact that Bowyer is the best-performing driver most of the country still doesn't know about. The quiet, personable Kansas native is proving you don't have to have a household name to consistently better the household names. Last year he qualified for the Chase and won the Nationwide Series title. This year he's right back in the thick of the Sprint Cup Series championship -- with three top-six finishes -- even after having his former car, sponsor, and crew uprooted at Richard Childress Racing. That's C-L-I-N-T B-O-W-Y-E-R.

Mark Martin: Thumbs Down
This is not of his own doing, unless you count that dark cloud of so-close that has followed Martin throughout his career. After coming out of retirement for a fulltime ride with NASCAR's most dominant Hendrick Motorsports team, even the typically cautious Martin got caught up in high expectations. That's what makes his 34th place ranking so disheartening. He's started from the front row twice -- won the pole last week at Atlanta -- but had two DNFs (engine failures). The 50-year-old's only finish higher than 30th came in the Daytona 500. Even Martin admitted last week, "I do have a history of not being the luckiest guy in the world."

Latest NASCAR Images

In a photo provided by the NHRA through Auto Imagery Inc., NHRA Funny Car driver Scott Kalitta is seen in an undated photo. Much like NASCAR star Dale Earnhardt's racing death in February of 2001, the deaths of the 33-year-old Eric Medlen and the 46-year-old Kalitta have been a catalyst for major safety changes in the sport. (AP Photo/NHRA, via Auto Imagery Inc.) ** NO SALES **

In this Oct. 15, 2006 photo provided by RacersEdgePhotography, Eric Medlen celebrates winning a Funny Car race at the TORCO RACING FUELS NHRA Nationals at Virginia Motorsports Park in Dinwiddie, Va. Much like NASCAR star Dale Earnhardt's racing death in February of 2001, the deaths of the 33-year-old Medlen and 46-year-old Scott Kalitta have been a catalyst for major safety changes in the sport. (AP Photo/RacersEdgePhotography, Ken Sklute) ** NO SALES **

** FILE ** This is a Feb. 5, 2009, file photo showing NASCAR driver David Reutimann at media day at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla. Reutimann is proving that nice guys don't always finish last. The polite-almost-to-a-fault driver for Michael Waltrip Racing is off to a decent start in 2009, good news for his boss' struggling franchise. (AP Photo/Reinhold Matay, File)

** FILE ** This is a Feb. 5, 2009 file photo showing NASCAR driver Mark Martin at media day at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla. This was supposed to be Mark Martin's best shot at a championship. Instead, two motors and a tire failed him the past three weeks, leaving the Hendrick Motorsports driver 34th in the Sprint Cup Series standings. (AP Photo/John Raoux, File)

** FILE ** This is a March 8, 2009, file photo showing Mark Martin sliding across the infield grass during the NASCAR Kobalt Tools 500 auto race at Atlanta Motor Speedway in Hampton, Ga. This was supposed to be Mark Martin's best shot at a championship. Instead, two motors and a tire failed him the past three weeks, leaving the Hendrick Motorsports driver 34th in the Sprint Cup Series standings. (AP Photo/Mark Young, File)

Kurt Busch (2) leads a pack of cars into Turn One during the Kobalt Tools 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway in Atlanta, Georgia, on Sunday, March 8, 2009. (Johnny Crawford/Atlanta Journal-Constitution/MCT)

MCT

ATLANTA - MARCH 08: Fans watch action during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Kobalt Tools 500 at the Atlanta Motor Speedway on March 8, 2009 in Hampton, Georgia. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)

Getty Images

HAMPTON, GA - MARCH 08: Kurt Busch, driver of the #2 Miller Lite Dodge, celebrates in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Kobalt Tools 500 at the Atlanta Motor Speedway on March 8, 2009 in Hampton, Georgia. (Photo by Geoff Burke/Getty Images for NASCAR) *** Local Caption *** Kurt Busch

Getty Images for NASCAR

ATLANTA - MARCH 08: Fans watch during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Kobalt Tools 500 at the Atlanta Motor Speedway on March 8, 2009 in Hampton, Georgia. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)

Getty Images

Rookie Class: Thumbs Down
Come on guys, even without the testing we expected more. And that's the irony. Australian Marcos Ambrose is schooling the marquee wonderkids Joey Logano and Scott Speed thus far. With three top-22 finishes, Ambrose was ranked 20th until a DNF at Atlanta Sunday dropped him to 28th. Still that's better than "Sliced Bread" Logano, who is 33rd in points without a single finish better than 32nd in the famously strong No. 20 Home Depot Toyota vacated by Tony Stewart. Former F1 driver Scott Speed is also looking for his first top-30 run and is ranked even worse -- 37th. We're not expecting a victory, but how about a glimpse of competitiveness.

Brian Vickers: Thumbs Up
If not for a melee in Daytona, Vickers would be ranked even higher than the 11th place position he finds himself in. That Daytona DNF -- on the frustrated bumper of Dale Earnhardt Jr. -- is his only finish outside of the top-10. Few people predicted this one-time Cup winner would be hanging with the big boys even this early on. And while Vickers infuriated the Junior Nation by calling Earnhardt out on national television for their Daytona dust-up, he's having the last laugh. For now. Earnhardt is ranked 24th -- 80 points behind.

The Rest of Hendrick Motorsports: Thumbs Down
Of course three-time defending Sprint Cup Series champ Jimmie Johnson will make the Chase and so will his teammate Earnhardt. But if people are surprised that second-year driver David Reutimann and Vickers are ranked among the top-12, they are even more surprised that Johnson and Earnhardt aren't. It's way early and both have had their best results in the past two weeks, but it's time to go. Johnson has spotted Gordon 177 points already, but is less than 20 points behind 12th place Reutimann in the Chase cut-off position. He made up six positions last week alone. Earnhardt is 237 behind Gordon, but only 78 points out of 12th place.

The Busch Brothers: Two Thumbs Up
Older brother Kurt -- you know, the guy who won the 2004 Cup championship -- says he's beginning to hold up his end of the family bargain. His win Sunday at Atlanta moved him up four positions in the rankings to third -- right by younger brother Kyle -- and marked his third top-10 of the year. It was a big victory for Dodge, which has struggled in the past year, and a redemption for Kurt and the once perennial favorite Penske Racing team. Kyle, meanwhile, has a victory at hometown Las Vegas, is ranked seventh and has already earned a pair of Camping World Truck Series wins in his spare time. As NASCAR's winningest driver in 2008, everyone expected to see Kyle out front. It's his big brother's resurgence that has people talking and the rest of the garage on its toes.

Stewart-Haas Racing: Thumbs Up and Down, A Push
Team owner-driver Tony Stewart admitted to surprising himself with a tremendous outing right out of the box at Daytona. He's had three eighth-place finishes in four races and is ranked solidly among the early Chase contenders. All's well on the owner-driver double. It's the owner-only hat that's struggling. His teammate Ryan Newman is ranked 32nd and doesn't have a top-20 yet. He trails 12th place Reutimann by 151 points. Newman has only 48 points more than David Gilliland -- and Gilliland's only competed in three of the four races.

Drug Testing: Thumbs Up
Two crew members -- one from the Sprint Cup Series and one from the Nationwide Series -- have tested positive for illegal substances and have been suspended indefinitely by NASCAR. It's a small percentage of the thousands who took the mandatory test in the preseason. But it makes you wonder. If two people have been suspended in as many months knowing that they were subject to testing, what was going on before NASCAR modified its policy for 2009? Random tests continue at every race venue (about a dozen per week) and hopefully that will be a successful deterrent. There's no gray area in a life-and-death sport.

Attendance: Thumbs Down
This is a glass-half-full or glass-half-empty situation. Attendance has been down, but the television ratings are up and the camera operators have taken creativity to new heights with their crowd shots.

Tires: Thumbs Down
We're tired of having to hear about them. Let's get it right.

NASCAR Off-Week Check-Up originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Fri, 13 Mar 2009 20:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Blame NASCAR's Scheduling, Not Weather, for Daytona Finish

Holly Cain — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 17:30:00 EST

Filed under: A.J. Allmendinger, Clint Bowyer, Elliott Sadler, Kevin Harvick, Matt Kenseth, Daytona Int'l Speedway

A friend from Denver -- a new NASCAR fan -- called up the morning after the Daytona 500 disappointed and feeling like he got short-changed.

He said stopping the race 48 laps short felt like watching an NFL game being played in bad weather with the referees just deciding whoever was ahead in the third quarter got the win.

As I explained to him -- and as Daytona 500 winner Matt Kenseth has unfortunately felt obligated to explain on every talk show appearance he's made since earning his first 500 trophy -- everyone knows the game and Kenseth's team simply played it best.

Every crew chief had the same access to the weather reports and knew rain was on the way. And since the race was well beyond the 101 laps (halfway plus a lap) needed to make it official, it was time to mash the pedal.

And that's exactly what Kenseth, Kevin Harvick, A.J. Allmendinger, Clint Bowyer, Elliott Sadler and the rest of the top-finishing drivers did. It's called strategy.

NASCAR's problem is getting that message out to new fans or those casual observers that tune in to the biggest races such as the Daytona 500, but don't follow the sport regularly.

Could NASCAR have waited out the rain shower and re-started the race?

As one reporter cynically noted, a couple of FOX's biggest hit shows, "The Family Guy" and "The Simpsons" were on deck anyway. And we know modern day NASCAR is all about what works best for network TV. Clearly, a rain delay didn't.

But maybe the point isn't how the race ended, but when races begin.

NASCAR should have the flexibility to start these races sooner. When bad weather is approaching, speed up driver introductions, run fewer pace laps and nix part of the pre-race entertainment or commercial time-outs. Ninety percent of the fans are there by driver intros and TV could shorten its pre-race show.

Ironically, NASCAR may have to deal with this again this week in Southern California, which is getting deluged with rain.

The late starting times are one of the worst moves NASCAR has made in recent years. For decades, fans could count on a 1 p.m. Sunday afternoon start -- and the consistency was vital in building the fan base and audience.
But like the Daytona 500, this week's race in Fontana, Calif. is a 3 p.m. local start -- 6 p.m. EST. Only two of the 36 races will begin before 2 p.m. -- 10 will be night races.

NASCAR won't be changing its schedule any time soon, so in the meantime, don't begrudge Kenseth his Daytona win.

There may be a lot more decided this way.

Blame NASCAR's Scheduling, Not Weather, for Daytona Finish originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Tue, 17 Feb 2009 17:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Clint Bowyer: 2008 Nationwide Series Champ

Geoffrey Miller — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 22:43:00 EST

Filed under: Carl Edwards, Clint Bowyer, Nationwide Series

Carl Edwards literally did all he could do in the Nationwide Series' final race Saturday night at Homestead-Miami Speedway to win the 2009 series title, but Clint Bowyer's 5th-place finish kept it out of the Ford driver's hands.

As a result, Bowyer, a native of Emporia, Kan., scored his first-career championship in NASCAR's second-tier series by a mere 21 points over the race-winning Edwards after beginning the Ford 300 with a 56-point advantage in the series standings.

Together with Johnny Benson's Craftsman Truck Series championship drive on Friday night, a grand total of 28 points have separated NASCAR's two champions in 2008 from their closest rivals in second place -- Edwards on Saturday night at Ron Hornaday Jr. on Friday night.

That small point difference trend isn't expected to continue with Sunday's Ford 400 Sprint Cup season-finale race as Jimmie Johnson has a 141-point lead over Edwards in the top level series. Johnson, however, doesn't have the championship quite in the bag yet because he does have to finish 36th or higher to guarantee the title -- but certainly the drawstring is closing.

Back to Bowyer's title, however, and you're certainly looking at a driver who has had a stressful go of it as he attempted to finish out a virtually impeccable season of Nationwide competition.

At both Texas and Phoenix a week and two weeks ago -- Phoenix especially due to a restart crash that forced the team to punt severely from the original race plan to still manage a Top-5 finish -- Bowyer lost points to Edwards as the Missouri driver totaled 9 Top-10s in the final 9 races, including four wins.

Bowyer, however, suffered a worst finish of 16th in that same final stretch among 8 Top-10 finishes to keep Edwards' surge somewhat at bay and to prevent a second-straight title for the Roush-Fenway Racing driver.

Richard Childress, Bowyer's team owner, also added another trophy to the mantle with his third car owner championship in the Nationwide Series since the series started in 1982.

The stats aren't an especially telling story for Bowyer's run to the title, as he totaled up just one win and 14 Top-5s compared to Edwards seven 2008 Nationwide victories, combined with 19 Top-5s. The biggest difference, though, appeared to be that Bowyer scored seven more Top-10 finishes.

Regardless of the way he did it, Bowyer finished the 2008 season with the most points and for that, he's deserving of the FanHouse nod and tip of the glass.

Here's to you, Clint Bowyer, congratulations on the championship.

Clint Bowyer: 2008 Nationwide Series Champ originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Sat, 15 Nov 2008 22:43:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Calling the Chase: 5th - Clint Bowyer

Geoffrey Miller — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 21:11:00 EST

Filed under: Clint Bowyer, Chase for the Sprint Cup, Sprint Cup

The NASCAR season truly kicks in Sunday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway when the 10-race Chase for the Sprint Cup begins. From now through Friday, FanHouse will preview each of the 12-drivers and evaluate their championship chances.

5th - Clint Bowyer, RCR Chevrolet

Starting Deficit: 70 points2008 Stats: 1 win, 4 Top-5s, 12 Top-10s

2008 Regular Season Point Standing: 12th (-762)

2007 Chase Result: 3rd

Chase Chances: Bowyer ending up being the last qualifier into the Chase -- he secured his spot by beating out David Ragan and Kasey Kahne at Richmond -- but moved up to 5th thanks to Kyle Busch. If you remember back to Richmond in May to the now infamous incident that saw Busch get in the side of Dale Earnhardt Jr. with three laps to go while the No. 88 was leading. Bowyer was able to scoot under both the spinning Earnhardt Jr. and Busch as the No. 18 slid up the track, and later held on for his his only win in 2008 so far on the last restart.

That's not to say, though, that Bowyer didn't have a season worthy of a Chase run. A year ago, Bowyer shocked the world (somewhat quietly, though) by finishing third behind Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon in the Chase. With just three races to go, Bowyer actually had a legitimate chance to catch them thanks to win at the Chase opener a year ago at New Hampshire and a second-place run at Kansas. Bowyer has the consistency to the same in 2008, though I don't see a title run in the cards.

Prediction: Just In It.

Calling the Chase: 5th - Clint Bowyer originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Thu, 11 Sep 2008 21:11:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Break Up with Clint Bowyer, Find FHM

Geoffrey Miller — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 12:01:00 EST

Filed under: Clint Bowyer, NASCAR Gossip

NASCAR Sprint Cup driver Clint Bowyer must have the magic touch -- after you break up with him.

Athena Barber, shown to the right, was voted the hottest NASCAR Girlfriend back in 2007 in a vote done by Sports Illustrated, but lost that title in 2008 after she and the Emporia, Kan.-driver parted ways to the puzzlement of male NASCAR fans everywhere.

Well, as TGOM over at Answer This spotted this week, Barber has found her way into the camera lens of the magazine FHM. I've included the link below.

In the interview/photo shoot, Barber opens up quite a bit about being the arm candy of Clint Bowyer and what its like for the wives and girlfriends of the sport, both at the track and at home.

A lot of it's very informative (she talks about how Clint would never, ever drive even if he had a sip of alcohol) and a lot of it's kind of humorous (she says that the WAGs even take sides when drivers get into it on the track).

The most impressive part of the still-single Barber's interview, though, was how Barber is legitimately is a NASCAR fan and car lover:

What's the best part about being a NASCAR girlfriend?

Barber: For me it was personally the fact that I just loved the sport. The fact that you could do that every weekend, be at all those tracks and be rubbing shoulders with guys that are legends and champions. That to me was awesome. [...]

You've always been around auto-racing, have you always been attracted to the drivers?

Barber: Always! I can't honestly date somebody who doesn't know stuff about cars. It drives me nuts. If I know more about cars than a guy, it's just not gonna happen! It might be the nicest guy in the world, but it's a total turn-off to me.

Later in the interview, she even talks about her favorite car of all-time, the 89-93 generation of the Ford Mustang, which, to me, solidifies her auto enthusiasm as quite realistic.

Barber seems well-educated enough about the sport, and the fact that she doesn't want to really date another NASCAR driver because she doesn't want to be labeled as a girl that gets around the sport is pretty classy.

She's attractive, classy, and loves cars.

FHM: Thank you. Clint Bowyer: What the heck were you thinking?

Break Up with Clint Bowyer, Find FHM originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Wed, 27 Aug 2008 12:01:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Stewart Slings Mud for Eldora Prelude Win

Geoffrey Miller — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 00:25:00 EST

Filed under: Tony Stewart, Robby Gordon, Clint Bowyer

Preparing the track, praying against the rain, and organizing an event expected to host over 20,000 spectators were all on the plate for Tony Stewart on Wednesday at his Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio.

And oh yeah, he was racing, too.

The responsibilities must not have weighed on Stewart too hard as he took home his second win the Old Spice Prelude to the Dream on a muddy night in west-central Ohio. The high-banked dirt track charity all-star race again featured some of NASCAR's biggest names and is rapidly gaining traction as one of the best events to get a ticket to in all of racing.

Robby Gordon -- in his first Prelude -- took second while Clint Bowyer finished third.

Rain had soaked the region for the past two days as the track itself received upwards of 3" since Tuesday morning. Somehow, though, Stewart's track team kept working and the sun came out enough to get the dirt into race form.

According to the Dayton Daily News, the track was so wet that HBO set a 1pm decision deadline Wednesday on whether or not the show would go on. At 12:55pm, the answer was no, but Stewart opted to try his luck, and it worked out.

I wasn't able to make it to what would have been my third Prelude at Eldora this year, but I'll definitely be back next year. As I talked about here on the 'House last year, I simply have never, ever had more fun at a race track.

There truly is nothing better than a no-holds-barred dirt track event for the best drivers in the NASCAR business.

Stewart Slings Mud for Eldora Prelude Win originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Thu, 05 Jun 2008 00:25:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Richmond a Big Shot in the Arm for NASCAR

Geoffrey Miller — Mon, 05 May 2008 23:59:00 EST

Filed under: Clint Bowyer, Denny Hamlin, Sprint Cup

Sure, Denny Hamlin may have led gobs and gobs of laps during Saturday night's Crown Royal Presents the Dan Lowry 400. And sure, the race title was ridiculous to say (and from here on out, will be referred to as the Dan Lowry 400).

But boy did NASCAR need a race like the one race fans were treated to at Richmond. Throw together the entire weekend and its not looking too shabby all the way around.

First, NASCAR's newest bad boy in town Kyle Busch started things off nicely Friday night during the Lipton Tea 250 when dude got into with Rusty Wallace's probably-never-going-to-make-the-Sprint-Cup son Steven Wallace. The two did the post-race tango after beating and banging on each other during the final laps with Kyle Busch getting offended after his helmet was grabbed and Wallace calling Busch a "girl".

Priceless.

Then, Saturday night, Denny Hamlin was on his way to securing one of the most dominating Sprint Cup wins in a long, long time at his home track, until a tire started to go late in the event. Apparently, karma catches up to you after leading some 381 of 410 total laps.

Prior to Hamlin losing the race that was his to be won, those fans who watch just to see smashed up fenders and bent roll cages were treated to a massive pileup in Turn 3 that took Matt Kenseth from his Richmond misery and drop kicked Jimmie Johnson from a good finish. Those fans can check out the video here.

Four-time series champion Jeff Gordon had one of those nights for the first half of the race that his haters love to see.

The No. 24 was a lap down early and struggling -- raising the haters' hopes for further Gordon bad luck. However, Jeff played the storyline well and brought his big core of fans right back into the race when he got a lap back and battled through the field to a ninth-place finish.

And then, there was Michael Waltrip showing his now-annual display of over-aggression after Casey Mears lost the No. 55 in his blind spot and sent them both into the wall. Waltrip then gunned the accelerator and pushed Mears into the turn one wall, drawing a "you're done for the race" penalty from race control. Remember, Waltrip slugged Lake Speed in 1995, had this YouTube gem in 2004 (1:35), and got into it with Jeff Green a few years ago at Darlington.

Once that all sorted out, it looked like Hamlin was cruising to a victory in front of the home crowd until the tire faded his chances. When Hamlin caused a caution and subsequently penalized, the race was between that Dale Earnhardt Jr. fellow and Busch.

The two made a little bit of contact going for the win, which kicked the most popular driver from the win and allowed Clint Bowyer to sneak in from nowhere past Busch for his second-career win.

While it wasn't the 2007 Daytona 500 finish, Richmond brought out storyline after storyline late in the event -- which is exactly what a race fan wants. By no means was Saturday night's finish predictable.

Carnage and controversy on a short track? Now that is.

Richmond a Big Shot in the Arm for NASCAR originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Mon, 05 May 2008 23:59:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Clint Bowyer Grabs Unlikely Richmond Win

Geoffrey Miller — Sun, 04 May 2008 00:40:00 EST

Filed under: Dale Earnhardt Jr., Clint Bowyer, Richard Childress Racing, Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin, Sprint Cup

It sure didn't look like anyone could get around Denny Hamlin until a flat tire pulled the No. 11 car back to the field.

And when Hamlin's frustrations showed his classless competitive nature, Clint Bowyer took advantage of the series of events to grab the lead and hold on to win the Crown Royal Presents the Dan Lowry 400 in a green-white-checkered finish.

It was Bowyer's 2nd-career Sprint Cup Series victory, and probably one of the most unlikely wins he'll ever score. Regardless, though, his 13 laps led meant a heckuva lot more than Hamlin's 381 of the extended 410 lap event.

Of course, Bowyer's win will likely be overshadowed this week by a number of things, including:

Denny Hamlin's Deliberate Caution - There is one thing in this world that is worse than a phantom NASCAR debris caution, and that's when drivers bring out cautions intentionally. In other words, when Denny Hamlin brings out a late caution because he is no longer winning. His move was simply asinine, and there needs to be a whole lot more done than a 2-lap penalty
Kyle Busch & Dale Earnhardt Jr. Tangle - My take on the accident is that, while it shouldn't have happened, it was a combination of both drivers' fault. In other words, it was a racing deal.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s Winless Streak Continues -- At 72 races, Earnhardt Jr. looked visibly frustrated after his wreck late in the race tonight with being unable to come up with a win. Boy, though, did he handle such a tough situation with amazing class.
Michael Waltrip vs. Casey Mears - Can someone explain just what in the world Michael Waltrip was doing? He was parked for the remainder of the race for staying in the accelerator and forcing Casey Mears into the Turn 1 wall after Mears cut off Waltrip's No. 55 on the frontstretch late in the event. It was, in two words, uncalled for.
Richmond Outdoes Talladega in "Big One" Department - The stack up in the middle section of the race involved well over 10 cars including Jeff Burton, Jimmie Johnson, Kurt Busch, and several others. Amazingly, it was hard to really blame anyone in that situation. It just one big mess.

Clint Bowyer Grabs Unlikely Richmond Win originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Sun, 04 May 2008 00:40:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Best. Idea. Ever? LMS to Host Burnout Contest

Geoffrey Miller — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 23:10:00 EST

Filed under: Clint Bowyer, Lowes Motor Speedway, Sprint Cup

Lowe's Motor Speedway President Humpy Wheeler wanted to add some spice similar to baseball's home run derby to NASCAR's all-star weekend in May at the track.

Consider that mission accomplished.

Wheeler and Clint Bowyer, who managed to hit the pit wall during a demonstration with a Richard Petty Driving School car, announced today that the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race will feature a prerace burnout contest.

The festivities started Tuesday, when Wheeler and his staff recruited Bowyer to introduce a new feature to the All-Star race. NASCAR will now showcase a "burnout" competition, in which five drivers will showcase their victory celebrations by spinning their tires, doing two doughnuts and finally slide into Victory Lane in an event scheduled to precede the May 17th race.

Bowyer, who already has agreed to participate in the competition, had planned to demonstrate a burnout for the assembled media in a car loaned to him by the Richard Petty Driving Experience. But he wrecked the car as he returned to pit road.

"It was practice, man," joked Bowyer. "That's what you're here for - to see what to do and what not to do. I had a little disagreement with the wall. It didn't work out so good."

So we know Bowyer will be in the event, but if you were picking, who's filling the four remaining spots?

Kevin Harvick? Kyle Busch? What about a special appearance by NHRA driver John Force?

Regardless, I'm going to be tuning in for it.

Best. Idea. Ever? LMS to Host Burnout Contest originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Tue, 22 Apr 2008 23:10:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Johnson Good To the Last Drop at Phoenix

Geoffrey Miller — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 00:59:00 EST

Filed under: Jimmie Johnson, Mark Martin, Carl Edwards, Clint Bowyer, Hendrick Motorsports, Denny Hamlin, Sprint Cup

Jimmie Johnson kicked all of those stories about Hendrick Motorsports struggling to find its way to the curb Saturday night at Phoenix International Raceway.

By outlasting the rest of the field, Johnson had enough gas at the end to take his first victory of the season during the Subway Fresh Fit 500.

A restart on lap 233 left 79 laps left until the checkered flag and forced teams to calculate their pit strategy according to how far they could run on fuel. Only Johnson and Clint Bowyer were able to conserve enough to avoid a pit stop.

Mark Martin looked to be running away with the event during the last 30 laps after passing Dale Earnhardt Jr. for the lead, but was relinquished to a fifth-place finish after his team decided to bring the No. 8 U.S. Army DEI Chevrolet onto pit road for fuel.

Denny Hamlin had the field covered had Johnson and Bowyer ran out of fuel after crew chief Mike Ford brought the No. 11 Toyota down pit road earlier than most and gave Hamlin a splash of gas and two right side tires. Hamlin wound up third with last week's winner Carl Edwards taking fourth.

Edwards likely had the strongest car all evening, but a pit road penalty on lap 114 dropped Edwards a lap down and to the tail end of the field due to an ill-timed caution flag.

Polesitter Ryan Newman led the first 30 laps but later had a power steering problem and never made it back on track after oiling down turns three and four, causing a pile-up that involved point-leader Jeff Burton spinning through the grass. Newman finished dead last in 43rd.

Johnson Good To the Last Drop at Phoenix originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Sun, 13 Apr 2008 00:59:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Childress Sweep Continues at Nashville

Geoffrey Miller — Sun, 23 Mar 2008 10:35:00 EST

Filed under: Clint Bowyer, Richard Childress Racing, Nationwide Series

Last week, Richard Childress Racing finished 1-2-3 in the Sprint Cup's Food City 500 at Bristol after what can only be described as a strange set of events.

It wasn't as crazy Saturday afternoon at Nashville Superspeedway.

Scott Wimmer, driving the No. 29 Holiday Inn RCR Chevy, took the checkers ahead of teammate Clint Bowyer for RCR's second team sweep of the top positions in a row. Wimmer had just enough full on-board to do a few celebratory donuts before the engine started to sputter.

Kyle Busch started on the pole for the event and led the most number of laps -- 125 -- until a "driver error" struck with 62 laps to go. Busch spun his car and slightly tapped a passing Bowyer, relegating Busch's Toyota to a 16th-place finish.

Carl Edwards was going for four-in-a-row at the track but came up a little bit short in third. Brad Keselowski and Kelly Bires would up fourth and fifth, respectively.

Wimmer's victory in the Nationwide Series was the first for a non-Sprint Cup driver in 2008 and first since last July at O'Reilly Raceway Park in Indianapolis.

Childress Sweep Continues at Nashville originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Sun, 23 Mar 2008 10:35:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Busch Wins Easter Weekend Nashville Pole

Geoffrey Miller — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 12:55:00 EST

Filed under: Carl Edwards, Clint Bowyer, Joe Gibbs Racing, Kyle Busch, David Reutimann, Denny Hamlin, Nationwide Series

Kyle Busch must not be much for lounging on the beach or lounging at home.

In a weekend that the Sprint Cup Series has off and most other drivers are taking time to recharge their batteries for the next barrage of race weekends, Busch is hanging out with the Nationwide Series in Nashville.

Saturday morning, Busch put the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota on the pole for Nashville Superspeedway's Pepsi 300, scheduled to take the green flag at 3pm/ET.

Busch's lap of 163.357mph on the 1.5-mile concrete oval topped Nationwide regular Mike Bliss (2nd), Steve Wallace, Carl Edwards, and Kelly Bires.

44 drivers challenged the clock for 43 positions in the event.

The Sprint Cup regulars in town for the event were Busch, Edwards, Denny Hamlin, David Reutimann, and Clint Bowyer.

Making his first NASCAR appearance in a while was now-former Sprint Cup driver and Tennessee native Sterling Marlin. Marlin clocked in 20th on the grid.

The race can be seen live on ESPN Saturday afternoon with coverage starting at 2pm/ET.

Busch Wins Easter Weekend Nashville Pole originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Sat, 22 Mar 2008 12:55:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rain Gives Bowyer Bristol Nationwide Race

Geoffrey Miller — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 19:40:00 EST

Filed under: Kasey Kahne, Clint Bowyer, Bristol Motor Speedway, Kyle Busch, David Ragan, Denny Hamlin, Nationwide Series

Clint Bowyer took home his first Nationwide Series victory of the 2008 season Saturday afternoon at Bristol Motor Speedway thanks to a persistent rain shower.

Saturday's 300-lapper started nearly two hours later after thunderstorms rumbled through the Tri-Cities of northeastern Tennessee just following Sprint Cup Series final practice. The race finally got underway just past 4:30pm/ET.

171 laps -- 21 past halfway -- were completed before more rain drenched the track. NASCAR wanted to restart the event, but the rain showers wouldn't stop.

The victory was Bowyer's sixth-career Nationwide Series win.

Kasey Kahne was visibly upset when the rain brought the cars to pit road on lap 171 saying that he "pretty much blew that." Kahne had been all over the rear bumper of Bowyer's No. 2 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet for many laps, but wanted to make the pass clean.

Denny Hamlin led early until a flat-tire forced him to pit road on lap 37 and Martin Truex Jr. got tapped by David Ragan off of turn 2, spun into turn 3, and was clipped by Kyle Busch very early in the event. Both Truex and Busch were knocked out of the race.

And yes, there apparently were some Nationwide Series regulars in the event, with Brad Keselowski finishing 4th.

Thankfully, NASCAR was able to get a majority of its schedule completed Saturday afternoon despite the heavy threat of rain. The forecast for Sunday's Food City 500 looks sunny and clear.

Rain Gives Bowyer Bristol Nationwide Race originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Sat, 15 Mar 2008 19:40:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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List of Wrecked Race Cars Grows at LVMS

Geoffrey Miller — Sat, 01 Mar 2008 18:40:00 EST

Filed under: Brian Vickers, Bobby Labonte, Clint Bowyer, NASCAR Crashes, Kyle Busch, Sprint Cup, Nationwide Series

It's been a rough weekend to be a race car at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

From preparation for Sunday's UAW-Dodge 400 for the Sprint Cup Series to Saturday's qualifying and race for the Nationwide Series, plenty of drivers have found themselves spun out, in the wall, or both.

During Saturday's Nationwide Series Sam's Town 300, as of lap 78 there had been 7 cautions for 32 laps due to multiple wrecks. Steven Wallace, Brian Vickers, Bobby Labonte and a plenty of others had made hard contact with the wall.

Kyle Busch was running second on lap 103 and slammed the turn 3 wall after cutting a tire -- his second crashed car of the day.

Earlier in the day, Busch was trying to earn the pole for the Nationwide Series race in qualifying and spun on his second lap, sending him to the rear of the field for the race.

The Nationwide Series could be suffering from a few of the problems that both series suffered in 2007 at Vegas with tires that simply don't grip the track that well. Additionally, the wind has picked up quite a bit.

The Sprint Cup Series wasn't immune to problems on Saturday, either.

Clint Bowyer placed in the Top-10 in speeds during final practice but found the wall in the closing minutes of the session. Kyle Petty made some contact with Bowyer's car after he hit the wall.

Drivers who will go to the rear for Sunday's Sprint Cup race now include Bowyer, Juan Pablo Montoya, and Bobby Labonte. Montoya and Labonte had problems on Friday.

List of Wrecked Race Cars Grows at LVMS originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Sat, 01 Mar 2008 18:40:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Top 25 Year-in-Review: Clint Bowyer

Geoffrey Miller — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 18:07:00 EST

Filed under: Clint Bowyer, Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing

Welcome to the 2007 NASCAR FanHouse Year in Review. Follow along each day as we look back on the top 25 drivers of the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series for the 2007 season. Heck, bookmark us if you have to! Today, we review the season of 3rd-place Clint Bowyer.

Driver: Clint Bowyer -- Emporia, Kansas
Team: No. 07 Jack Daniels Chevrolet
Points: 3rd (-346)
2006: 17th in Cup Standings
Key Stats: 2 poles, 1 win, 5 Top-5s, 17 Top-10s
Back in 2008?: Yes

Easily, Clint Bowyer takes the 2007 season's NASCAR most improved driver of the year.

Not only did the Kansas native score a 14-place better finish in the season standings, but Bowyer scored his first career Cup Series win at New Hampshire. The win was impressive enough, but for Bowyer to come up with a such a victory when it truly mattered during his first Chase was all the more incredible.

Additionally, Bowyer turned out to be the lone driver who could effectively battle the two-headed Hendrick Motorsports monster of Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson for a good majority of the Chase. Though the run didn't pan out, Bowyer showed some tough tenacity that bodes well for the future for the Richard Childress Driver.

Clint's two pole runs in 2007 came at Darlington in May and then he won from the pole at New Hampshire.

Bowyer's strong showing in the Chase was in direct correlation to the way the team battled through some adversity during the 10-race playoff run. Bowyer's worst finish came when he had officially been taken out of the running for the title in the season's final race at Homestead.

Otherwise, Bowyer saw a 19th-place finish at Texas ruin his chances at the Hendrick duo. The remaining eight finishes had five in the Top-5 and the rest still within the Top-15.

2008 looks like it could be a good year for Bowyer. His lone victory came in the next-generation race car being used full-time in 2008 by NASCAR. His teammates Kevin Harvick and Jeff Burton were both in the Chase.

And most importantly, everything from his sponsor to his crew chief are back and ready to take on 2008 with no interruptions -- something that's hard to come across in this day of NASCAR racing.

Top 25 Year-in-Review: Clint Bowyer originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Mon, 07 Jan 2008 18:07:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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