Clint Bowyer (born May 30, 1979) is a NASCAR driver. He drives the #15 5 Hour Energy Toyota Camry in the Sprint Cup Series for Michael Waltrip Racing. Early in his career, he drove for Richard Childress Racing. He won the 2008 Nationwide Series championship.
Bowyer began racing at the age of five in motocross. He went on to capture over 200 wins and numerous championships over the next eight years. In 1996, he began racing street stocks at Thunderhill Speedway in Mayetta, Kansas, and won the Modified championship there in 2000. Bowyer racked up 18 wins and 32 top-five finishes on his way to capturing the 2001 Modified championships at Lakeside Speedway in Kansas City, Kansas and Heartland Park Topeka. In 2002, he began racing in the NASCAR Weekly Racing Series, posting 9 poles, 12 wins and 32 top-five finishes en route to a second place finish in the NASCAR Weekly Racing Series national point standings. He was also crowned the 2002 NASCAR Weekly Racing Series Midwest Champion after another Modified championship at Lakeside Speedway and a Late Model championship at the famed I-70 Speedway in Odessa, MO, his first attempt at racing on asphalt.
In 2003, Bowyer raced a full season in the NASCAR AutoZone Elite Division Midwest Series, scoring one top-ten finish in 11 starts. He also would make his first ARCA starts in 2003, and caught the eye of legendary car owner Richard Childress after leading 47 laps and finishing second in his debut at Nashville Superspeedway driving for Bobby Gerhart.
When Richard Childress became aware of Bowyer's racing talents and watched him race, he contacted him, by phone, about a job; Bowyer initially believed he was being pranked.[citation needed]
In 2004,Clint began by finishing 8th in the ARCA Remax series race at Daytona in the #7 Advanced Chevrolet for Gerhart.In 2004 Bowyer began running the NASCAR Busch Series for Childress, sharing seat time in the #21 Reese's Chevrolet with Kevin Harvick. He drove in half of the 34 Busch Series races that year, winning one pole and seven top-tens, attaining a season-high 3rd place finish in the Federated Auto Parts 300 at Nashville Superspeedway in June. He also ran three races for Kevin Harvick Incorporated with help from Andy Petree Racing with sponsorship from Monaco Coach.Bowyer made two starts for Bill McAnally in the Camping World West Series in the #20 Chevrolet. In his two starts at Phoenix & Auto Club Speedway, he won one pole and had a best finish of 2nd.
Bowyer's first full Busch season was in 2005, replacing Ron Hornaday in the #2 ACDelco Chevrolet. He won two poles and two races en route to a second place finish to repeat-champion Martin Truex Jr., losing by only 68 points. He also made his NEXTEL Cup debut in the Sylvania-sponsored #33 Chevy on April 23, 2005, during the Subway Fresh 500 at Phoenix International Raceway. He finished 22nd as the first car one lap down. Richard Childress Racing announced on October 15, 2005, that Bowyer would race the #07 Chevrolet full time in the NEXTEL Cup series, replacing Dave Blaney for the 2006 season.
Bowyer began his rookie Cup season with three top-fifteen finishes and had a total of eleven top-tens that season, with his best finish being a 3rd at California Speedway. He finished 68 points behind Denny Hamlin for NASCAR Rookie of the Year honors. Bowyer also continued to drive the #2 in the Busch Series full-time, winning once and finishing 3rd in points. Bowyer won his first Craftsman Truck Series Truck Series race in the #46 Jack Daniel's Chevrolet Silverado fielded by Morgan-Dollar Motorsports at Texas Motor Speedway on November 3, 2006, in his third career Truck start, making his first CTS start that year at Martinsville for Green Light Racing.
After starting the 2007 season with a last-lap crash at Daytona (crossing the finish line upside down and on fire), Bowyer won the Budweiser Pole position for the Dodge Avenger 500 at Darlington Raceway. He finished the regular season 9th in points, but was seeded 12th for the playoff, since race wins determine playoff seeding. Bowyer won his second pole at the Sylvania 300 at Loudon, and two days later went on to win his first NEXTEL Cup race in his 64th start.
For the 2007 Busch season, Bowyer ran a partial Busch Series schedule in the RCR #2 car with BB&T and Camping World sponsorship. On April 20, 2007, he won the Busch Series Bashas' Supermarkets 200 at Phoenix International Raceway. He followed that up with another Busch Series win on May 4 in the Circuit City 250 at Richmond International Raceway. Bowyer also ran select races in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series for Kevin Harvick.
In 2008, Bowyer continued to drive in the Cup and Nationwide Series full-time. Bowyer dominated the late stages of the Daytona 500 but was spun out by Juan Pablo Montoya with 17 laps remaining. On May 3, 2008, Bowyer earned his second Sprint Cup victory, winning the Crown Royal Presents the Dan Lowry 400 at Richmond International Speedway. Bowyer led only two laps, going to the front after Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and Kyle Busch got together with less than four laps remaining in the race.
On August 23, 2008, Bowyer was announced as the driver of the #33 General Mills Chevrolet Impala SS for RCR. Casey Mears from Hendrick Motorsports will replace Bowyer in the 07 Jack Daniel's Chevrolet Impala SS.[1] This move was necessitated by a sponsor's request, as General Mills did not want Mears, who had been driving in the 2008 season for a rival cereal with Hendrick Motorsports, representing them, so Childress sponsors General Mills and Brown-Forman Corporation agreed to the swap so Bowyer, who drove for Brown-Forman, would drive for General Mills, and Mears could drive for Brown-Forman, as they had no problems with Mears representing the company.[2]
On November 15, 2008, Clint Bowyer won the NASCAR Nationwide Series Championship at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Florida with a narrow margin of victory over Carl Edwards of 21 points. Edwards won the race with Bowyer finishing 5th.
Clint Bowyer concentrated primarily on the Sprint Cup Series in 2009 and drove the #33 General Mills/BB&T/The Hartford Chevrolet Impala to 15th place in the season standings. Bowyer trimmed his participation in the Nationwide series to 12 races but performed well, winning at Daytona (July 3) and Dover (Sept. 26th), finishing in the top 5 in 6 of the 12 races and notching 8 top 10s.
Clint started the Cup season in strong fashion, finishing 4th in the Daytona 500 and 2nd at Las Vegas in the 3rd race of the year. With a 6th in Atlanta and a 5th in Martinsville, Bowyer was 2nd in the overall standings after 6 races.
A tough stretch in races 7 through 12 dropped Bowyer down to 17th overall, 109 points behind Mark Martin in 12th place. After a much more consistent run in races 13- 23 (3rd at Pocono in the #33 Hartford Racing paint out, 8th at Sonoma, 8th at Michigan), Clint had climbed up to 14th overall, within 58 pts of 12th place. Finishing in the top 15 in 8 of 11 races helped him make up 51 points on the 12th place position.
A 21st finish the following week (race 24) at Bristol really hurt Bowyer’s chance at the Chase, dropping him 112 points behind Matt Kenseth in 12th with just 2 races prior to the chase. It was the 25th race (Pep Boys 500 at Atlanta) that sealed Clint’s fate, as a spin on lap 309[3] cost him 2 laps and the chance to compete in the Chase.
While Clint’s chances at the Chase were over, Bowyer finished the season like he started it, with 5 top 10s and 9 top 15s in the last 11 races. His top finish was the 6th place run at Charlotte in the Scary Fast Count Chocula paint out. Overall, Clint finished the 2009 Sprint Cup series in 15th place[4]
Bowyer alongside 2010 car in Hartford paint
In 2010, Clint Bowyer returned with the same set of sponsors, driving the #33 General Mills/BB&T/The Hartford Chevrolet Impala in the Sprint Cup Series.
True to form, Clint performed well early in 2010, finishing 4th in Daytona, 7th at Martinsville and 9th at Phoenix to stand 6th after 7 races. However, at Texas in the Samsung Mobile 500 (race 8), Bowyer got caught in a major crash on lap 317 that wiped out 8 other drivers and caused a 19-minute red flag race stoppage. The resulting 36th place finish dropped Clint to 14th position overall, only 1 point behind 12th place Joey Logano. 7th and 12th place finishes at Talladega and Richmond put Clint back into 12th place after 10 races.
The 11th race run at Darlington, promised to be special. Bowyer ran the new The Hartford Racing paint out[5] as part of The Hartford’s 200th year anniversary celebration.[6] As part of Fox’s coverage, the 33 was one of 4 cars with an in-car camera for the race. However, 101 laps into the race, Bowyer went to the pits and ultimately the garage, with brake issues. After a 2nd long stop to correct Bowyer finished in 32nd position, 36 laps down.[7]
Clint ran well again in races 12 through 14, as 17th, 7th and 9th place finishes allowed Bowyer to move back up into 12th place overall. In race 13 (Coca Cola 600 at Charlotte), Bowyer led lap 217 following a caution for debris. Kurt Bush passed Clint on the following lap and went on to win the race. In races 15-17, Bowyer finished 22nd at Michigan, 31st at Sonoma and 7th at Loudon, NH. Despite the poor finish, Bowyer was very competitive at Sonoma. Clint led lap 80 (of 110) and was in 7th place with 11 laps to go. But on lap 100, Elliot Sadler gut bumped by Jeff Gordon and spun Bowyer, dropping him all the way back to 34th.[8]
Clint had one of his strongest runs of the year in the Coke Zero 400 (at Daytona, July 3), leading 17 of the final 21 laps.[9] Unfortunately on the final Green-White restart, Bowyer got split by Jeff Gordon, lost the lead, fell back in the pack and ultimately spun.[10] In finishing 17th, Clint fell 49 points behind 12th place Carl Edwards.
In race 19 at Chicagoland, Bowyer ran well all night, finishing 4th and moving up into 12th place in the overall standings. Clint started 15th but moved up quickly, running in the top 10 for the first half and then in the top 5 for most of the latter half of the race, battling Jeff Gordon for the lead with less than 40 laps to go.[11]
In the Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Bowyer started 2nd and led the most laps before fading back into the top 5. Taking the white flag in second place, he suddenly witnessed then-leader Tony Stewart run out of fuel, giving Bowyer the third win of his Sprint Cup career and vaulting him to second in the Chase standings behind Denny Hamlin.[12] However, this was negated during post-race inspection at NASCAR's R&D center. Reports surfaced that Bowyer's car used at Richmond had come close to failing inspection. NASCAR announced on September 22 that they had issued fines and penalties to the #33 team after failing a secondary inspection. Most critically, crew chief Shane Wilson was suspended for the next 6 races and both Bowyer and car owner Richard Childress face $150,000 in fines and the loss of 150 championship points. The penalty drops Bowyer back to 12th in points, 185 points behind Denny Hamlin. Childress appealed the decision, which reduced the suspensions to four races and $100,000, but the 150-point deduction was upheld.
During the Pepsi Max 400 weekend at Fontana, Bowyer and fellow Childress driver Austin Dillon taped an episode of The Price Is Right that is scheduled to feature NASCAR-themed Showcases (a practice that occurs during a Fontana race; host Drew Carey was the Grand Marshal of the August 2008 race). That is scheduled to air November 15.[13]
Bowyer barely edged teammate Kevin Harvick for the victory in the fall Talladega race, the AMP Energy Juice 500. The race ended with the leaders in Turn 1 when a caution was displayed for a large wreck on the front straightaway on the final lap.
Clint Bowyer finished 10th in the final Chase standings, earning him a spot on stage at the season-ending Awards Banquet.
Clint started off 2011 strong in the Budweiser shootout practice sessions, he and his teammates regularly sat on top of the pylon. In the race, he and Jeff Burton led many laps, but faded to 10th at the end (9th because Denny Hamlin got black flagged).
Clint qualified 5th for the Daytona 500, and finished 2nd to Jeff Burton in his Gatorade duel by 0.005 seconds. They together dominated that race.
In the Daytona 500, Bowyer teamed up with many drivers throughout the day including Jeff Burton, Paul Menard (his new RCR teammate), Dale Earnhardt Jr., and Kyle Busch. After Jeff Burton's engine let go, Clint found himself getting a push from Kyle Busch. With four laps to go, Kurt Busch got into the back of Regan Smith which turned him up in front of Clint. Ryan Newman was also involved. Clint was able to salvage a 17th place finish out of it, mainly because of the big pileups earlier in the race. Clint Bowyer also led 31 laps. Trevor Bayne ended up winning in only his second ever start. After the race he was 16th in points.
The next race at Phoenix, Clint was taken out early in a multi-car incident on the backstretch. The Helping Hands (his pit crew) were able to repair the car fairly quickly and he was able to finish 27th.
At Talladega, Bowyer led the most laps with 38 and lost to Jimmie Johnson at the finish line by 0.002 seconds, tied for the closest finish in NASCAR history.
At Dover, in the Nationwide series, Clint was involved in a major crash on the last lap, with Bowyer going on his side. He, and no-one else, were injured.
On October 7, Clint signed a 3 year contract to race the 5-Hour Energy Toyota for Michael Waltrip Racing, starting in 2012.
Bowyer won the fall race at Talladega for the second consecutive year, pulling a slingshot on teammate Jeff Burton out of turn 4 on the final lap of the race. The margin of victory was 0.018 of a second.
Clint Bowyer started his own Dirt Late Model team, Clint Bowyer Racing in 2008. Well-established veteran Shannon Babb of Mowequa, IL was behind the wheel of Clint's Rocket Chassis, and had a very solid season. Babb left to form his own team at the end of 2008, due to wanting to run more of an "outlaw" type schedule, and wanting to race closer to home to be with his family. For the 2009 season, the 2005 World 100 Champion Dale McDowell (who ironically inherited the win via Babb being light at the scales) took over the seat, and the number was changed to Dale's signature #17M, Jared Landers also drives for the the team in the #5 late model.
The team elected to run the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series full time in 2009, choosing to run Warrior Racecars, with help from Warrior's owner, Sanford Goddard. Winning two races and finishing fourth in the points standings, it was a decent season. Since then, the 17M has become a staple of the Lucas Oil Series, continuing on the 2010 tour.
Clint Bowyer Racing also has fielded cars in Tony Stewart's Prelude to The Dream in 2008 (Clint, 2nd & Jimmie Johnson, 10th) and 2010 (Johnson won, Bowyer 2nd). Both years these were also Warrior Racecars.
On May 6, 2008, Clint Bowyer attended and hosted the first annual Clint Bowyer Charity Golf Event in his hometown of Emporia, Kansas. It raised $160,000 for the Emporia Community foundation to "make Emporia a better place."
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Bowyer, Clint |
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American stock car racing driver |
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May 30, 1979 |
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Emporia, Kansas, USA |
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