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Sprint Cup
CUP: Bowyer Comes Up Big
Clint Bowyer now has a 100-point lead over Jamie McMurray for the final Chase spot...
Clint Bowyer increased his chances to be in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Chase with a strong showing at Bristol Motor Speedway. (Photo: LAT Photographic)
While Kyle Busch’s sweep was the big news at Bristol Motor Speedway this weekend, Clint Bowyer made some news of his own with a solid fourth-place finish in the Irwin Tools Night Race.
LINK> UNOFFICIAL RESULTS: IRWIN TOOLS NIGHT RACE - BRISTOL MOTOR SPEEDWAY
PDF > UNOFFICIAL DRIVER POINTS: IRWIN TOOLS NIGHT RACE - BRISTOL MOTOR SPEEDWAY
Bowyer’s finish, coupled with Mark Martin's 23rd-place run, means Bowyer is now a virtual lock to make the Chase for the Sprint Cup. And that will complete something of a miracle turnaround for Richard Childress Racing, which last year failed to put any of its drivers in the Chase, but this year likely will see all three of its current drivers compete for the championship.
With just two races left in NASCAR’s regular season, Bowyer holds down the 12th and final Chase slot, 100 points ahead of Jamie McMurray, who finished third at Bristol behind Busch and David Reutimann. Martin fell to 14th, 101 points back of Bowyer. If McMurray wins the next two races and leads the most laps in both, Bowyer can still make the Chase if he averages a seventh-place finish at Atlanta and Richmond, the last two regular-season races.
Saturday night at Bristol, Bowyer had his work cut out for him. A pit-road speeding penalty dropped him deep in the field mid-race, but he was able to drive the No. 33 Chevrolet back through the field and score his fourth top-five finish of the season.
“The speeding penalty was my fault, and I apologized to the guys but I had to get up on the wheel and make it up for them,” said Bowyer. “But the Hamburger Helper Chevrolet was good all weekend long and the guys did a good job and this is what we have to do and we are in a pressure cooker and the guys are responding good and I told them to have fun with this, this is my favorite race track and we had fun with it and it wasn’t quite what we wanted but a top-five run is pretty good.”
For Bowyer, who has been fast all season but has struggled to finish races where he ran, this result couldn’t have come at a better time. “It was a well-needed run,” said Bowyer. “It was a good way to bounce back. It was a bummer we didn’t get to experience a good race the last time we were here. I love this race track. I love competing here.”
Bowyer came into Bristol 35 points ahead of Martin and left 100 markers to the good over McMurray. Still, he wasn’t quite ready to count himself in the Chase.
“Well you know, again our cars are running well and a 100 points is a lot,” said Bowyer. “It’s a lot more than 35 and he (McMurray) did a good job tonight and he drove a good race. His car was good and I expect they will be but Mark Martin and Ryan Newman are not out of this thing yet, either. We just have to keep digging and doing what we are doing and they are not going to catch us.”
That said, Bowyer believes all three RCR drivers have a great shot at winning it all.
“RCR is an organization that can contend for a championship,” he said. “We’ve seen my teammate (Kevin Harvick) capitalize and show our potential at RCR all season long. Jeff (Burton) and I can compete at their level. One of us should bring home a championship. It’s the best shot we’ve had since I’ve been at RCR. I look forward to it.”
LINK> UNOFFICIAL RESULTS: IRWIN TOOLS NIGHT RACE - BRISTOL MOTOR SPEEDWAY
PDF > UNOFFICIAL DRIVER POINTS: IRWIN TOOLS NIGHT RACE - BRISTOL MOTOR SPEEDWAY
Tom Jensen is the Editor in Chief of SPEED.com, Senior NASCAR Editor at RACER and a contributing Editor for TruckSeries.com. You can follow him online at twitter.com/tomjensen100 and e-mail him at Jensen is the author of “Cheating: The Bad Things Good NASCAR Nextel Cup Racers Do In Pursuit of Speed,” and has appeared on numerous television and radio shows. Jensen is the past President of the National Motorsports Press Association and an NMPA Writer of the Year.
LINK> UNOFFICIAL RESULTS: IRWIN TOOLS NIGHT RACE - BRISTOL MOTOR SPEEDWAY
PDF > UNOFFICIAL DRIVER POINTS: IRWIN TOOLS NIGHT RACE - BRISTOL MOTOR SPEEDWAY
Bowyer’s finish, coupled with Mark Martin's 23rd-place run, means Bowyer is now a virtual lock to make the Chase for the Sprint Cup. And that will complete something of a miracle turnaround for Richard Childress Racing, which last year failed to put any of its drivers in the Chase, but this year likely will see all three of its current drivers compete for the championship.
With just two races left in NASCAR’s regular season, Bowyer holds down the 12th and final Chase slot, 100 points ahead of Jamie McMurray, who finished third at Bristol behind Busch and David Reutimann. Martin fell to 14th, 101 points back of Bowyer. If McMurray wins the next two races and leads the most laps in both, Bowyer can still make the Chase if he averages a seventh-place finish at Atlanta and Richmond, the last two regular-season races.
Saturday night at Bristol, Bowyer had his work cut out for him. A pit-road speeding penalty dropped him deep in the field mid-race, but he was able to drive the No. 33 Chevrolet back through the field and score his fourth top-five finish of the season.
“The speeding penalty was my fault, and I apologized to the guys but I had to get up on the wheel and make it up for them,” said Bowyer. “But the Hamburger Helper Chevrolet was good all weekend long and the guys did a good job and this is what we have to do and we are in a pressure cooker and the guys are responding good and I told them to have fun with this, this is my favorite race track and we had fun with it and it wasn’t quite what we wanted but a top-five run is pretty good.”
For Bowyer, who has been fast all season but has struggled to finish races where he ran, this result couldn’t have come at a better time. “It was a well-needed run,” said Bowyer. “It was a good way to bounce back. It was a bummer we didn’t get to experience a good race the last time we were here. I love this race track. I love competing here.”
Bowyer came into Bristol 35 points ahead of Martin and left 100 markers to the good over McMurray. Still, he wasn’t quite ready to count himself in the Chase.
“Well you know, again our cars are running well and a 100 points is a lot,” said Bowyer. “It’s a lot more than 35 and he (McMurray) did a good job tonight and he drove a good race. His car was good and I expect they will be but Mark Martin and Ryan Newman are not out of this thing yet, either. We just have to keep digging and doing what we are doing and they are not going to catch us.”
That said, Bowyer believes all three RCR drivers have a great shot at winning it all.
“RCR is an organization that can contend for a championship,” he said. “We’ve seen my teammate (Kevin Harvick) capitalize and show our potential at RCR all season long. Jeff (Burton) and I can compete at their level. One of us should bring home a championship. It’s the best shot we’ve had since I’ve been at RCR. I look forward to it.”
LINK> UNOFFICIAL RESULTS: IRWIN TOOLS NIGHT RACE - BRISTOL MOTOR SPEEDWAY
PDF > UNOFFICIAL DRIVER POINTS: IRWIN TOOLS NIGHT RACE - BRISTOL MOTOR SPEEDWAY
Tom Jensen is the Editor in Chief of SPEED.com, Senior NASCAR Editor at RACER and a contributing Editor for TruckSeries.com. You can follow him online at twitter.com/tomjensen100 and e-mail him at Jensen is the author of “Cheating: The Bad Things Good NASCAR Nextel Cup Racers Do In Pursuit of Speed,” and has appeared on numerous television and radio shows. Jensen is the past President of the National Motorsports Press Association and an NMPA Writer of the Year.
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