-
Home
- TV Shows
- TV Schedule
- NASCAR
-
Formula 1
- Auto Racing
- Moto Racing
- Cars
- Bikes
- Store
- Social
- Games
- Mobile
- Deals
- Videos
- Photos
- Home
- TV Shows
-
TV Schedule
-
SPEED Showcase
-
- NASCAR
- Formula 1
- Auto Racing
- Moto Racing
- Cars
- Bikes
- Store
- Social
- Mobile
- Deals
- Videos
- Photos
Sprint Cup
IN THE COCKPIT: Clint Bowyer - Where it All Began
Phoenix is a special place to me because it’s where I made my NASCAR Sprint Cup Series debut...
Clint Bowyer is looking forward to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Kobalt Tools 500 At Phoenix International Raceway. (Photo: Getty Images)
Two to go next time by …
It’s kind of hard to believe the season will be over in two short weeks. It seems like just yesterday we were testing at Daytona and then rolling in for SpeedWeeks.
But I’ve gotten a little downtime from time to time this season. In fact, I was back home in Kansas this week and last. I flew out there after the Martinsville race and spent a few days hunting. Then I went to Texas and then back to Kansas. It really didn’t make a lot of sense to fly all the way back to North Carolina from Texas and then back to Phoenix, especially when we have to leave earlier in the week than usual for Phoenix.
So, I’ve been out hunting deer this week again. Two weeks and I’ve got nothing. It’s a great time to hunt and I’ve seen some monster deer, but every one of them has gotten away from me. My friends back on the East Coast haven’t ever seen deer this big, so if I am fortunate enough to get one in the last few hours before I head to Phoenix, it will mean significant bragging rights going back to North Carolina after the Phoenix race.
Phoenix is a special place to me because it’s where I made my NASCAR Sprint Cup Series debut for Richard Childress Racing back in 2005. That was the beginning of my career in the No. 33 Chevrolet and we finished 22nd, which I thought wasn’t too bad for my first shot at it. But more than that, I remember the emotion of my first Cup race. Sure, you’re nervous and excited, but the reality of it all really sets in when you’re standing on the starting grid. You realize then that this is the “big time.” That definitely is a “wow” moment in your career.
We’re all kind of taking another “first shot” at Phoenix this weekend because the place has been completely re-done and we’re all starting from scratch with the new surface. We all got to test there a few weeks ago and I was pleasantly surprised by the resurfacing and reconfiguration.
I think the main factor at work is the track being dirty from all the construction. The track was pretty good once we were able to burn a groove into it. Once things sort out and the track gets some age on it, I think we’ll see the same great racing we always have at Phoenix. But I couldn’t tell you who will be good there this weekend – I don’t know if anyone can predict that. We got a little idea of who has what at the test, but it’s difficult to gauge when the conditions change with every lap. The track got better with each lap we put on it, so it will be interesting to see who rises to the top. Someone will stand out – they always do.
I like how they raised the banking on the backstretch because it’s going to enable the fans in the grandstands to see everything a lot better. You used to lose sight of the cars a little bit when they got on the other side of the track, but with the new banking on the backstretch, the cars are a lot more visible to the fans.
There are some other changes that will more affect what we feel and do behind the wheel. I think the dogleg on the backstretch is a little sharper now, and I think this will create more racing and passing. With additional banking in the dogleg, the bottom of the corner is higher than the top, so it will be interesting to see how all that plays out.
I’m getting a little extra time on the track again this weekend because I’ll be driving Kevin Harvick Inc.’s No. 33 Chevrolet in the Nationwide Series race on Saturday. We’ve got past history on our side, as I was fortunate enough to win a Nationwide race there three years ago and we’ve always run well there.
We’ve got some cool things going on with the No. 33 Cheerios/Hamburger Chevrolet this weekend. We’ll be carrying a special paint scheme for Veteran’s Day at Phoenix International Raceway. It features the message “send cheer” to encourage fans to send thank-you cards to military families whose loved ones are serving our country. This is a partnership between Cheerios and the USO, and one I’m very proud of. Nothing is more important than those men and women who give of their lives so we can lead ours in the freedom that we do.
On a different note, Coca-Cola also is doing something neat. They’re producing a special white-cap Coca-Cola bottle in support of the Coca-Cola Arctic Home initiative, which is a partnership with the World Wildlife Fund to help protect the polar bears’ arctic home and conservation efforts. We all know how much we love those polar bear commercials at Christmas, so I think this is a program everyone can get behind.
Speaking of getting behind, I’m going back out once more to see if I can claim those bragging rights in the woods before we head out to the desert.
Clint Bowyer returns to the seat of the No. 33 Cheerios/Hamburger Helper Chevrolet Impala for Richard Childress Racing for the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season. Bowyer has qualified for the NASCAR Chase for the Sprint Cup in three of the last four years, finishing 10th in 2010 with two wins, seven top-five and a career-high 18 top-10 finishes. He finished the 2007 season third in points and the 2008 season fifth, and won the 2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series championship for RCR. The 31-year-old was named driver of the No. 07 Chevrolet for RCR in 2006 and finished runner-up in the Raybestos Rookie of the Year standings on the strength of four top-five and 11 top-10 finishes. The Kansas native caught the eye of Richard Childress after leading 47 laps en route to a runner-up finish in his ARCA Racing Series debut at Nashville Superspeedway in 2003. Bowyer won the 2002 NASCAR Weekly Racing Series Midwest Region championship and two NASCAR Dodge Weekly track titles in 2002. He also fields a full-time dirt late model team under the Clint Bowyer Racing banner with drivers Dale McDowell and Jared Landers. For more information on Bowyer or his RCR team, please visit the following; Twitter account: @RCR33CBowyer,
http://www.rcrracing.com, http://www.cheeriosracing.com, http://www.clintbowyer.com.
It’s kind of hard to believe the season will be over in two short weeks. It seems like just yesterday we were testing at Daytona and then rolling in for SpeedWeeks.
But I’ve gotten a little downtime from time to time this season. In fact, I was back home in Kansas this week and last. I flew out there after the Martinsville race and spent a few days hunting. Then I went to Texas and then back to Kansas. It really didn’t make a lot of sense to fly all the way back to North Carolina from Texas and then back to Phoenix, especially when we have to leave earlier in the week than usual for Phoenix.
So, I’ve been out hunting deer this week again. Two weeks and I’ve got nothing. It’s a great time to hunt and I’ve seen some monster deer, but every one of them has gotten away from me. My friends back on the East Coast haven’t ever seen deer this big, so if I am fortunate enough to get one in the last few hours before I head to Phoenix, it will mean significant bragging rights going back to North Carolina after the Phoenix race.
Phoenix is a special place to me because it’s where I made my NASCAR Sprint Cup Series debut for Richard Childress Racing back in 2005. That was the beginning of my career in the No. 33 Chevrolet and we finished 22nd, which I thought wasn’t too bad for my first shot at it. But more than that, I remember the emotion of my first Cup race. Sure, you’re nervous and excited, but the reality of it all really sets in when you’re standing on the starting grid. You realize then that this is the “big time.” That definitely is a “wow” moment in your career.
We’re all kind of taking another “first shot” at Phoenix this weekend because the place has been completely re-done and we’re all starting from scratch with the new surface. We all got to test there a few weeks ago and I was pleasantly surprised by the resurfacing and reconfiguration.
I think the main factor at work is the track being dirty from all the construction. The track was pretty good once we were able to burn a groove into it. Once things sort out and the track gets some age on it, I think we’ll see the same great racing we always have at Phoenix. But I couldn’t tell you who will be good there this weekend – I don’t know if anyone can predict that. We got a little idea of who has what at the test, but it’s difficult to gauge when the conditions change with every lap. The track got better with each lap we put on it, so it will be interesting to see who rises to the top. Someone will stand out – they always do.
I like how they raised the banking on the backstretch because it’s going to enable the fans in the grandstands to see everything a lot better. You used to lose sight of the cars a little bit when they got on the other side of the track, but with the new banking on the backstretch, the cars are a lot more visible to the fans.
There are some other changes that will more affect what we feel and do behind the wheel. I think the dogleg on the backstretch is a little sharper now, and I think this will create more racing and passing. With additional banking in the dogleg, the bottom of the corner is higher than the top, so it will be interesting to see how all that plays out.
I’m getting a little extra time on the track again this weekend because I’ll be driving Kevin Harvick Inc.’s No. 33 Chevrolet in the Nationwide Series race on Saturday. We’ve got past history on our side, as I was fortunate enough to win a Nationwide race there three years ago and we’ve always run well there.
We’ve got some cool things going on with the No. 33 Cheerios/Hamburger Chevrolet this weekend. We’ll be carrying a special paint scheme for Veteran’s Day at Phoenix International Raceway. It features the message “send cheer” to encourage fans to send thank-you cards to military families whose loved ones are serving our country. This is a partnership between Cheerios and the USO, and one I’m very proud of. Nothing is more important than those men and women who give of their lives so we can lead ours in the freedom that we do.
On a different note, Coca-Cola also is doing something neat. They’re producing a special white-cap Coca-Cola bottle in support of the Coca-Cola Arctic Home initiative, which is a partnership with the World Wildlife Fund to help protect the polar bears’ arctic home and conservation efforts. We all know how much we love those polar bear commercials at Christmas, so I think this is a program everyone can get behind.
Speaking of getting behind, I’m going back out once more to see if I can claim those bragging rights in the woods before we head out to the desert.
Clint Bowyer returns to the seat of the No. 33 Cheerios/Hamburger Helper Chevrolet Impala for Richard Childress Racing for the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season. Bowyer has qualified for the NASCAR Chase for the Sprint Cup in three of the last four years, finishing 10th in 2010 with two wins, seven top-five and a career-high 18 top-10 finishes. He finished the 2007 season third in points and the 2008 season fifth, and won the 2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series championship for RCR. The 31-year-old was named driver of the No. 07 Chevrolet for RCR in 2006 and finished runner-up in the Raybestos Rookie of the Year standings on the strength of four top-five and 11 top-10 finishes. The Kansas native caught the eye of Richard Childress after leading 47 laps en route to a runner-up finish in his ARCA Racing Series debut at Nashville Superspeedway in 2003. Bowyer won the 2002 NASCAR Weekly Racing Series Midwest Region championship and two NASCAR Dodge Weekly track titles in 2002. He also fields a full-time dirt late model team under the Clint Bowyer Racing banner with drivers Dale McDowell and Jared Landers. For more information on Bowyer or his RCR team, please visit the following; Twitter account: @RCR33CBowyer,
http://www.rcrracing.com, http://www.cheeriosracing.com, http://www.clintbowyer.com.
Shake and Bake: Recent Posts
-
Mustang GT + Mark Martin's Engine = 800HP Of Street-Legal Awesomeness »
-
Kurt Busch Is Focused, But Is He A Chase Contender? »
-
Ricky vs. Danica: All-Star Race - Who's On Top This Week? »
-
Feud of the Week: Joe Gibbs Racing vs. the Sprint All-Star Race »
-
Race Day Blog: Sights and Sounds From the Sprint All-Star Race »
-
Daryl Wright Breaks It Down With Pit Road Rapper Kenyatta Houston »
-
Daryl ' Vodkatime ' Wright Takes To Charlotte Motor Speedway »
-
Brad Keselowski's All-Star Car Features Awkward Kyle Busch Photo »
Kansas Speedway
LATEST HEADLINES: NASCAR
-
DW: 48 Team Is Redefining Excellence
Jimmie Johnson now stands alone as the only four-time winner of the… -
CUP: EXCLUSIVE - No Crew Chief Changes At SHR
Ryan Newman had the best finish of any of the Stewart-Haas drivers… -
CUP: More All-Star Frustration For JGR
Matt Kenseth had a disappointing Sprint All-Star Race finish…… -
CUP: Bono Works Through Pain
Kevin “Bono” Manion has fought gout for a decade…… -
CUP: All-Star Power Rankings
Jimmie Johnson moves back to the top of the FOXSports.com/SPEED.com… -
CUP: Johnson Destroys Another Format
For a record fourth time, Jimmie Johnson rolls home first in Sprint… -
CUP: Busches Falter In Final Shootout
Kyle, Kurt Busch lose top spots on pit road prior to 10-lap finale…… - More News
