Catchfence

2009 NSCS Clint Bowyer - (Photo Credit: Sam Greenwood/Getty Images)

· This Week’s Hamburger Helper Chevrolet at Bristol Motor Speedway … Clint Bowyer will pilot Chassis No. 268 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable. This Chevrolet Impala SS debuted in June at Dover International Speedway, where Bowyer finished 11th. Most recently, this No. 33 racer posted a third-place finish at Pocono three weeks ago.

· Bristol Facts … In seven NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at Bristol Motor Speedway, Bowyer boasts two top-five and four top-10 finishes. His best finish at the .533-mile oval is third, where he has finished twice (August, 2007 and March, 2008). Additionally, the 30-year-old driver has led 81 laps of competition, has an average starting position of 20.4, an average finish of 14.4 and has completed 97.4 percent of the laps contested (3,423 of 3,513).

· Rearview Mirror … Bowyer and the Cheerios/Hamburger Helper team did just what they needed to do on Sunday at Michigan International Speedway, picking up an eighth-place finish in the CARFAX 400. Bowyer’s career-best finish at the two-mile speedway advanced him one position, to 14th, in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series point standings.

· Speaking of Points … With three races remaining before the Chase for the Sprint Cup kicks off in September at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Bowyer sits 58 markers in arrears to 12th, the final position to lock into the Chase following the September 12 Chevy Rock & Roll 400 at Richmond International Raceway. History proves that Bowyer still has time to get it done. In 2005, Matt Kenseth was 104 points outside the top 12 with three races remaining and raced his way into the Chase.

· Through 23 Races … Over the season’s first 23 races, Bowyer has accumulated four top-five and 10 top-10 finishes, an average start of 18.9 and an average finish of 15.8. The two-time NSCS winner has led 40 laps of competition and has completed 5,780 of the 6,111 (94.6 percent) laps contested thus far.

· RCR in Thunder Valley … In 112 Sprint Cup starts at Bristol, RCR boasts nine wins – seven with Dale Earnhardt, one with Kevin Harvick and one with Jeff Burton– three poles, 30 top-five and 52 top-10 finishes. RCR-prepared race cars swept the top three positions in the 2008 Food City 500 when Burton drove to Victory Lane, Harvick finished second and Bowyer rounded out the top three. Additionally, in 44 starts, RCR Nationwide Series teams have claimed six wins – four with Harvick, one with Bowyer and one with Jeff Green – four poles, 20 top-five and 25 top -10 finishes.

· The Collective RCR … In 23 races this season, RCR-prepared Sprint Cup Series entries have notched eight top-five and 22 top-10 finishes. The No. 29 team kicked off the 2009 season with a win in the Budweiser Shootout at Daytona. RCR-prepared cars have also completed 22,868 laps with four different drivers including Jeff Burton, Bowyer, Kevin Harvick and Casey Mears. Meanwhile, RCR teams have been atop the leaderboard for 122 laps and all four teams have earned just over $13 million combined purse money in 2009.

• Double Duty … In addition to his driving duties in Saturday’s Sharpie 500, Bowyer, the 2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series champion, will drive the No. 29 Holiday Inn/Holiday Inn Express Chevrolet in Friday’s Food City 250. Live coverage of the event begins Friday, August 21 beginning at 7:30 p.m. EDT. The race will be televised live on ESPN2 and broadcast worldwide on the Performance Racing Network and Sirius/XM Satellite Radio.

• Color Change … Bowyer’s No. 33 Chevrolet will replace its traditional yellow and red colors this weekend in Bristol for a black and red Hamburger Helper paint scheme.

• Bristol Rewind … Bowyer overcame a disappointing 31st-place qualifying effort to finish 15th at Bristol Motor Speedway in March. The two-time NSCS winner recorded his fifth-consecutive top-15 finish at the .533-mile Tennessee bullring.

• Meet the Driver and Crew Chief … On behalf of Cheerios, Bowyer and crew chief Shane Wilson will sign autographs at Food City’s Bristol Family Race Night, located on State Street in Bristol, Tenn., on Thursday, August 20 from 5-7 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time. For ticket information, log on to www.FoodCity.com.

• Homecoming … Michael Hodges, shock specialist for the No. 33 team, is the only member of the Helping Hands crew that calls the tri-cities area his home. Hodges grew up in Abingdon, Va., where he graduated from Abingdon High School in 2001.

• Fire Up the Team, Fire Up the Grill … General Mills has teamed up with Clorox® and Coca-Cola® to kick off an online sweepstakes where one lucky winner will win a Grand Prize trip for two to watch the big race in Concord, N.C. on October 17, 2009. The trip includes roundtrip airfare for two from the major airport nearest to the winner’s home to Charlotte, one double occupancy hotel room for two nights, $500 cash, two tickets to the General Mills suite, and a meet and greet with driver Clint Bowyer. Enter today for your chance to win at www.SummerGrillingMadeSimple.com

• Mark Your Calendars … In honor of its 40th anniversary, RCR will host a Fan Day at the Welcome, N.C. complex on Thursday, Oct. 22 from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Activities include driver and pit crew autograph sessions, self-guided tours of RCR’s Sprint Cup and Nationwide as well as ECR’s engine shop, radio remotes, musical entertainment, pit crew competition, viewing of the DALE movie, question-and-answer session with team owner Richard Childress and much more. General admission to RCR’s Fan Day is just $5, which will benefit the Childress Institute for Pediatric Trauma.

• Catch the Action … Flag-to-flag coverage of the Sharpie 500 from Bristol Motor Speedway will take the green flag Saturday, August 22 beginning at 6:30 p.m. EDT on ESPN. The race will also be broadcast on the Performance Racing Network and Sirius XM Satellite Radio. Qualifying for the 24th point-paying race on the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series calendar will be televised live on ESPN2 Friday, August 21 beginning at 5:30 p.m. EDT and will also broadcast live on PRN and Sirius XM Satellite Radio.

CLINT BOWYER QUOTES:

Your streak of four consecutive top-10 finishes at Bristol came to an end in March. Did that bum you out?

“It did. That’s one of my favorite tracks, so running well there always means a lot to me. I haven’t won a Cup race there yet, but I feel like we can do that. We tried something in the spring race that we’ve never tried before and it just didn’t work out. We’ll go back to what we know works there and I’m confident we’ll get a good result.”

Your confidence level seems high at Bristol. Why do you think that is?

“It’s one of those tracks where if you’re tense, nervous or uncomfortable, you never can calm down and get out of the way. If you can get settled in and get comfortable, everything seems to slow down and that’s something that I’ve learned over time and that’s helped me a lot.”

Do you remember the first time you raced at Bristol under the lights? Do you remember the feeling that gave you? Do you get that same feeling now?

“Every time you go to Bristol, regardless if it’s the day or night race, you just get a really cool feeling. I wish there were about six of them around the country. The night race there just adds a little more excitement. The cars look awesome under the lights. It’s really sharp.”

Some people complain there aren’t enough crashes at Bristol anymore. How do you respond to that?

“Since they repaved it, there’s more of an option. You can run two-wide a whole lot more than you used to be able to. It used to be that if a guy was holding you up, you’d move him out of the way and whether he wrecked or not was up to him. So, I think that’s changed a bit, and I think it’s made the racing better. I understand that people like to see wrecks, but two-wide racing like that is incredible to watch.”

- Richard Childress Racing, Press Release