Catchfence

Race/Date: Pepsi 500 – October 11, 2009
Location: Auto Club Speedway – Fontana, Calif.
Start Position: Eighth
Finish Position: Ninth
Points Position: 15th (Advanced one position)

FONTANA, Calif. – Hard work, perseverance, and avoiding a late-race, multi-car incident paid off in the form of a ninth-place finish for Clint Bowyer and the Prilosec OTC – Walmart team in Sunday’s race at Auto Club Speedway.

His 13th top-10 finish of the 2009 season advanced Bowyer one position, to 15th, in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series point standings.

Bowyer recorded the seventh-fastest time in Friday’s opening practice session and, later that evening, ran a lap of 39.560 seconds at an average speed of 182.002 mph to place him eighth on the starting grid for Sunday’s 500-mile race. Bowyer continued to show the strength of his Prilosec OTC – Walmart Chevrolet in Saturday’s two practice sessions, recording the 10th- and ninth-fastest times, respectively.

The Emporia, Kan., native kept his Impala SS running inside the top 10 from the onset of the race, despite less than ideal conditions. Having completed much of the weekend’s track activity under sunny skies, a cloud cover over the two-mile facility resulted in altered handling characteristics for Bowyer. Crew chief Shane Wilson called for adjustments through the four pit stops that Bowyer made over the first half of the event, aimed at improving the Prilosec OTC – Walmart Chevrolet. Unfortunately, as the chassis adjustments dialed in what the two-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series winner needed, the cloud cover broke, allowing the sun to shine for the remainder of the event.

Although the changing track conditions presented Bowyer and Wilson with a challenge, it was one they were up to meeting as they devised a plan to reverse some of the adjustments previously made to their Impala SS over the course of several green-flag pit stops. Their hard work paid off as Bowyer continued to hold his position inside the top 15 as the race neared its conclusion.

With just four laps to go, Bowyer narrowly missed being involved in an eight-car incident that unfolded alongside his No. 33 Chevrolet. Following a 21:45 minute-red flag for track cleanup, the race was restarted with just three laps remaining. Bowyer made the most of his final opportunity, gaining two positions to finish ninth when the checkered flag was waved.

California native Jimmie Johnson captured his fifth win of the season, beating Jeff Gordon to the line by 1.603 seconds. Juan Pablo Montoya, Mark Martin and Tony Stewart rounded out the top-five finishers.

Bowyer’s RCR teammates Kevin Harvick, Casey Mears and Jeff Burton finished 10th, 11th and 30th, respectively. Burton was eliminated from competition after being involved in the lap-246 incident.

Next weekend, NASCAR’s senior circuit heads to Concord, N.C., for the final Saturday night event of the 2009 season.

Live coverage of the NASCAR Banking 500 from Lowe’s Motor Speedway begins Saturday, Oct. 17 at 7 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time and will be telecast live on ABC. The event will also be broadcast live on the Performance Racing Network and Sirius XM Satellite Radio. Qualifying for the 31st points-paying race on the 36-race tour will be broadcast live on ESPN2 Thursday, Oct. 15 beginning at 7 p.m. EDT and can be heard worldwide on PRN and Sirius XM Satellite Radio.

CLINT BOWYER QUOTE

“It was a long day. We fought a lack of grip, we were tight all day. We finally figured out our air pressures and where the Prilosec Chevrolet wanted to be happy and made the best of it. We got a top 10, but it wasn’t what we wanted.”

- Richard Childress Racing, Press Release