Tuesday
Clint Bowyer, 2010 NSCS SHOWTIME Southern 500 Race Preview
Press Release
No. 33 Hartford Chevrolet Impala
Race Notes and Quotes
This Weekend’s Harford Chevrolet Impala at Darlington Raceway … Clint Bowyer will pilot Chassis No. 264 from Richard Childress Racing’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable. Bowyer drove this Chevrolet four times in 2009, finishing 26th at Phoenix International Raceway in April, 10th at Michigan International Speedway in June, ninth at Chicagoland Speedway in July and sixth at Richmond International Raceway in September. In 2010, this was the first Impala in the No. 33′s stable to be outfitted with the rear spoiler. It was tested by the Shane Wilson-led team at Walt Disney Speedway (Orlando, Fla.) in February, at Darlington Raceway as part of the Goodyear tire test in March, and at Rockingham (N.C.) Speedway’s Little Rock in April.
Darlington Facts … In four NSCS starts at the track “Too Tough to Tame”, Bowyer has earned one pole and one top-10 finish. His best career finish of ninth came in May 2007. The Emporia, Kan., native has an average start of 14.8, a 21st-place average finish and has completed 1,320 of the 1,468 laps contested (64.6 percent) at the 1.366-mile South Carolina oval.
Former Pole Winner … Bowyer earned his first career NSCS pole at Darlington on May 13, 2007.
New Colors … Bowyer’s Chevrolet Impala SS will sport new colors this weekend when the white, blue and maroon paint scheme of The Hartford adorns the No. 33 for the first of three races in which the Hartford, Conn.,-based corporation will be featured as the primary sponsor.
Through 10 … The two-time NSCS race winner has earned one top-five and six top-10 finishes in the season’s first 10 starts. Bowyer boasts a 13.8 average start and a 15.4 average finish. He currently sits 12th in the NSCS point standings, 254 markers behind RCR teammate and point leader Kevin Harvick.
Season Loop … Based on NASCAR’s Loop Data Statistics over the first 10 races of the 2010 season, here is how Bowyer stacks up against the competition:
Speedy … Bowyer is second in the Fastest Speed in Traffic category, which ranks each driver by speed when there is another competitor within one car length. Additionally, the 2008 NNS champion is fourth fastest in the Green Flag Speed category.
Start and Finish … The two-time NSCS race winner is sixth fastest in both the first and last 25 percent of the laps run since a pit stop this season.
Rearview Mirror … The No. 33 BB&T Chevrolet team’s earned their seventh top-15 finish of the 2010 season in last weekend’s 300-mile event at Richmond. Bowyer qualified 10th, spent 399 of the 400 laps contested running in the top-15 and took the checkered flag in 12th place.
Working at the Car Wash … Bowyer will visit ESPN’s headquarters in Bristol, Conn., on Wednesday, May 5. He will be interviewed on several of the Worldwide Leader in Sports’ outlets throughout the day including ESPN2′s First Take, ESPN News, SportsCenter.com, an ESPN.com live chat and ESPN2′s NASCAR Now.
Happy 200th Birthday … 2010 marks The Hartford Financial Service Group’s 200th anniversary. To help celebrate the occasion, Bowyer will present a one-of-a-kind cake, shaped in the likeness of the No. 33 Harford Chevrolet, to media members in the Darlington media center on Saturday, May 8 at 3:30 p.m. Fans can also participate in the bicentennial celebration by submitting their personal story about ‘life on the road’ at part of ‘The Hartford 200′ program. The individual with the most compelling story will win the grand prize of a Chevrolet Equinox, a visit by Bowyer to their hometown, a VIP race experience and a special print advertisement in their local paper. Visit www.thehartford200.com for further details.
CLINT BOWYER QUOTES:
You have two more shots to race your way into the All-Star Race. Do you think you have a good shot at accomplishing that task this weekend?
“I hope so, I mean who doesn’t want to race for a million bucks. RCR has been running so well as of late and we’ve all been hungry for a victory. The No. 33 team fell because we were caught up in that wreck in Texas, but we’re definitely improving each week. We head to Darlington confident we can get the job done, but it is a difficult place to win. We had the chance to be part of the Goodyear tire test there a few weeks back, with the rear spoiler attached, and I think that will give us a slight advantage.”
Why is so hard to win at Darlington?
“Darlington tests your skills each and every lap. By far, it’s one of the tracks that I enjoy the least, but you can’t help getting caught up in the history of it all. I won my first pole there and that was really special. Again, it’s not easy to get around there and I’ll always be proud of that accomplishment. But to win there would be even more special.”
Darlington underwent a repave two years ago. Since you’ve raced on it last season and had the tire test, what is track surface like today?
“It’s still the same old Darlington, which is the neat thing about it. You are still running up high, still lifting in pretty much the same areas, picking up the throttle up in the same areas. So, as far as that aspect goes, it is the same. But now it’s smoother and has a lot more grip. The speeds have picked up a bunch and I expect, with the addition of the rear spoiler, it’s going to be an exciting Southern 500.”
- Richard Childress Racing, Press Release
Article Tags: "The Lady in Black", Clint Bowyer, Darlington Raceway, NASCAR, NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, No. 33 Hartford Chevrolet Impala SS, NSCS, RCR, Richard Childress Racing, SHOWTIME Southern 500, The Track " Too Tough to Tame"
