Catchfence

Clint Bowyer No. 33 - Photo Credit: Chris Graythen/Getty Images

This Weekend’s Cheerios/Hamburger Helper Chevrolet Impala at Charlotte Motor Speedway … Clint Bowyer will pilot Chassis No. 303 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable. This is a brand new Chevrolet Impala that will be put through its first paces this weekend.

Happy Birthday, Clint … Clint Bowyer turns 31 on Sunday and becomes the third and final Bowyer brother to celebrate his birthday this year. Now, the Bowyer brothers’ ages coincide with RCR’s three NSCS teams’ numbers as Andy is 29, Clint will be 31 and Casey is 33.

Charlotte Stats … In eight NSCS starts at CMS, Bowyer has earned one top-five and two top-10 finishes. His best finish at the 1.5-mile oval came in October 2007 where the Emporia, Kan., native led 79 laps en route to a second-place finish. The two-time NSCS race winner has completed 2,724 of 2,766 laps contested (98.5 percent) and owns a 19th-place average finish at the Concord, N.C., facility.

Stacking Up … Here is how Bowyer ranks against his competition through the first 12 races of the 2010 season…

• Fourth … Speed in Traffic

• Sixth … Green Flag Speed

• Sixth … Laps Run Inside the Top 15 (2,499 of 4,153 or 60.2 percent)

• Sixth …Fastest Early in the Run

• Sixth … Fastest Late in the Run

Coca-Cola Family Track Walk & Cookout … Fans can get moving alongside Bowyer and fellow Coca-Cola Racing Family membersRyan Newman, Joey Logano and Michael Waltrip during the fourth event in the 2010 Coca-Cola Family Track Walk series on Friday, May 28, at CMS. Following the walk, fans can enjoy activities for the whole family, including games, music, racing simulators, motivating lifestyle tips, Q&A sessions with drivers and a cookout on a quarter-mile-long grill. The free event begins at 11 a.m. and is open to all Coca-Cola 600 ticket holders. Free parking is available along the Avenue of Flags, and entry into the track will be through Gates 2, 3 and 5A.

Food Lion Speed Street Festivities … On Friday, both Bowyer and members of his No. 33 Helping Hands over-the-wall pit crew will take part is several events at Food Lion Speed Street in uptown Charlotte. The events are listed, by start time, below. For additional information, please visit www.600festival.com.

• 2 p.m. – The No. 33 Cheerios/Hamburger Helper pit crew will sign autographs at the Chevrolet display, located on Church Street between Third Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.

• 3 – 5 p.m. – Following their autograph signing, the No. 33 bunch will head to Food Lion’s Kid Zone presented by General Mills, located on Tryon Street between Third Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, for a speed stacking competition.

• 4 p.m. – Bowyer will be at the NASCAR Hall of Fame, located on Martin Luther Kind Jr. Boulevard between Brevard and Caldwell Streets, for a fan question-and-answer session.

• 5 – 7 p.m. – Following his question-and-answer session, Bowyer will head over to Food Lion’s Kid Zone presented by General Mills for an autograph session. A limited number of tickets, due to time constraints, will be handed out to race fans at 4 p.m. at the Cheerios stage.

CLINT BOWYER QUOTES:

It seems like you run better in the fall at Charlotte Motor Speedway than you do in the Coca-Cola 600. Is that fair to say?

“Yeah, that definitely been the case. We’ve always struggled in the spring, learning what not to do, and then we get back to Charlotte in the fall and have a good run. Hopefully, this season, we can have two strong runs there. Our cars are running better. I think that’s going to play a key role in a strong run for our organization. The spoiler test was also a big help, so I think we can have a good showing there this weekend.”

Is the extra 100 miles for this race as big as some people make it out to be?

“Yes (laughs). It’s really no big deal, but it is a long race. It really depends on how your car is handling and how the race is playing out for you. That’s what it all boils down to. I don’t care if its 500 miles or 20 laps. I’ve had 25-lap features in a modified that seemed like it took as long as a Cup race. If your car is not performing well and you’re struggling, then the race seems like it takes forever. If you’re running up front, the car is handling well and you’re having fun, 600 miles can go by pretty quick.”

What are your thoughts on Charlotte as a race track?

“I think from RCR’s standpoint, we’ve definitely improved as the years have gone on since they repaved Charlotte. In the past, I’ve struggled to find speed and grip on the track. It seemed like the tire was so hard, because the track had so much grip in it that the sensation of the edge was very fine. You could push it over the edge and get yourself in trouble. It happens very quickly and if you push that edge too much, like I’ve done before, it makes you a little timid and you have to back it down a little. Then, you end up running in the back.”

- Richard Childress Racing, Press Release