Catchfence

The Kansas Report … In four Sprint Cup Series starts at Kansas Speedway, Bowyer has one top-five and two top-10 efforts. His best finish of second came in 2007, has a 12th-place average starting position to go along with an 11th-place average finishing position and has been running at the end of all four races.

Back Where It All Started … Bowyer, a native of Emporia, Kan., grew up just over 100 miles southwest of Kansas Speedway. He graduated from Emporia High School and attended Flint Hills Technical College. He began his career racing motorcycles in his native Kansas when he was five years old and made the transition to four wheels in 1996, racing Street Stocks at Thunderhill Speedway in Mayetta, Kan. Over the next seven seasons, he went on to win dirt modified championships at Thunderhill Speedway (2000), Lakeside Speedway (2001 & 2002) and Heartland Park Topeka (2001). Bowyer also won an asphalt late model championship at the famed I-70 Speedway in Odessa, Mo. and the 2002 NASCAR Weekly Racing Series Midwest Championship.

Here Ye, Here Ye … After being penalized by NASCAR for the No. 33 entry being outside of the tolerances following their race win at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, RCR officials will head to the NASCAR office in Concord, N.C., on Wednesday, September 29 to present their formal appeal to NASCAR’s appeal committee.

2010 Season Recap … Over the season’s first 28 events, Bowyer has earned one win, five top-five and 15 top-10 finishes. In addition to an average running position of 13.9, he boasts a 15th-place average starting position and an average finishing position of 14.5. Bowyer has also led 340 laps of competition and has completed 94 percent (7,873 of 8,376) of the laps contested. Other notable stats include: ninth in Driver Rating (92.6), ninth in Fastest Drivers Early in a Run, second in Fastest Drivers Late in the Run, 10th in Fastest Laps Run, 10th in Fastest Drivers on Restarts, seventh in Green-Flag Speed, eighth in Laps in Top 15, ninth in Laps Led, eighth in Mile Leaders and 10th in Fastest Speed in Traffic.

Trading Asphalt for Dirt … Bowyer is scheduled to compete in the Clyde Ellis Late Model Showdown and Modified Shootout on Friday, October 1 at Lakeside Speedway, driving his own No. 33 Cheerios/Dollar General dirt modified. The former modified champion will be joined by Clint Bowyer Racing’s Dale McDowell, Ken Schrader and Kenny Wallace. Visit www.LakesideSpeedway.net for more information.

Clint Bowyer Live … Bowyer returns to his home state and has appearances on Thursday, September 30 to visit with fans and sign autographs in two different cities on behalf of Cheerios and Hamburger Helper. The No. 33 driver will appear at Dillon’s grocery store, located at 800 NW 25th Street in Topeka, from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. before heading to the HyVee grocery store, locate at 3504 Clinton Parkway in Lawrence, from 2:30 – 4:30 p.m. Three hundred tickets will be distributed on a first come, first served basis, beginning one hour prior to each event, and two lucky winners at each store will win a shopping spree with the three-time Sprint Cup Series race winner for two minutes and 33 seconds where they will fill their cart with General Mills products.

What’s Your Question … On behalf of Chevrolet, the 2010 Chase contender will participate in a question-and-answer session at the Chevy Stage from 9 – 9:15 a.m. on Sunday, October 3. The Chevy Stage is located in front of the fronstretch grandstands.

CLINT BOWYER QUOTES:

You had a fourth-place finish at Chicago. Are Chicago and Kansas that close that you can say you’ll mirror your finish at the very least?
“Absolutely. I know that if I run well at Chicago, we’ll take that same set up to Kansas and run well there, too.”

What’s it like to have so many people pulling for you at Kansas?
“That’s just how loyal our fans are. It’s like that for everyone when they go to their home track. They get that extra push from the local fans and, certainly, Kansas is mine.”

Do you run into some of your old competitors when you’re out in Kansas? How do they handle seeing you?
“Oh yeah, I see them. For me, I go to Lakeside (Speedway) and race them on Friday night, and maybe even on Saturday night, too. You always feel out Friday night if I go back Saturday night, or how things are going at the big track. It’s a very fun and big weekend for me, and, hopefully, a successful one.”

You still go to Lakeside, even in the midst of the Chase?
“Oh, yeah. I’ve been working on my car for the last month for it, so it’s going to run.”

So, that’s a big thing for you?
“Oh, it’s huge. I make Dale (McDowell), my Late Model driver, miss Knoxville, one of the biggest races of the year, to come and help me in Kansas. I told him, ‘I pay for your play all year long, it’s time that you boys come have fun with me out here.’”