No. 33 American Ethanol Chevrolet Impala

Race Notes and Quotes

This Week’s American Ethanol Chevrolet at Martinsville Speedway … Clint Bowyer will pilot chassis No. 324 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable. This Chevrolet Impala, built new in 2010, accumulated two top-10 finishes during the in 2010 NSCS season at Auto Club Speedway (started-13th, finished-second) and Texas Motor Speedway (started-7th, finished-7th). The five-time Sprint Cup Series race winner also drove this racer twice in 2011 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway (started-28th, finished-15th) and most recently at New Hampshire Motor Speedway when Bowyer ran out of gas while leading with two laps remaining, settling for a 26th-place finish.

Career Martinsville Stats … The TUMS Fast Relief 500 marks Bowyer’s 214th NSCS start.

• In 11 NSCS starts at the 0.526-mile track, Bowyer owns one top-five and six top-10 finishes.
• He has completed 97.4 percent (5,374 of 5,519) of the total laps contested at MVS during his career.
• The Emporia, Kan., native has led 91 laps at Martinsville Speedway, all coming in the April 2011 event.
• Bowyer owns an 18.5 average starting position and a 14.7 average finishing position.
• His best effort at the Virginia facility is a fifth-place finish that he recorded in the 2009 spring race.

Go Green … This weekend, Bowyer’s No. 33 Chevrolet will carry the black, silver and green colors of American Ethanol. American Ethanol, a renewable source of cleaner burning energy from the bounty of America’s farmers, helps create new green jobs and a renewed sense of pride for the American worker, while helping to achieve greater energy security for our country. Led by Growth Energy, more than 100 different entities, from farmers and state corn growing boards to ethanol producers and biotech companies, are working with NASCAR to introduce a cleaner-burning fuel to America. The partnership with American Ethanol takes NASCAR’s environmental commitment to the next level.

Bring a Sharpie … On Friday, October 28, Bowyer will take part in an autograph session in the Martinsville Speedway turn four hospitality area from 5:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. The session is exclusive to Martinsville Speedway ticketholders who have been notified already, but fans can visit the Sprint Experience on Friday as Miss Sprint Cup will be giving away extra passes.

Back-to-Back in Talladega … Bowyer, driving a special No. 33 Chevrolet paint scheme to celebrate the Chevrolet Centennial, edged out RCR teammate Jeff Burton in a photo finish to win the Good Sam Club 500 at Talladega Superspeedway, giving team owner Richard Childress his 100th career victory in NASCAR’s elite division.

Last time in Martinsville … Starting from the 15th position, Bowyer and the No. 33 BB&T Chevrolet team, riding momentum from a top-10 finish the week before in California, led 91 laps en route to a ninth-place finish in the Goody’s Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway.

Points Racing … Bowyer remains 13th in the NSCS driver championship point standings with four races remaining in the 2011 season.

CLINT BOWYER QUOTES:

Does racing at Martinsville Speedway feel hectic to you like you’re always in a traffic jam?

“Oh yeah, without a doubt Martinsville Speedway is just a long drawn-out traffic jam. Martinsville is a very demanding and difficult track to get around. You have to learn how to get around that place, but you still need to have good equipment that makes good grip and has good forward bite.”

No one ever figures out Martinsville Speedway overnight. Why do you think that’s the case?

“There were two tracks in my first year, Darlington Raceway and Martinsville Speedway. I thought that with my short track background, Martinsville was going to be one of my favorite race tracks, one that I took to the quickest, but it took a good two or three years before I had good runs at Martinsville.”

Is it hard to find a good balance in using enough brake to go fast, but not enough to burn them up?

“That’s the thing, charging the corner too quick or lifting early, your natural tendencies you want to do to go faster, they (the brakes) don’t work. You have to pace yourself. You have to discipline yourself. You have to lift early and let the car roll through the corner and get into the gas as soon as you can. You say you have to do all those things, but you need a car that allows you to do that. It needs to roll freely and not come out from underneath of you.”