Tuesday
Clint Bowyer, 2011 NSCS SHOWTIME Southern 500 Race Preview
Press Release
No. 33 BB&T Chevrolet
Race Notes and Quotes
This Week’s BB&T Chevrolet at Darlington Raceway … Clint Bowyer will pilot chassis No. 315 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable. This is a new Chevrolet Impala that will be put through its first competitive laps this weekend.
Career Darlington Stats …
The SHOWTIME Southern 500 marks Bowyer’s 191st NSCS start.
In five NSCS starts at Darlington, Bowyer owns one top-10 finish (ninth-May 2007).
He has completed 90% of the laps (1,651 of 1,835) contested at Darlington during his career.
The Emporia, Kan., native has led 16 laps at the 1.366-mile facility.
Bowyer owns a 17.2 average starting position and an average finishing position of 23.2.
Former Pole Winner … Bowyer earned his first career NSCS pole at the track deemed “Too Tough to Tame” on May 13, 2007.
BB&T Colors … Bowyer’s Chevrolet Impala will sport the maroon and yellow paint scheme of BB&T this weekend under the lights. The Winston-Salem, N.C., corporation has three bank branches within a 12-mile radius of the historic track.
Last Time in Darlington … After starting 27th, Bowyer and the No. 33 team suffered a broken brake line during the race, forcing two green-flag pit stops, and limped home to a 32nd-place finish in last year’s SHOWTIME Southern 500.
In the Loop … Over the first nine points-paying races of the 2011 NSCS season, Bowyer has accumulated an impressive resume of loop data statistics. Heading into this weekend’s 500 miler, he is the series’ second-best Quality Passer with 873 passes while running in the top 15 under green-flag conditions – just 8 passes shy of leader Kurt Busch’s total. The four time Sprint Cup Series race winner also ranks second with an average running position of 11.45 and a Driver Rating of 98.5. Bowyer’s 65.9 percent of contested laps running in the top 15 (1,918 of 2,909) places him fifth, his 224 laps led ranks him fourth and his 309.45 miles led positions him third amongst his competitors. Other notable loop data stats include: second in Fastest Drivers Early in a Run, third in Green-Flag Speed, sixth in Fastest Drivers Late in a Run and ninth in Fastest Laps Run.
Five in a Row … Bowyer has five straight top-10 finishes in NASCAR’s elite series starting with a seventh-place finish at Auto Club Speedway in March.
The Commonwealth of Virginia … Bowyer and the No. 33 BB&T Chevrolet team led 18 laps en route to their fifth straight top 10, finishing sixth in the Crown Royal 400 at Richmond International Raceway after starting from the third position.
Points Racing … Since dropping to 24th after a 38th-place effort at Bristol Motor Speedway in March, the No. 33 team has improved 17 positions, to seventh, in NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver championship point standings.
CLINT BOWYER QUOTES:
Darlington is Mother’s Day weekend. How much does this weekend mean to you and your family?
“This has always been a family sport. As far as I am concerned, I am going to keep it that way until I am done in this sport. I hope they’re around until I retire and my kids retire from this sport. Mom has always been a big part of that. I remember back in the day when she had three boys all racing motorcycles in the mud. There she was trying to wash clothes, keep us all in line and also take care of her family all at the same time. She was a big part of my success as anybody.”
Darlington Raceway: Love it or hate it? She hasn’t been your best friend. Is that just a simple matter of you figuring out a way to drive it differently?
“It has definitely been kind of a love/hate relationship with her. We have run well there and have also struggled. We have had good cars, but just can’t get everything put together for a solid finish. Hopefully, we can capitalize on that this year. We really need a good run there. In the past, the month of May hasn’t been really good to this team and Darlington is a big part of that.”
Is there any specific reason for the struggles at Darlington?
“When I first came here, we didn’t always have the best package until last year. We were good off the trailer and I just flat out wrecked it in practice. Then, during the race, we suffered a brake problem. I think it was a brake line or something broke and we had to pit twice under green-flag conditions during the race. You know, it was just one of those bad races and a bad weekend overall. You can’t afford to have those anymore. It’s so important to be solid week-in and week-out. If we want to be a championship contender, which I think we are, you can’t have those 32nd-place finishes on your resume. You need consistency and wins.”
- Richard Childress Racing, Press Release
Article Tags: "The Lady in Black", Chevrolet Impala SS, Chevy Impala SS, Clint Bowyer, Darlington, Darlington (SC), Darlington Raceway, NASCAR, NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, No. 33 BB&T Chevrolet Impala SS, NSCS, RCR, Richard Childress Racing, SHOWTIME Southern 500, Southern 500, Team Chevy, The Track " Too Tough to Tame"
