Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Auto Club 500 Afterthoughts





This weekend, the NASCAR season really started, as the circut traveled to a mile and a half track, which is the majority of the schedule. Bowyer qualified 3rd, and ran up front most of the day, until litter got trapped on the grille and he had to pit because the car was overheating. Restarting 17th with only a handful of laps left, Clint fought his way back to finish 8th.

Although it is only the second race of the season, it appears Richard Childress wasn't lying when he said they found something in the off season. Clint's teammates finished 2nd and 3rd, respectively. Although Clint's run for a win was ruined, it shows that the #33 team is a championship caliber team. It's not the good weeks that win you championships, it's the bad ones.

Clint sits 2nd in points, behind his teammate Kevin Harvick.
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Monday, February 15, 2010

Daytona 500 Report and Afterthoughts



Clint Bowyer and the No. 33 Cheerios/Hamburger Helper team kicked off their 2010 season by leading 37 laps and finishing fourth in Sunday’s Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway.


I'm going to start by saying that NASCAR impressed me with how they handled adversity this past race. When the track came apart the first time, they did what they thought would fix it, and resumed racing. What the fans didn't see was that they didn't stop here. NASCAR continued to work up another solution if the problem arose again. It did, and they solved the problem the second time.
On that note, i'm glad they didn't call the race. The red flags were longer than expected, but they continued on. Another big thing that caught my eye, NO DEBRIS CAUTIONS. I can't remember the last race in which there was no debris caution, so kudos to NASCAR.

Clint Bowyer impressed me, by doing something he usually never does. He stayed at the front and led laps, the second most amount of laps to teammate Kevin Harvick. At the end of the race, he thought of his teammate when choosing his line for one of the final restarts of the race. This cost him a few positions, but showed the type of person he is. He made those spots up at the end, proving what kind of driver he is. A fourth place is nice, but the type of crap shoots restrictor plate races are, we won't know the improvements the #33 Cheerios Richard Childress Racing Team made till next week, when the NASCAR circuit travels to Auto Club speedway in Fontana California for the Auto Club 500. The green flag drops Sunday February 21st, at 3:16PM EST.
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Thursday, February 11, 2010

Bowyer to Start Ninth in Daytona 500 Following Strong Run in the Duel

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Feb. 11, 2010) – Clint Bowyer and the No. 33 Cheerios/Hamburger Helper team secured a ninth-place starting spot for the Daytona 500 after finishing fourth in Thursday’s Duel 150.

Bowyer & Co. had to start the 60-lap race at the rear of the field in their backup car after blowing a right-front tire in Wednesday’s practice session. The Shane Wilson-led team remained optimistic that their other No. 33 Chevrolet Impala would perform well once the green-flag dropped.

The Emporia, Kan., native proved that correct as he picked up 10 positions before the event’s first yellow flag waved on lap 25. During the ensuing caution period, the Helping Hands over-the-wall pit crew sprang into action, changing four tires, adding fuel and making a slight chassis adjustment. A lightning-fast pit stop by the Helping Hands crew netted Bowyer one position for the lap-30 restart.

Two laps later, near disaster struck when Bowyer was shuffled out of a three-car pack, got loose and made contact with another competitor to bring out the afternoon’s second caution. The No. 33 team fixed the minor cosmetic damage and sent Bowyer back on track to restart 24th on lap 35.

The 30-year-old driver dug down deep, once again, racing his way back into the top 10 over the next 11 circuits. The event’s final caution flag waved on lap 53, setting the stage for a final trip down pit lane and a four-lap shootout to the checkered flag.

Two tires were bolted on to the No. 33 Impala and the quick pit work lined Bowyer up ninth for the lap-56 restart. With two laps to go, Bowyer’s savvy driving skills afforded him the second position. He then was shuffled out of the draft but managed to get back in line directly behind his teammate Kevin Harvick.

With the checkered flag waving, Bowyer tried to push Harvick to victory, but Chevy driver Jimmie Johnson was able to hold off the RCR duo to cross the finish line 0.005 seconds ahead Harvick. Kyle Busch finished third, Bowyer was fourth and Regan Smith rounded out the top-five finishers.

Bowyer’s other RCR teammate Jeff Burton blew a right-front tire and made heavy contact with the outer retaining wall on lap 24. Burton will have to start in the back of the field for Sunday’s 500-mile race as the No. 31 team will have to go to their back-up Chevy.

FOX’s live coverage of the Daytona 500 will begin at 1 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on Sunday, Feb. 14. The race can also be heard on the Motor Racing Network and Sirius XM Satellite Radio.

Clint Bowyer Quote: “I’m really proud of Shane Wilson (crew chief) and all the No. 33 guys for their hard work. We had to start in the back, but their offseason preparation showed how our back-up car ran today. I tried to push Kevin (Harvick) around Jimmie (Johnson) at the end, but we just came up short. We learned a lot about how this No. 33 Chevy will handle on Sunday and we’re looking forward to have another strong run to start the season.”







CREDIT: RCRRACING.com
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Sunday, February 7, 2010

Bowyer qualifies 8th for the Daytona 500, will start 5th in first Duel

Clint Bowyer, driver of the #33 Cheerios Chevy Impala clocked in a lap of 47.339 Saturday during qualifying, good enough for the 8th best time. With a speed of 190.118, Bowyer was just two tenths off the leader. Because of the Daytona 500 qualifying procedures, Clint will start 5th in the 1st of 2 Gatorade Duels on Thursday to lock in his starting position for the Great American Race.



QUALIFYING RESULTS

15Mark MartinChevroletGoDaddy.com191.18847.074Leader
288Dale Earnhardt Jr.ChevroletAmp Energy / National Guard190.91347.142-0.068
339Ryan NewmanChevroletU.S. Army190.57747.225-0.151
421Bill ElliottFordMotorcraft / Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center190.57347.226-0.152
542Juan MontoyaChevroletTarget190.40847.267-0.193
62Kurt BuschDodgeMiller Lite190.35947.279-0.205
748Jimmie JohnsonChevroletLowe's190.35947.279-0.205
833Clint BowyerChevroletCheerios / Hamburger Helper190.11847.339-0.265
918Kyle BuschToyotaM&M's190.05447.355-0.281
1024Jeff GordonChevroletDuPont190.05047.356-0.282
1117Matt KensethFordCrown Royal190.05047.356-0.282
1277Sam Hornish Jr.DodgeMobil 1190.05047.356-0.282
1382Scott SpeedToyotaRed Bull189.95847.379-0.305
1447Marcos AmbroseToyotaKroger Floral189.75747.429-0.355
1512Brad KeselowskiDodgePenske Racing189.73747.434-0.360
1687Joe NemechekToyotaNEMCO Motorsports189.70947.441-0.367
1720Joey LoganoToyotaThe Home Depot189.69347.445-0.371
1871Bobby LabonteChevroletTaxSlayer.com189.66547.452-0.378
191Jamie McMurrayChevroletBass Pro Shops / Tracker189.59347.470-0.396
20151Michael WaltripToyotaNAPA Auto Parts189.45447.505-0.431
2114Tony StewartChevroletOffice Depot / Old Spice189.37447.525-0.451
2200David ReutimannToyotaAaron's Dream Machine189.31447.540-0.466
2398Paul MenardFordPeak / Menards189.29447.545-0.471
246David RaganFordUPS189.28247.548-0.474
2543A.J. AllmendingerFordBest Buy189.25547.555-0.481
2699Carl EdwardsFordAflac189.19547.570-0.496
2711Denny HamlinToyotaFedEx Express189.07247.601-0.527
289Kasey KahneFordBudweiser189.05647.605-0.531
2936Mike BlissChevroletWave Energy Drink189.05247.606-0.532
3029Kevin HarvickChevroletShell / Pennzoil188.99647.620-0.546
3131Jeff BurtonChevroletCaterpillar188.86547.653-0.579
327Robby GordonToyotaMonster Energy188.73547.686-0.612
3356Martin Truex Jr.ToyotaNAPA Auto Parts188.72747.688-0.614
3478Regan SmithChevroletFurniture Row Companies188.69947.695-0.621
3583Brian VickersToyotaRed Bull188.62847.713-0.639
3619Elliott SadlerFordStanley188.53347.737-0.663
3716Greg BiffleFord3M188.41147.768-0.694
38132Reed SorensonToyotaDollar General188.39147.773-0.699
39190Casey MearsChevroletKeyed-Up Motorsports188.30047.796-0.722
4013Max PapisToyotaGEICO188.19847.822-0.748
4149David GillilandToyotaWarner Music Nashville / Larry the Cable Guy187.76647.932-0.858
4234John AndrettiFordWindow World Cares187.51247.997-0.923
43197Jeff FullerToyotaFrontRowJoe.com187.36348.035-0.961
4438Robert Richardson Jr.FordMahindra Tractors187.28948.054-0.980
4537Travis KvapilFordExtenze187.28548.055-0.981
4609Aric AlmirolaChevroletPhoenix Racing187.27848.057-0.983
4746Terry Cook*DodgeWhitney Motorsports187.05648.114-1.040
4826Boris SaidFordWindow World Cares186.90848.152-1.078
4966Dave BlaneyToyotaPrism Motorsports186.25448.321-1.247
5055Michael McDowellToyotaPrism Motorsports185.92348.407-1.333
51175Derrike CopeDodgeAsset Protect
/ Strutmasterspro.com		185.04048.638-1.564
52127Kirk ShelmerdineToyotaKirk Shelmerdine Racing184.40748.805-1.731
53192Mike WallaceDodgeK-Automotive Motorsports182.67849.267-2.193
54157Norm BenningChevroletNorm Benning Racing180.60749.832-2.758






GATORADE DUEL RACE #1 LINEUP
15Mark MartinChevroletGoDaddy.com---
239Ryan NewmanChevroletU.S. Army---
321Bill ElliottFordMotorcraft / Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center---
448Jimmie JohnsonChevroletLowe's---
533Clint BowyerChevroletCheerios / Hamburger Helper---
618Kyle BuschToyotaM&M's---
724Jeff GordonChevroletDuPont---
887Joe NemechekToyotaNEMCO Motorsports---
91Jamie McMurrayChevroletBass Pro Shops / Tracker---
10151Michael WaltripToyotaNAPA Auto Parts---
116David RaganFordUPS---
1243A.J. AllmendingerFordBest Buy---
1399Carl EdwardsFordAflac---
1411Denny HamlinToyotaFedEx Express---
1529Kevin HarvickChevroletShell / Pennzoil---
1631Jeff BurtonChevroletCaterpillar---
1778Regan SmithChevroletFurniture Row Companies---
1816Greg BiffleFord3M---
19132Reed SorensonToyotaDollar General---
2013Max PapisToyotaGEICO---
2134John AndrettiFordWindow World Cares---
22197Jeff FullerToyotaFrontRowJoe.com---
2338Robert Richardson Jr.FordMahindra Tractors---
2437Travis KvapilFordExtenze---
2546Terry Cook*DodgeWhitney Motorsports---
2655Michael McDowellToyotaPrism Motorsports---
27127Kirk ShelmerdineToyotaKirk Shelmerdine Racing---






GATORADE DUEL RACE #2 LINEUP
188Dale Earnhardt Jr.ChevroletAmp Energy / National Guard---
242Juan MontoyaChevroletTarget---
32Kurt BuschDodgeMiller Lite---
417Matt KensethFordCrown Royal---
577Sam Hornish Jr.DodgeMobil 1---
682Scott SpeedToyotaRed Bull---
747Marcos AmbroseToyotaKroger Floral---
812Brad KeselowskiDodgePenske Racing---
920Joey LoganoToyotaThe Home Depot---
1071Bobby LabonteChevroletTaxSlayer.com---
1114Tony StewartChevroletOffice Depot / Old Spice---
1200David ReutimannToyotaAaron's Dream Machine---
1398Paul MenardFordPeak / Menards---
149Kasey KahneFordBudweiser---
1536Mike BlissChevroletWave Energy Drink---
167Robby GordonToyotaMonster Energy---
1756Martin Truex Jr.ToyotaNAPA Auto Parts---
1883Brian VickersToyotaRed Bull---
1919Elliott SadlerFordStanley---
20190Casey MearsChevroletKeyed-Up Motorsports---
2149David GillilandToyotaWarner Music Nashville / Larry the Cable Guy---
2209Aric AlmirolaChevroletPhoenix Racing---
2326Boris SaidFordWindow World Cares---
2466Dave BlaneyToyotaPrism Motorsports---
25175Derrike CopeDodgeAsset Protect
/ Strutmasterspro.com		---
26192Mike WallaceDodgeK-Automotive Motorsports---
27157Norm BenningChevroletNorm Benning Racing---





Qualifying and Duel lineups credit to NASCAR.com
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