Bowyer, BB&T Chevy Post Fourth-Consecutive 
Runner-Up Finish at Nashville

Race/Date: Pepsi 300 – March 22, 2008 - Location: Nashville Superspeedway – Lebanon, Tenn. -Start Position: Seventh - Finish Position: Second - Points Position: First (Gained one position)

Lebanon, Tenn. – Clint Bowyer ran at the front of the field throughout Saturday’s Pepsi 300 at Nashville Superspeedway, but came up just short of a second victory as the June 2005 winner posted his fourth-consecutive second-place finish at the 1.333-mile concrete oval.

The second-place effort was Bowyer and company’s third top-five and fourth top-10 performance of 2008. The rock-solid result allowed the 28-year-old driver to take over the top spot in the NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) championship point standings. Bowyer is now 11 markers ahead of 2007 titlist Carl Edwards.

In qualifying Saturday morning, the NNS veteran toured the Nashville oval in 29.628 seconds (161.968 mph), locking in a starting spot on the inside of the fourth row.

At the drop of the green, Bowyer was quick to pick up spots on the track and was third when the first of three caution flags on the day waved just eight laps into the 300-mile race. The six-time NNS winner ran in the top five, and as high as second, during the opening segment before he informed crew chief Dan Deeringhoff that he was beginning to fight with a tight-handling race car.

The second yellow flag of the afternoon waved on lap 60 and Bowyer peeled off the racing surface to the attention of his BB&T over-the-wall crew. Deeringhoff called for tire-air pressure adjustments to two of the four fresh tires the team bolted onto the No. 2 machine to ease his driver’s tussle with the ill-handling machine. A lightning-fast pit stop by the Deeringhoff-led team awarded Bowyer one position in the pits and when the field took the green on lap 64, Bowyer was the leader.

The Emporia, Kan., native led for the next two circuits but relinquished the point to Kyle Busch on lap 66. A sprinted battle between Bowyer and Busch continued for the next 34 laps as they traded the top spot several times. Unfortunately, tight-handling conditions returned to the BB&T machine and Bowyer began to lose sight of Busch but still held his ground second in the running order.

With just over 100 laps remaining in the event, Bowyer made his lone green-flag pit stop of the afternoon. Deeringhoff called for four fresh Goodyear tires, fuel and a minor track bar adjustment. He returned to the track and was scored in the second position on lap 133 as the field cycled through green-flag stops.

The 28-year-old driver brought his machine down pit road for the final time on lap 156 during the race’s third caution flag. Deeringhoff ordered four fresh tires and fuel for the BB&T Chevrolet and Bowyer returned to the race track second in the running order for the final restart on lap 160.

Now positioned to make a run for the win, Bowyer got up on the wheel and ran nose-to-tail with Busch for the next two laps. On lap 163, Busch lost control of his No. 20 machine which allowed Bowyer to take over the top spot.

Once Bowyer was in the lead Deeringhoff informed his driver that they were two laps short on fuel. The six-time NNS winner began to let off the gas early to help conserve fuel. Unfortunately, a combination of a tight-handling race car and the attempt to save fuel allowed Bowyer’s Richard Childress Racing (RCR) teammate Scott Wimmer to catch him and eventually pass him on lap 205.

Bowyer was unable to mount a change on Wimmer in the closing laps and crossed the finish line second. Wimmer is the first non-Sprint Cup Series driver to win a Nationwide Series race in 2008.

Carl Edwards, Brad Keselowski and Kelly Bires rounded out the top five. Bowyer’s fellow teammate Stephen Leicht finished 12th.

The Nationwide Series enjoys a weekend off before heading to the Lone Star State in two weeks.

The O’Reilly 300 from Texas Motor Speedway will be televised live on ESPN2 Saturday, April 5 beginning at 2:30 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT). The seventh race of the 2008 season will be broadcast live on the Performance Racing Network (PRN) and Sirius Satellite Radio.

• CLINT BOWYER QUOTES –

“Our BB&T Chevy was good. At the end of the race I had to conserve fuel and we got just a little too tight to hold off Scott (Wimmer). I am really happy for Scott but I can’t believe I finished second again. This was a good day for us in terms of points and we just need to keep going out and getting top-five finishes to win this championship.”