Bowyer Drives Camping World Chevy to 
Third-Place Finish in Big D

Race/Date: O’Reilly 300 – April 5, 2008 - Location: Texas Motor Speedway – Fort Worth, Texas - Start Position: Second (based on points after qualifying cancelled due to rain) - Finish Position: Third - Points Position: First

FORT WORTH, Texas – Clint Bowyer and Richard Childress Racing’s (RCR) No. 2 Camping World Chevrolet team may not have had what was necessary to overtake eventual O’Reilly 300 winner Kyle Busch but a strong third-place showing at Texas Motor Speedway increased the cushion of their Nationwide Series points lead.

Bowyer is now 57 markers ahead of second-place Carl Edwards, who finished 13th after coming into the race with a mere 11-point advantage.

Despite Thursday’s qualifying rainout, the skies were clear and warm when the green flag waved Saturday over the 43-car strong field at approximately 2:20 p.m. Central Daylight Time (CDT). The first of the day’s four cautions came out on the first lap for debris with Bowyer having quickly dropped two spots. Green-flag racing resumed on lap four and the No. 2 BB&T Chevrolet dropped another spot with Bowyer calling over the radio that the car’s handling was tight exiting the turns.

Despite the handling situation, the six-time Nationwide Series race winner maneuvered his way back to the third spot by lap 14 and was second on lap 57 when he brought the Camping World Chevy down pit lane for service under green-flag conditions. Great work by the over-the-wall crew got Bowyer back on track quickly and, after the field cycled through the green-flag stops, he found himself in the runner-up position.

The day’s second caution waved on lap 92 and the Camping World entry ducked down pit lane for further service by its Dan Deeringhoff-led crew. Fresh Goodyear rubber, fuel and a chassis adjustment were in order and Bowyer was fourth on the lap 96 restart.

The Emporia, Kan., native was still fourth at the 200-lap race’s halfway point. He maintained a top-five position for the next 54 laps before another round of green-flag stops allowed Deeringhoff and Company to exact further adjustments on their still-tight handling race car. A caution just three laps later could’ve been disastrous had the rest of the leaders not completed their stops, as well. Fortunately, they had and Bowyer was listed in fifth place for the restart on lap 161.

The Camping World Chevrolet moved to fourth on lap 168, dropped back to fifth on lap 175 and was running in that position when the day’s final caution slowed the field on lap 191, setting up a seven-lap dash to the checkered flag. Deeringhoff’s call for right-side tires only picked up one spot for Bowyer on the pit lane before racing resumed on lap 194. He was third by the second turn of the restart lap and maintained that position as he crossed the finish line in the middle of teammates Jeff Burton (second) and Bobby Labonte (fourth).

Busch, Burton, Bowyer, Labonte and Jamie McMurray rounded out the top-five finishers.

The Nationwide Series stays in the southwest for its next race at Phoenix International Raceway in Avondale, Ariz. The Bashas’ Supermarkets 200 will be televised live on ESPN2 on Friday, April 11 beginning at 9:30 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT). The eighth race of the 2008 season will be broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network (MRN) and Sirius Satellite Radio. Qualifying is scheduled for Friday at 5:05 p.m. EDT.

CLINT BOWYER QUOTES –

“We fought tight most of the race but this was a good points day for the Camping World team. It was a very good day for all of the RCR Nationwide teams, with (Jeff) Burton and Bobby (Labonte) right in front of and behind me. Dan (Deeringhoff) made the right call at the end there for two tires and we were able to pick up a couple spots before it was all over.”