Clint Bowyer - No. 2 BB&T Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS

Event Preview Fact Sheet - Event/Date: Food City 250 – Aug., 22 2008
Venue: Bristol Motor Speedway – Bristol, Tenn.

• NOTES

· This Week’s BB&T Chevrolet at Bristol Motor Speedway … Clint Bowyer will pilot Chassis No. 057 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Nationwide Series stable. This is the same BB&T Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS Bowyer raced to an eighth-place finish last month at Gateway International Raceway outside St. Louis. Built new in 2006, Bowyer drove this car twice that year, at Kentucky (St. 21, Fn. 12) and Michigan (St. 39, Fn. 12). Last season, the six-time winner in NASCAR’s No. 2 division raced this BB&T Chevy at Kansas (St. 23, Fn. 4) and again at Charlotte last fall (St. 16., Fn. 8).

· Back on Board with BB&T … After showcasing a Camping World paint scheme last weekend at Michigan International Speedway, Bowyer’s No. 2 Chevy will return to its traditional burgundy and gold BB&T colors for the Food City 250. BB&T will be the be the primary sponsor on Bowyer’s No. 2 machine for the final 10 races on the 2008 schedule.

· Bowyer at Bristol … In seven starts at “Thunder Valley,” Bowyer boasts one win, three top-five and four top-10 finishes. He has a strong 6.9 starting average coupled with an impressive 9.4 finishing average at the high-banked, half-mile concrete oval. At the same time, the Emporia, Kan., driver has completed all 1,779 laps over those seven races. He earned his first Bristol victory in the rain-shortened Sharpie Mini 300 in March. He spent a remarkable 1,494 of the 1,779 laps (84 percent) run over those seven events racing in the top 15 while leading 123 laps.

• Bowyer in the Loop …

o Average Running Position … According to NASCAR’s Loop Data Statistics, Bowyer leads the Average Running Position category with an 8.932 ARP. The ARP is derived from taking the sum of a driver’s position on each lap and dividing it by the number of laps run in each race. He has also recorded 9.112 ARP over the course of his seven starts at BMS.

o Laps in the Top 15 … Meanwhile, the Nationwide Series point leader has spent 3,899 of the 4,278 laps completed this season (90.6 percent) running in the top 15.

o Driver Rating … Bowyer also enjoys a 103.1 Driver Rating this season – second only to Kyle Busch (115.2). The Driver Rating is a formula that combines the following categories: wins, top-15 finishes, average running position while on the lead lap, average speed under green, fastest lap, most laps led and lead-lap finishes. The maximum a driver can earn in each race is 150 points. The Driver Rating number is used pre-race as a prediction tool and post-race as a performance evaluator. His driver rating at BMS is 103.3.

o Laps Led … Bowyer has led 341 laps in Nationwide Series competition this season and trails only Busch, two-time Sprint Cup Series Champion Tony Stewart and Carl Edwards in that category.

· The Michigan Report … Despite a mid-race incident resulting in cosmetic damage to the right side of the No. 2 Chevrolet, Bowyer hung on to a top-10 finish in last Saturday’s CARFAX 250 at Michigan International Speedway. He was running fourth at the time but the resulting damage was enough to affect the aerodynamics on the Camping World Chevy and ultimately cost Bowyer what looked to be an all but assured top-five finish.

· 10 To Go … Over the season’s first 25 Nationwide Series races, Bowyer has posted one win (Bristol), eight top-five and 20 top-10 finishes. At the same time, the Nationwide Series point leader has logged an impressive ninth-place starting average to go along with his 9.2 finishing average. He has completed 4,278 of the 4,304 laps run this season (99.40 percent) and led 341 laps.

· RCR in Thunder Valley … Richard Childress leads the way for Nationwide Series car owner victories at Bristol with six – four of them coming with Kevin Harvick, one with Jeff Green and Bowyer’s win in March. In 41 starts, RCR boasts four poles, 18 top-five and 22 top-10 finishes. RCR-prepared race cars have also paced the field for 1,457 laps on Bristol’s high-banks.

· Happy Birthday Alan … Alan Andreoli, engine tuner for the BB&T Chevrolet, will celebrate his 49th birthday on Wednesday, Aug. 20. Andreoli is an employee of Earnhardt Childress Racing Engines (ECR) and has been an at-track Nationwide Series engine tuner for RCR-affiliated teams since 2001.

· Catch the Cup Race … Following his duties behind the wheel of the BB&T Chevy, Bowyer will turn his attention to the No. 07 Jack Daniel’s Chevrolet Impala SS for Saturday’s Sharpie 500. Live coverage of this weekend’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race will take the green flag Saturday, Aug. 23 beginning at 7 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time. The race will be televised live on ESPN and broadcast worldwide on the Performance Racing Network and Sirius Satellite Radio. Qualifying for the 24th race of 2008 for NASCAR’s premier division will be televised live on SPEED Friday, Aug. 22 at 3:30 p.m. EDT. PRN and Sirius Satellite Radio will also carry qualifying live.

· Up to Speed … The Food City 250 from Bristol Motor Speedway will be televised live on ESPN Friday, Aug. 22 beginning at 7:30 p.m. EDT and broadcast on PRN and Sirius Satellite Radio. Qualifying for the 26th race on the 2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series schedule will be televised on SPEED the same day beginning at 5 p.m. EDT.

• CLINT BOWYER QUOTES

Did it bother you at all that rain played a part in your win in March?

“Not at all. A win is a win no matter what the circumstances. No matter how we won, I know where the trophy is. Bristol is such a neat race track and it’s a dream come true to have won a race there. The trophies are the same but the trophy from the Nationwide race is a little smaller than the one from the Cup race. Hopefully, I can put the big trophy next to the smaller one on my mantle after this weekend.”

You didn’t grow up in the southeast but Bristol, for a stock car guy, is still a special place.

“Bristol is such a demanding race track and if you can win at a place like that, you’ve done a good day’s work.”