Late-Race Spin, Rain Ruin Great Run for Jack Daniel’s Team 

Race/Date: Lenox Industrial Tools 301 – June 29, 2008 - Location: New Hampshire Motor Speedway – Loudon, N.H. - Start Position: 18th - Finish Position: 22nd - 
Points Position: 11th (lost one position)

LOUDON, N.H. – Contact from the No. 77 with 22 laps remaining in the Lenox Tools 301 spun out Clint Bowyer and the resulting sheet metal damage and lost track position erased what looked to be a solid top-five finish for the No. 07 Jack Daniel’s Racing team.

The 22nd-place finish dropped Bowyer one spot, to 11th, in the 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series point standings. He’s now 10 points behind Kasey Kahne in 10th, 21 points back of Tony Stewart in ninth and 199 points shy of Jimmie Johnson in fifth. The Emporia, Kan., native is 20 points forward of Matt Kenseth in 13th-place.

In Friday’s qualifying session, Bowyer ran a quick lap of 29.687 seconds (128.299 mph) which was good enough for the 18th starting spot for Sunday’s 301-lap event.

Overcast skies and warm temperatures greeted the sellout NHMS crowd Sunday afternoon. The green flag waved at 2:17 p.m. local time and Bowyer quickly went to work on the track where he earned his first Sprint Cup Series victory last September. He moved into the top 10 by lap 40 and was running ninth 10 laps later. Green-flag stops began shortly thereafter, with the No. 07 coming to pit road on lap 69. After a solid stop by Mr. Jack’s Crew, the black-and-white Chevy Impala SS was shown seventh on the leaderboard when things shuffled out a few laps later.

A caution on lap 86 saw the No. 07 back down pit lane to top off with fuel and a change of right-side Goodyear tires. Racing resumed on lap 91 and Bowyer moved up to sixth that lap and into the top-five by lap 95. He bounced back and forth between the fifth and seventh positions for the majority of the afternoon and was fifth when the day’s sixth of seven caution periods began on lap 272.

Crew chief Gil Martin brought Bowyer to pit lane two laps later and made the last-second call to stop for fuel only and not change tires. A number of drivers actually stayed out on the track, hoping to make it to the finish with the fuel already onboard so Bowyer restarted on lap 279 in the 12th position. It was on the next lap that the No. 77, four laps down to the leaders, made contact with the No. 07 and set into motion the circumstances that threw a solid finish out the proverbial window.

The rain that had been threatening throughout the afternoon began while under caution and the race was halted 17 laps from the scheduled distance.

The top-five finishers were those drivers who stayed out during the final caution. Kurt Busch earned his first victory of the 2008 season and was followed by Michael Waltrip, J.J. Yeley, Martin Truex, Jr., and Elliott Sadler. Bowyer’s RCR teammates Jeff Burton and Harvick finished 12thand 14th, respectively.

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series returns to the high banks of Daytona International Speedway for the Coke Zero 400 Powered by Coca-Cola. Coverage begins Saturday, July 5, at 6:30 p.m. EDT on TNT. The race will also be broadcast from coast-to-coast on the Motor Racing Network and Sirius Satellite Radio. Qualifying will be televised live on SPEED Friday, July 4, at 4 p.m. EDT. MRN and Sirius Satellite Radio carry qualifying updates live.

• CLINT BOWYER QUOTES

"I'm not sure what the No. 77 was thinking, especially since he wasn't even on the lead lap. It's too bad because the Jack Daniel's Chevy was really good all day. We had a chance for a good finish get ruined.”