Bowyer, Jack Daniel’s Chevy Wind Up Ninth in Wild Daytona Finish

Race/Date: Coke Zero 400 Powered by Coca-Cola – July 5, 2008 - Location: Daytona International Speedway – Daytona Beach, Fla. - Start Position: 26th - Finish Position: Ninth Points Position: 10th (Moved up one spot)

Daytona Beach, Fla. – Clint Bowyer managed to hang on to the Jack Daniel’s Chevy during the final lap of Saturday night’s Coke Zero 400 Powered by Coca-Cola and turned in a ninth-place finish in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Fourth of July weekend visit to Daytona International Speedway.

As the field thundered through the tri-oval to take the white flag, Bowyer made contact with David Ragan and did everything but crash. Remarkably enough, Bowyer used the outside retaining wall to gather the Jack Daniel’s Chevy back up, relinquishing only a minimal amount of positions in the process.

Once Bowyer got straightened out, a four-car incident ensued in his rear-view mirror and the race finished under caution with Richard Childress Racing’s No. 07 entry being shown ninth in the final rundown.

It was Bowyer and Company’s ninth top-10 finish this season and advanced the Emporia, Kan., driver one spot, from 11th to 10th, in points. The two-time Sprint Cup Series winner is now just seven points behind Matt Kenseth in ninth and 18 markers back from Kasey Kahne in eighth.

In time trials Friday afternoon, Bowyer navigated the famed Daytona Beach oval in 48.869 seconds (184.166 mph). The lap was good enough for a starting spot on the inside of the 13th row for Saturday night’s 400-miler.

Despite a call for rain, the 43-car field took the green flag on schedule, just before 8:30 p.m. local time. Bowyer started 25th but ran inside the top 20 for most of the opening 19 laps.

The night’s first caution flag waved 19 laps in and nearly the entire field headed for pit road two circuits later. Bowyer’s crew chief, Gil Martin, called for a fresh set of Goodyear tires along with a chassis adjustment to help ease the tight-handling condition his driver reported during the opening run.

The Jack Daniel’s Chevy was shown in the top 20 for most of the next 19 circuits until Bowyer opted to duck out of the lead pack when the action got a little too close for comfort. The 29-year-old driver’s intuition proved to be correct when two cars got together just past the one-quarter mark, sending Ryan Newman spinning down the backstretch.

The black and white No. 07 machine was back on pit road during the ensuing yellow flag for another fresh set of tires including air pressure and chassis adjustments.

Bowyer worked his was into the top 10 over the next 26 circuits and drafted in and around the top 15 before pitting during the race’s fifth caution flag on lap 124 for another fresh set of tires and one final chassis adjustment.

As the laps wound down, the intensity on the track heated up. The closing laps were plagued with a rash of cautions, consuming 13 of the final 30 laps. With the exception of his last-lap masterpiece of driving, Bowyer stayed out of the trouble that brought out the last six yellow flags.

All things considered, the top-10 finish was a welcome result for Mr. Jack’s Crew and also the group’s fourth top-10 showing in six previous starts at the “World Center of Racing”.

Kyle Busch earned his sixth Sprint Cup Series win of 2008 after NASCAR scored him in front of second-place Carl Edwards when the final yellow flag flew. Matt Kenseth finished third, Kurt Busch was fourth and Ragan rounded out the top five.

Bowyer’s fellow RCR teammates Kevin Harvick and Jeff Burton finished 12th and 37th, respectively. Burton was involved in a pair of on-track incidents that left him with his first finish outside the top-15 this season.

Next weekend, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series blows into the Windy City for the division’s annual stop at Chicagoland Speedway.

The LifeLock.com 400 will take the green flag Saturday, July 12 at 8 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time. The race will be televised live on TNT beginning at 6:30 p.m. EDT and broadcast from coast-to-coast on MRN and Sirius Satellite Radio. Qualifying for the 19th points-paying race on the 36-race Sprint Cup Series tour will be televised live on SPEED Friday, July 11 at 8:30 p.m. EDT.

• CLINT BOWYER QUOTE

“That was unbelievable! We were fifth or sixth when that last wreck happened and I had to use the wall to hold on to the old girl. I thought I was getting ready to be upside down at Daytona again! The Jack Daniel's Chevrolet was fast all night. We were patient, stayed out of trouble and when it was time to go, we went. We had good pit stops, made good adjustments and came out of here with a good points night. Anytime you can leave Daytona with a top 10 and four fenders still on the car, you've got something to be proud of."