Clint Bowyer No. 07 Event Preview 

No. 07 Jack Daniel’s Chevrolet Impala SS
Event Preview Fact Sheet
Event/Date: 3M Performance 400 – August 17, 2008
Venue: Michigan International Speedway – Brooklyn, Mich.

* This Week’s Jack Daniel’s Chevrolet at Michigan International Speedway … Clint Bowyer will pilot Chassis No. 241 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable. Built new for 2008, this is the same Jack Daniel’s Chevrolet Impala SS he drove to a sixth-place finish two races ago at Pocono Raceway. This car also saw action in June at MIS where the two-time Sprint Cup winner finished 26th. Bowyer’s Gil Martin-led team unloaded this car earlier in the year at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Unfortunately, it didn’t race that weekend after Bowyer made hard contact with the turn two wall with only minutes remaining in the weekend’s final practice session, forcing Mr. Jack’s Crew to roll out their back up car.

* Back in Black … After featuring a DIRECTV paint scheme last weekend, Bowyer’s No. 07 Chevy Impala SS returns to its traditional black and white Jack Daniel’s colors this week at Michigan. Jack Daniel’s will be the primary sponsor on the No. 07 machine for the final 14 races on the 2008 schedule. 

* On the Injured Reserve List … Barry Sheppard, transporter driver for the No. 07 team, will undergo back surgery this Friday at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center in Winston Salem. N.C. Mark Williams is filling in while Sheppard recovers. 

* Michigan Minutes … Sunday will mark Bowyer’s sixth Sprint Cup Series race at MIS. He hasn’t had the best of results there having posted only two top-20 finishes at the expansive two-mile Brooklyn, Mich., oval. The third year driver on NASCAR’s senior circuit struggled with handling-related issues in his last three starts at MIS. He was on the fast track to a top-three finish in August 2006 until the motor in the Jack Daniel’s Chevy let go with just three laps remaining. In his first Sprint Cup race at Michigan, Bowyer started ninth but was collected in an early race incident, leaving him 39th in the final rundown. In five starts, the 29-year-old driver has posted a respectable 13.8 starting average but also holds a disappointing 26.2 average finish at the south central Michigan circuit. 

* What Happened at Watkins Glen … Last weekend at Watkins Glen, Bowyer started 12th after rain washed out qualifying and went on to finish 23rd. The team’s pre-determined fuel mileage strategy didn’t work out quite as well as everyone hoped after two late-race cautions, including a red flag, allowed the front runners to stretch their fuel mileage and avoid making one last pit stop. The less-than-hoped-for finish dropped Bowyer from 12th to 13th in the Sprint Cup Series championship point standings. The Emporia Kan., native is 22 points behind Matt Kenseth in 12th, 64 back from RCR teammate Kevin Harvick in 11th and just 83 markers in arrears of Greg Biffle in 10th. The top 12 in points following the Sept. 7 Chevy Rock & Roll 400 at Richmond International qualify for the Chase for the Sprint Cup – NASCAR’s 10-race playoff format that determines the 2008 series’ champion. 

* Summing Up the Season … In the season’s first 22 events, Bowyer has earned one win (Richmond), four top fives, 10 top 10s and led 150 laps. He has recorded a 22.7 starting average to go along with a respectable 16.3 finishing average. He has completed 6,073 of the 6,142 laps (98.89 percent) run this season and earned just over $2.75 million in purse money. * RCR at Michigan … RCR has earned two wins at Michigan International Speedway, both of them by Dale Earnhardt. Earnhardt snagged the checkered flag in the Miller American 400 on June 28, 1987 and again in the Miller Genuine Draft 400 on June 24, 1990. Additionally, RCR boasts 15 top-five and 33 top-10 finishes with seven different drivers including Richard Childress, a former driver in NASCAR’s top division, who recorded top 10s at Michigan in June 1978 and in August 1979.

* The Collective RCR … In 22 races this season, RCR-prepared Sprint Cup Series entries have notched two wins (Jeff Burton – Bristol, Bowyer – Richmond), 12 top-five and 29 top-10 finishes. The Welcome, N.C.,-based race team has completed 18,539 laps in 2008 with four different drivers including Bowyer, Burton, Kevin Harvick and Ken Schrader. Meanwhile, RCR teams have logged 26,906 miles of competition this season and been on top of the leaderboard for 310 laps. Combined, all four RCR teams have earned just over $ 9.6 million in purse money in 2008. 

* Childress, A Champion for Children … On Wednesday, July 30, RCR team owner Richard Childress, along with officials from Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center announced the formation of what will become the nation’s most comprehensive Institute for Pediatric Trauma. The Childress Institute for Pediatric Trauma will drastically increase the survival rate of critically injured children nationwide and will improve the quality of life for those who do not fully recover by focusing on five key areas: research, advocacy and public policy, medical professional education, prevention education, and a comprehensive rehabilitation facility. To learn more and help children across the nation by donating, please visit www.childresspediatrictrauma.org or call 866-635-8190. 

* Tow Safely … On Thursday, Aug. 14, Bowyer will film a safety video promoting safe RV towing in Emporia, Kan., for Hopkins Manufacturing product Brake Buddy. Hopkins Manufacturing is located in Bowyer’s hometown and is one of his personal sponsors. 

* Testing, One, Two, Three, Testing … For the third consecutive week, RCR’s No. 07 team tested at Nashville Superspeedway to continue fine-tuning their mile-and-a-half program. 

* Keep on Rolling … Bowyer has been running at the end of every race dating back to Phoenix in November 2006, a streak of 59 races. The only other driver running at the end of more consecutive races is Harvick who extended his own modern-era (1972-present) streak last weekend at Watkins Glen by finishing his 66th consecutive race without a DNF (did not finish). 

* Double Duty in the Irish Hills … In addition to his duties behind the wheel of the Jack Daniel’s Chevrolet Impala SS, Bowyer returns to the seat of the No. 2 Camping World Chevy Monte Carlo SS for this weekend’s CARFAX 250 NASCAR Nationwide Series race. Live coverage of the 25th of 35 races on the 2008 Nationwide Series schedule will be televised live on ESPN2 Saturday, Aug. 16 beginning at 3 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time. The race will also be broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and Sirius Satellite Radio. Qualifying will be televised live on SPEED the same day beginning at 10:30 a.m. EDT. Bowyer is the championship leader on NASCAR’s junior circuit and paces second-place Brad Keselowski by 128 points.

* Catch the Cup Race … The 3M Performance 400 from Michigan International Speedway will take the green flag Sunday, Aug. 17 at 2 p.m. EDT. The race will be televised live on ESPN beginning at 1 p.m. EDT and broadcast from coast-to-coast on MRN and Sirius Satellite Radio. Qualifying for the 23rd points-paying race on the 36-race Sprint Cup Series tour will be televised live on SPEED Friday, Aug. 15 at 3:30 p.m. EDT.

• CLINT BOWYER QUOTES

You’ve struggled at Michigan. What is it about that track that seems to leave some question marks for you and the Jack Daniel’s team?

“Typically, on a big track like Michigan or Atlanta, where you can move around and carry a lot of speed, we usually run well. I like tracks like Michigan where you can mix it up and pass on the top or the bottom and try different things but for some reason we haven’t been able to find the right balance or the right level of grip to run well.”

Do you fight that as soon as you walk in the door? Is that in your head right off the bat?

“Absolutely, but every track is a new opportunity and that’s the way you have to look at it.”