BOWYER, JACK DANIEL’S CHEVROLET SCRAP 
FOR TOP-20 AT MICHIGAN

Race/Date: 3M Performance 400 – Aug. 17, 2008 - Location: Michigan International Speedway – Brooklyn, Mich. - Start Position: 41st - Finish Position: 20th
Points Position: 13th (Maintained position)

BROOKLYN, Mich. – Despite a mid-race scrape with the turn two retaining wall, Clint Bowyer held on to a top-20 finish in Sunday’s 3M Performance 400 at Michigan International Speedway.

The driver of the Jack Daniel’s Chevy maintained the 13th spot in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship point standings and is now tied with David Ragan for the first spot outside the cutoff for the 12-driver Chase for the Championship.

At the same time, the two-time Sprint Cup Series winner is just 26 points behind 12th-place Denny Hamlin, 47 back from Kasey Kahne in 11th and 74 in arrears of Matt Kenseth in 10th. The top 12 in points following the Sept. 6 Chevy Rock and Roll 400 at Richmond International Raceway are locked into the Chase for the Sprint Cup – NASCAR’s 10-race playoff format that will determine the 2008 champion.

Bowyer struggled with the handling on the Jack Daniel’s Chevy during Friday’s qualifying session and ultimately rolled off the starting grid 41st for Sunday’s annual 400-mile classic in Michigan’s rolling Irish Hills.

He was listed 23rd and 21st fastest in Saturday’s twin warm-ups but was confident that his Gil Martin-led team made long strides toward getting the Jack Daniel’s Chevy dialed in for Sunday’s second and final stop of the year for NASCAR’s senior circuit at MIS.

Although he started deep in the field, Bowyer’s inclination was correct after Saturday’s practice sessions and the 29-year-old driver earned a handsome 10 positions on the race track before NASCAR displayed the first yellow flag of the afternoon on lap 18.

Martin called his driver to pit road four laps later for a fresh set of Goodyears, including an air pressure adjustment to the right-rear tire.

Back under green, now in 30th, Bowyer picked up three more spots over the next 39 laps but mentioned that the Jack Daniel’s Chevy wouldn’t turn as well as he needed it to in the center of the corner.

Green-flag service cycled through the field just prior to the one-third mark and Bowyer headed back down pit road 64 laps into the 200-lap event. Solid work by Mr. Jack’s crew netted the third-year Sprint Cup Series driver three positions once the entire field hit pit road and when the day’s second caution flag waved on lap 84, the Jack Daniel’s Chevy was listed 24th in the running order.

Following another trip down pit lane for tires, fuel and adjustments Bowyer was up to 21st for the lap 89 restart and snagged four more spots before another quick caution flew eight laps later. With only eight green-flag laps on his tires, Martin called for right-side tires only during the next pit stop and when the green flag waved on lap 101, the No. 07 machine was scored 13th.

Hard contact with the turn two wall a few laps later nullified the group’s forward progress and, as Bowyer struggled with his damaged race car, he dropped back to 28th as the laps continued to click off.

Three more pit stops over the final 60 laps allowed Martin and Company to smooth out the resulting damage as best they could. While the Jack Daniel’s Chevy wasn’t as competitive as it had been earlier in the day, perseverance and attrition kept the day from being a total loss. Two of the driver’s ahead of Bowyer in points had significant trouble allowing him to hang on to 13th in the standings.

Carl Edwards went back-to-back at MIS having won the Nationwide Series race the day before. Point leader Kyle Busch finished second, Ragan was third, Greg Biffle was fourth and Matt Kenseth rounded out the top-five.

Bowyer’s RCR teammates Kevin Harvick and Jeff Burton finished eighth and 11th, respectively.

Short-track action kicks in to high gear next weekend for the annual Sprint Cup/Nationwide Series late-summer doubleheader and the “World’s Fastest Half Mile.”

The Sharpie 500 from Bristol Motor Speedway will take the green flag Saturday, August 23 at 8 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time. The race will be televised live on ESPN beginning at 7 p.m. EDT and broadcast from coast-to-coast on the Performance Racing Network and Sirius Satellite Radio. Qualifying will be televised live on SPEED Friday, August 22 at 3:30 p.m. EDT. PRN and Sirius Satellite Radio will carry qualifying updates live.

• CLINT BOWYER QUOTES

“We were on pace to have a good day with the Jack Daniel’s Chevrolet but I made a mistake and got into the wall and the car just wasn’t the same after that. We were fortunate that some of the guys we’re racing for points with had some trouble. Bristol is a really good race track for us so I’m excited to get back there next weekend and try and race for the win. We’re not out of this thing yet. We’re going to work hard every lap and do everything in our power to make sure we get back inside the Chase over these next three races.”