Late Race Heartbreak for Bowyer, Jack Daniel’s Chevy
in Daytona 500

Race/Date: Daytona 500 - Location: Daytona International Speedway – Daytona Beach, Fla.Start Position: 31st - Finish Position: 24th - Points Position: 23rd

Daytona Beach, Fla. – Some things just weren’t meant to be. Just ask Clint Bowyer. With 17 laps remaining in yesterday’s Daytona 500, Bowyer was on top of the world, leading the “Great American Race.” But, in an instant, the Jack Daniel’s Chevrolet’s bid for the win went up in cloud of tire smoke after contact from another competitor, sent Bowyer spinning through the tri-oval.

The end result was a 24th-place finish for the driver of the Jack Daniel’s Chevrolet a --disappointing end to a promising run.

Bowyer started the season opener from the inside of the 16th row, after an 18th-place finish in last Thursday’s first Gatorade Duel at Daytona qualifying race offered him the 31st starting spot.

In the early going, the Emporia, Kan., native was quick to flex the muscle in his Jack Daniel’s Chevy, picking up an impressive 18 positions over the opening laps. He ran in and around the top 15 throughout the opening segment before making his first pit stop of the afternoon under green-flag conditions on lap 35.

After Bowyer reported a tight-handling condition during the first run, crew chief Gil Martin called for fresh Goodyear tires, including an air pressure adjustment while fine tuning the chassis at the same time. Once green-flag service cycled through the field, Bowyer was back to 15th and raced as high as 10th over the next 39 circuits before making another green flag stop on lap 74.

Again, Martin ordered four fresh tires, with another round of air pressure and chassis adjustments following Bowyer’s comments echoing the car’s tight condition.

The day’s first yellow flag didn’t wave until lap 79 with Bowyer heading back to the pits two laps later. Trouble with the jack during the team’s third pit sequence cost Mr. Jack’s Crew a handful of spots, but the driver of the black and white No. 07 Chevy picked the team up over the next 19 laps and was back inside top 10 by lap 103.

Despite the ongoing handling issues exiting the corner, Bowyer kept the Jack Daniel’s Chevy wound up and continued to gain ground. By lap 108 he was ninth, eighth the following lap, sixth two laps later and in the top five on lap 116.

With only one yellow flag during the first 150 laps, Bowyer was back in the pits under green on lap 120. Martin offered his driver another fresh set of Goodyear Eagles and another chassis adjustment. Quick service by Mr. Jack’s Crew afforded their driver a pair of spots and once green flag stops cycled all the way through the field, Bowyer was third on the scoreboard.

He was up to second, stalking Kyle Busch for the lead when the day’s second caution flag waved for debris 50 laps from the checkered flag. An extended stay on pit road cost he team seven positions after Bowyer slid through his pit stall but the 28-year-old driver recovered nicely and was back to sixth before NASCAR displayed the yellow flag when teammates Matt Kenseth and David Ragan got together on the front stretch.

Back on pit road on lap 162, for what was scheduled to be the final stop of the day, Martin called for just fresh right-side rubber, handing his driver two positions in the pits after several frontrunners went the four-tire route.

Back under green, now in fifth, Bowyer powered into second on lap 168 but as the field fanned out three-wide on the front stretch, the 2007 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship contender shuffled from second to eighth and back to fourth.

The late-race rash of yellows continued on lap 176 when Jimmie Johnson, Martin Truex Jr., and Denny Hamlin got together on the back side. After a handful of teams headed back to pit road, Bowyer stayed on the track and was back to second, behind Dale Earnhardt Jr., when the green flag waved 20 laps short of the scheduled distance.

When the field came back up to full song, Bowyer powered by Earnhardt Jr. to take over the point on lap 181.He paced the field for the next two laps but, much to everyone’s chagrin, his lead was short lived. As the 43-car field thundered down the front straightaway, Juan Pablo Montoya’s No. 42 clipped Bowyer’s left-rear quarter panel to all but end the promising run.

The wild, unexpected spin, blistered all four tires on the Jack Daniel’s Chevrolet, forcing Bowyer back to pit road for an unscheduled stop with 16 laps to go.

Fortunately, attrition played a key role over the closing stages and Bowyer was able to gain modest ground and close out the day 24th in the final rundown.

Ryan Newman and Kurt Busch swept the top two positions giving Penske Racing team owner Roger Penske his first victory in NASCAR’s most prestigious race. Teammates Tony Stewart and Kyle Busch finished third and fourth. Reed Sorenson rounded out the top five.

Bowyer’s Richard Childress Racing teammates Jeff Burton and Kevin Harvick logged 13th and 14th-place finishes, respectively.

Next weekend, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series heads west to Fontana, Calif., for the division’s second stop on the 2008 schedule.

The Auto Club 500 from California Speedway will be televised live on FOX Sunday, February 24 beginning at 3:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST). The event will also be broadcast live on the Motor Racing (MRN) and Sirius Satellite Radio. Qualifying for the second points-paying race on the 2008 calendar will be televised live on SPEED Friday, February 22 at 6:30 p.m. EST.

CLINT BOWYER QUOTES

"We had a car that was capable of winning the race. The Jack Daniel's Chevrolet was as fast as anything I've ever driven. It’s pretty hard to stomach being taken out when you're leading the Daytona 500. A couple of guys got impatient up front and we were the casualty. The worst part about it is waiting another year to try again."