Clint Bowyer

**Clinton Edward Bowyer** is an American former professional stock car racing driver and commentator for *NASCAR on Fox*. He competed in the NASCAR Pepsi Cup Series full time from 2006 to 2020, driving for Richard Childress Racing for five years and then drove for Michael Waltrip Racing for fours years, then drove for H-Scott Motorsports in 2016, and then for Stewart Haas Racing for three years. Bowyer is also the 2012 Champion.

Following the 2020 season, Bowyer became an analyst for Fox Sports' NASCAR coverage.

## Career

### 2005: First Start

In April 2005, Richard Childress Racing announced Bowyer would make his Pepsi Cup debut in the inaugural spring race at Phoenix International Raceway. Bowyer would drive the no.33 Chevrolet, a fourth RCR entry. After qualifying 25th, he finished 24th, the first driver one lap down. Bowyer would not make anymore starts in 2005.

Later Richard Childress Racing announced on October 15, 2005, that Bowyer would race the No. 07 Jack Daniel's-sponsored Chevrolet full-time in the Pepsi Cup series, replacing Dave Blaney for the 2006 season.

### 2006: Rookie Season

Bowyer started his rookie campaign in 2006 with a 6th place finish in the 2006 Daytona 500. Bowyer then followed up with two top twenties with a 14th at California, and a 15th at Las Vegas. Five races later, Bowyer scored his first top five, by finishing 5th at Phoenix. He got three top 5 finishes and had a total of eleven Top 10s that season, with his best finish being a third at California Speedway, finishing 17th in in the final point standings. He finished second to Denny Hamlin for NASCAR Rookie of the Year honors.

### 2007-2008: Great Runs

2007 started with an 18th place finish in the Daytona 500, after crossing the finish line upside down and on fire. After that, he finished 6th in the 2007 Auto Club 500 the following week. In May, Bowyer won his first pole at Darlington Raceway. He finished the regular season ninth in points, but was seeded 12th for the Chase since race wins determine playoff seeding. Bowyer won his second pole at the Sylvania 300 at Loudon, and two days later went on to win his first Nextel Cup race in his 64th start. Bowyer would end up finishing third in the final points standings, unable to compete with the Hendrick Motorsports drivers of Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson. Bowyer finished 2007 with one win, four top fives, and twelve top tens.

Bowyer began 2008, dominating the late stages of the Daytona 500 but was spun out by Juan Pablo Montoya with 17 laps remaining, forcing him to finish 24th.

Two races later Bowyer got his first top ten of 2008 after finishing 6th at the spring Atlanta race, which began an eight race streak finishing inside the top fifteen. The following 7 races streak began with a 3rd place run in the 2008 Food City 500, followed by two 10th place finishes at Martinsville and Texas, then a runner up finish at Phoenix, then a 9th place showing at Talladega. On May 3, 2008, Bowyer earned his second Pepsi Cup victory, winning the Crown Royal Presents the Dan Lowry 400at Richmond International Speedway. Bowyer led only two laps, going to the front after Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Kyle Busch got together with less than four laps remaining in the race. Bowyer then scored four more top fives, and six more top tens, finishing 5th in points.

### 2009: Struggles

Bowyer started the 2009 season in strong fashion, finishing fourth in the Daytona 500 and second at Las Vegas in the third race of the year. With a sixth in Atlanta and a fifth in Martinsville, Bowyer was second in the overall standings after the six races of the 2009 season. However the next six races saw Bowyer not finish higher than 18th (Which was at the spring Richmond race), culminated in Bowyer being knocked down to 17th overall, 109 points behind Mark Martin in 12th place.

The following eleven races saw more consistent performances with one top five at Pocono, accompanied with five top tens climbed Bowyer up to 14th overall, within 58 points of 12th place. Finishing in the Top 15 in 8 of 11 races helped him make up 51 points on the 12th-place position in the standings.

However a 21st finish in the Bristol Night Race really hurt Bowyer's chance at the Chase, dropping him 112 points behind Matt Kenseth in 12th with just two races prior to the Chase. It was the 25th race at Atlanta where final nail in the coffin sealed Bowyer's fate, as a spin on lap 309 caused him to fall two laps down, and not make the Chase making it the first time since his rookie year that Bowyer did not make the Chase. While his chances at the Chase were over, Bowyer finished the season as he started it, with five Top 10s and nine Top 15s in the last 11 races. His top finish was the sixth-place run at Charlotte in the fall Overall, Bowyer finished the 2009 Pepsi Cup Series in 15th place.

### 2010: Improvements

Bowyer began 2010 with another 4th place finish in the 2010 Daytona 500 followed by two eighth place finishes in the following two races.