It's a showcase showdown between Clint Bowyer and Austin Dillon!

Clint Bowyer and Austin Dillon, c'mon down! The two Richard Childress Racing drivers stopped by "The Price is Right" in a segment that aired Monday on the popular long-running CBS game show.

Bowyer and Dillon filmed the segment back in October. They presented NASCAR-themed showcases to the final two contestants.

Which showcase would you rather have? Check out Bowyer and Dillon's "Price is Right" debut here:

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Clint Bowyer wins at Phoenix, so does Todd Bodine

Todd Warshaw/Getty Images for NASCAR

In his first truck series start in three years, Clint Bowyer was the first to take the checkered flag in Friday night’s Lucas Oil 150 at Phoenix International Raceway. He was very dominant all night, taking the lead from polesitter Austin Dillon early on.

His lead of 6.626 seconds was broken only by a caution on lap 52 because of fluid on the track. It was only the second caution of the night.

“Everybody back at the shop did such a great job building this thing,” he said. “They were excited about it before we came down here, and any time these guys get excited about building a truck back at the shop, you know as a racecar driver that you're going to have a good hot rod, and we certainly did.”

Enthusiastic as he was, Bowyer felt the pressure before the race.

“I had no idea Harvick won the last three (races at Phoenix). I was like ‘oh God, a little bit of pressure now.'”

He certainly did not break under the pressure, though. He managed to finish 1.039 seconds ahead of Kyle Busch. Johnny Sauter, Matt Crafton, and Aric Almirola rounded out the top five.

There was another celebration going on last night, though. Todd Bodine clinched the 2010 series championship.

In spite of clinching the title, Bodine was not pleased with his run or finish.

Rusty Jarrett/Getty Images
for NASCAR

“Well, tonight’s race was pretty bad. Our performance hasn’t been very good. You know, we fought the whole race and tried to make it better and we didn’t,” he said.

“Fortunately, we had enough cushion that we got it done in the points. That’s what we wanted, to come out of here with it locked up and be able to go to Homestead and enjoy it.”

Although it was enough for him to clinch the title, Bodine’s 12th place finish was unsatisfactory to him.

“In '06, we came out of here like 123 (points) ahead of Johnny (Benson). So we still had to race him at Homestead, and I was a nervous wreck. Now to be able to go to Homestead and enjoy it, that means a lot. But it never hit me to say ‘woo hoo, we won.' That didn’t happen actually ‘cause our performance was so bad, and what we’re about is racing good.”

In spite of the poor performance, he still came out as the 2010 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series champion.

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NASCAR upholds Clint Bowyer's points penalty, but reduces suspensions, fine

Clint Bowyer. (Jason Smith/Getty Images for NASCAR)

It's had fans up in arms and all but ended Clint Bowyer's chances at his first Sprint Cup championship.

The legal saga surrounding the penalties issued for the No. 33 team after Bowyer drove an illegal car to victory on Sept. 19 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway came to an end Tuesday. In a final appeals hearing, the suspensions for crew chief Shane Wilson and car chief Chad Haney were reduced from six weeks to four weeks, and Wilson's fine was lowered from $150,000 to $100,000. But the most damaging part of the penalty, the loss of 150 owner and driver points, remains unchanged.

NASCAR National Stock Car Racing Chief Appellate Officer John Middlebrook ruled that "NASCAR was correct in its decision to levy penalties" on the team for rule infractions discovered during post-race inspection at the NASCAR Research and Development Center.

Tuesday marked the second and final appeal from Richard Childress Racing. Last week a three-member NASCAR-appointed panel denied the organization's appeal after a four-hour hearing. The panel was comprised of former driver Lyn St. James, former USAC Chairman John Capels and former crew chief Waddell Wilson.

In a statement after Tuesday's ruling, Richard Childress said, "I'm disappointed that the results are not what we wanted, but I feel we received a fair hearing today. The final step in the appeals process is very good, and I can assure you we would not have taken our case to the chief appellate officer if the first step in the process had been as fair as today's. I want to thank all of the fans for their support. I'm proud to be a part of this sport and proud to represent RCR's partners. We all need to put this behind us and get back to racing. There are seven races remaining in the Chase, and Richard Childress Racing will continue our focus on winning the 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship."

The following is the official release from the NASCAR National Stock Car Racing Appeals Panel regarding Tuesday's decision:

(October 5, 2010) – Following an appeal hearing earlier today in Concord, N.C., the National Stock Car Racing Chief Appellate Officer has upheld the penalty for the No. 33 car in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, with the following revisions:

Crew chief Shane Wilson’s fine has been reduced from $150,000 to $100,000 and Wilson and car chief
Chad Haney’s race suspensions have been lowered from six to four. Both are suspended from NASCAR until Nov. 3 and are on probation until Dec. 31.

The loss of 150 championship owner and driver points remains intact.

The No. 33 car was penalized by NASCAR on Sept. 22 as a result of rule infractions discovered during post-race inspection at the NASCAR Research and Development Center following the Sept. 19 race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Specifically, the car body location specifications in reference to the certified chassis did not meet NASCAR-approved specifications of the 2010 NASCAR Rule Book.

“After reviewing all the data, presentation and factors involved, I am ruling NASCAR was correct in its decision to levy penalties,” said John Middlebrook, the National Stock Car Racing Chief Appellate Officer who presided over the hearing. “I believe that the revisions that have been made to the penalties are consistent and fair to both parties involved.”

– John Middlebrook, National Stock Car Racing Chief Appellate

NASCAR fans, what do you think of the revised penalties? Let Skirts and Scuffs know in the comments below.

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Where's the Respect Denny?

You don’t see me posting very often on Skirts and Scuffs, mainly because it takes a lot to get me involved in a story. It appears that Denny Hamlin is one issue worth breaking my silence for.

The Denny Hamlin/Clint Bowyer feud appears to have come out of nowhere. Better writers have covered the story, including right here, so I don’t need to delve into details. Had Denny made only one comment here or there, I wouldn’t even feel the need to comment, but it was thing he said in particular that got this writer up in flames.

On one side you have a driver, who many picked to win the NASCAR Cup title this year. On the other, you have a driver who actually won the first race of the Chase, backed by a team with decades of experience in NASCAR. The team and the teammates are what brought about the latest issue.

Maybe the problem is that Hamlin doesn’t understand how teammates actually work. When Harvick and Joey Lagano exchanged words earlier in the season, neither he nor Kyle Busch got involved. When Kyle had problems with a number of drivers in previous years, Hamlin stood idly by, twiddling his thumbs and waiting for the conversation to cycle back around to him. When he made his comments this week, perhaps he didn’t realize that Bowyer’s teammates and car owner would get involved.

That’s exactly what happened when Harvick gave him a minor bump both on Pit Road and on the track, during a practice session. Hamlin later said he knew something was coming because crew members wished him luck and made comments about the track. He then told reporters, “It's unnecessary that the team guys have to get involved in it…”


Wait a second, what? Let’s look at that again. “It's unnecessary that the team guys have to get involved in it.”

I’m sorry? Does anyone else remember the Nationwide race in Charlotte two years ago? I know I do because I was sitting on the Start/Finish line, when the checkered flag dropped. I watched his crew get into a scuffle on Pit Road with Dale Earnhardt Junior’s crew and Brad Keselowski’s crew. Hamlin and Keselowski exchanged bumps during the race, which led to an altercation after the race.

Afterwards, Hamlin made his infamous “concrete block” comment and seemingly had no problem with his crew getting involved in an incident that involved the two drivers. When the shoe’s on the other foot…

To quote Limp Bizkit, “your mouth’s writing checks that your *** can’t cash.” Maybe Hamlin expected RCR to lie down and take whatever he said. Maybe he even thought other teams would jump on his bandwagon. We’ve learned that other drivers, including his own teammates, are letting him float in the wind. No one has his back and no one is even willing to say they believe him.

What it all boils down to is a driver that’s worried about his own future. He may have the points lead now, but Harvick had it for weeks and he’s not that far removed from it now. If he truly wants, “to just keep focused on trying to win a championship,” then why all the comments now? Focus on your own driving and keep your mouth closed when it comes to others.

Can anyone see him doing this if Dale Earnhardt was still alive and racing? Dale would put him in the wall and close the case on the story. You would think that a younger driver would have more respect to the ones who came before him and the teams that helped make NASCAR what it is today. Then again, what do you expect from someone who brought Paris Hilton to a track?

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Denny Hamlin on "Bowyerpalooza"

On Friday, Denny Hamlin had his own opinions about Clint Bowyer and what Jeff Gluck appropriately calls "Bowyerpalooza."

After last Sunday's race at Loudon, New Hampshire, in which Clint Bowyer held Denny Hamlin off for the win, Bowyer's 33 car was taken in for further inspection. It was found that his car was illegal and NASCAR took action, since the 33 Hamburger Helper/ Cheerios team had been warned the week before that their cars was borderline legal. NASCAR fined both Bowyer's crew chief, and his car chief $150,000 each, deducted 150 points from both Bowyer's Chase points and Richard Childress' owner points, and suspended Shane Wilson, his crew chief for six weeks.

Denny Hamlin a bit to say about that by starting with "I'm not too discouraged with what we ended up with [at New Hampshire], but I know we were the fastest legal car."


In the media center, he continued, "NASCAR has been very, very lenient on this car. And they've given these guys chances. It's not Richmond, I think they should just be happy they're in The Chase at this point because they were warned, and they werre warned before Richmond. Everyone in the garage knows that, so they're the ones who wanted to press the issue to make sure they got in The Chase, they got in The Chase and got busted."

"One thing I can tell you is that my car- this is the car I had at Atlanta, we blew up at Atlanta, okay- they towed this car all the way in and they destroyed the trunk, the tow truck destroyed the trunk. But, we never replaced one thing on the tail of this car and it just went through inspection fine. So, my car went through way more destruction than what his did just getting a simple push and my car is fine. You know?" he continued on to say. Very valid point made by Hamlin.

"At this point, I think that they're just trying to salvage their season basically and they're going to do everything they can. I understand that. The whole appeal process that they're gonna go through."

"There has to be a point where it's not black or white and it's no longer grey. If they let them get away with this sixty thousandths of an inch, then when do you stop? When do you break it and say "Okay, now we have to penalize." because there has to be a point of tolerance. If you go past it, you're in trouble. If they're gonna let him go, they're gonna open up the entire field to do what they want."

He continues on to say that some teams play closer to that line than others, there are other things that happen out on the track that effect the car that could make you wrong, but you have to take that risk. He makes a valid point in saying that if you go out on the race track saying "I can't get one bump on this car." you're not going to do well. But, then came the shocking, "In the garage, everyone has known for months. This isn't two weeks old, this is something that's been going on for months. It's been going on for a long time. way before Richmond."

Here's my opinion on this whole matter. I do agree with Hamlin, but if everyone has known for a long time, then why didn't anyone go to NASCAR and say "Look, the 33 team is messing around with their car and it's on the borderline of being illegal." I suppose if I were a driver just outside The Chase bubble and I knew this information, I would go straight to the source.

Later yesterday, Denny adressed some more on Twitter. Here are the posts:

"sorry all RCR fans.. im not bashing clint, richard or anyone else.. just defending Nascar on this one.. all these teams work damn hard"
"we all want a level playing field. Nascar just has to make that happen and facts are facts.. they had no choice."
"richard might have a compelling enough case to convince them and this will all go away for them. nobody wants to be called a cheater"
"ok ive reached my twitter limit for the day.. its time everyone just worries about themselves.. me included..."

It was surprising to me that Denny defended NASCAR on this one. Especially after he was fined $50,000 after his commments about NASCAR on Twitter.

So, here's my question. What do you think about Denny's take on "Bowyerpalooza?" Leave your comments below and I would like to do follow-up article about your thoughts and opinions.

The views expressed in this post are those of the author and not necessarily those of the site or its administrators.

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Bowyer's Distraction

After it was announced that the #33 RCR Cheerios Team was losing 150 owner points, would pay a fine of $150,000, Crew Chief Shane Wilson would serve a six week suspension, Car Chief Chad Haney would serve a six week suspension, and driver Clint Bowyer was to lose 150 driver points the questions started to fly. Everyone was asking what the violation had been and NASCAR wasn't saying. Richard Childress was the first to announce that the penalty handed down was due to the rear of the chassis being sixty-thousandth of an inch outside of specified tolerances. Bowyer elaborated today and said that the rear quarter panel was the piece of the car outside of specifications.

Clint Bowyer put that measurement into perspective during Friday's Media conference. “Sixty-thousandths of an inch, folks. Grab a quarter out of your pocket. Less than the thickness of that quarter right there is worth a 150-point fine?” Not to mention the other penalties. Clint went onto say that he does not believe the team did anything wrong. He made it clear he was going on the record as saying that, and that he felt his fans needed to hear him say it.

To further make his feelings clear, Clint said “There's a lot of integrity that goes into this sport, I'm damn proud to be a part of this sport, I love this sport, and I wouldn't cheat to win a race in this sport. We have a lot more integrity in the race team and RCR.” Coming out of the media session, Bowyer headed to the first weekend practice at Dover International Speedway. Admitting that he has had trouble focusing on this weekend with the incident looming overhead as RCR awaits an appeal hearing in the next week or so, Clint went to the first practice session at Dover under extreme pressure.

The first practice session closed with Bowyer in fourth place on the leader board with a speed of 155.072, just .123seconds behind the fastest car in practice on Friday. Qualifications did not turn out as well. When qualifications wound down and found Jimmie Johnson atop the leader board, Bowyer was way back in 24^th place. Bowyer's speed of 153.997 was .261 behind Johnson, the 43 qualifiers were separated by less than nine-tenths of a second in Qualifications.

Bowyer now must come out during the two Saturday practice sessions and forget the happening of the past week and focus on what is going on this weekend – a race to gain invaluable lost points. With an average finish at Dover of 14.7 Clint will have to come out on Sunday and perform better than average to make up some of the lost ground. Although the appeal is in process and will be heard before officials sometime, hopefully in the next week Richard Childress made it clear that the team is not counting on winning the appeal. Childress said “...in the history of RCR don't think we have been but to maybe three appeals. We didn't win any of them."

Amy McHargue

http://ellipticalcurrents.blogspot.com

*The views expressed in this post are those of the author and not necessarily those of the site or its administrators.

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From Second to the Bottom

Clint Bowyer, left, and crew chief Shane Wilson hug after Bowyer's
victory at New Hampshire on Sunday. (Jason Smith/Getty Images for NASCAR)

Just a couple of days ago we were calling Clint Bowyer the comeback kid, but today he’s the guy everyone wants answers from. Conspiracy theorists are calling this NASCAR’s way of helping Jimmie Johnson to a fifth consecutive championship while members of the media are left wondering what’s really going on. Regardless of what happened and how it’s being perceived one thing is for sure. Clint Bowyer just went from second to 12th in the points in a matter of minutes.

It was revealed on Wednesday that Bowyer’s car, which he won with this past weekend at New Hampshire, failed post-race inspection. If you remember last week, Bowyer and his team were warned about their car from Richmond being very close to the edge of what is allowed. While no penalties were given out after the close call, the team wasn’t as lucky this week.

Below is the release issued by NASCAR regarding the fines, suspensions and points deductions for the #33 RCR team.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Sept. 22, 2010) – NASCAR has issued penalties, suspensions and fines to two teams in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, as a result of rules infractions discovered this week during post-race inspection at the NASCAR Research and Development Center following last Sunday’s race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. 

The No. 33 team was found to be in violation of Sections 12-1 (actions detrimental to stock car racing); 12-4-J (any determination by NASCAR officials that the race equipment used in the event does not conform to NASCAR rules); and 20-3 (car body location specifications in reference to the certified chassis did not meet NASCAR-approved specifications) of the 2010 NASCAR Rule Book.

As a result, crew chief Shane Wilson has been fined $150,000, suspended from the next six NASCAR Sprint Cup events, suspended from NASCAR until Nov. 3 and placed on probation until Dec. 31. Car chief Chad Haney has also been suspended from the next six NASCAR Sprint Cup events, suspended from NASCAR until Nov. 3 and placed on probation until Dec. 31. Driver Clint Bowyer and owner Richard Childress have been penalized with the loss of 150 championship driver and owner points, respectively.

The No. 46 team was found to be in violation of Sections 12-1, 12-4-J, and 20-5.8.4.C (engine exhaust valves did not meet the minimum weight requirement) of the 2010 NASCAR Rule Book.

Crew chief Jeremy Lafaver has been fined $50,000, suspended from the next six NASCAR Sprint Cup events, suspended from NASCAR until Nov. 3 and placed on probation until Dec. 31. Driver Michael McDowell and owner Dusty Whitney have been penalized with the loss of 50 championship driver and owner points, respectively.


Readers, what do you think about the penalties? Skirts and Scuffs would like to know. Please leave your comments below.

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Team Focus on Richard Childress Racing

Team History and Richard Childress
Debuting in 1969 at the Talladega 500 Richard Childress Racing entered the NASCAR scene during a boycott by the majority of drivers due to a lack of tire grip from the Goodyear tires. Other drivers not a part of the Professional Drivers Association stepped in to race on that September day in Alabama, including Richard Childress where Childress finished 23rd out of 36 drivers in his first race in his own car.


Over twelve years of racing at the Cup level in NASCAR Richard Childress competed in 285 races. Beginning in 1969 and closing in 1981 Childress earned 76 top ten finishes, six top fives, and no wins. In 1981 Childress handed some of the driving over to drivers Dale Earnhardt and Kirk Shelmerdine. 1982 brought Ricky Rudd to RCR but the first win for the team did not occur until 1983 with Rudd behind the wheel. Dale Earnhardt took over full-time driving rights for RCR in 1984 and won 67 races for Richard Childress Racing over the next 18 seasons.


RCR has raced during 37 seasons; over those years the team has seen 1,985 starts at the Cup Series level as of the start of today's Truck Series Race. RCR's starts have resulted in 92 wins, 399 top five finishes, 818 top tens, and 42 starts from the pole. The team has won over $218 Million through its 41 seasons and has an average finish of 15.7th place. RCR drivers have driven more than three-quarters of a million miles at the Cup Series level. After having all three Sprint Cup drivers for 2010 make the Chase to the Championship there is a strong possibility that RCR will have another Championship to add to the previous six that RCR drivers have earned at the Sprint Cup level.


Kevin Harvick (Cup #29)

The #29 car has been sponsored by Shell/Penzoil for 2010 but will be bringing Budweiser on board for 2011. Harvick has 10 seasons under his belt in Cup Level Racing and posts 14 wins, 72 top five finishes, 147 top tens, and has started from the pole seven times.


Harvick and wife DeLana started Kevin Harvick Incorporated in 2007 for the NASCAR Trucks Series, although Kevin had raced his own truck in prior years. KHI Racing now has entries in both the Truck Series and Nationwide Series. Harvick has proven himself to be effective as both a driver and team owner through his accomplishments in Cup Series racing and through his KHI Team performance in other series racing. Truck Series driver Ron Hornaday brought home the Championship for KHI in 2009 and Kevin has made the Chase for the Championship in Cup level racing for RCR in four of the last five years.


Jeff Burton (Cup #31)

Racing at the Cup Series level since 1993 and full-time since 1997 Jeff has 573 starts, 21 wins, 127 top five finishes, 235 top tens, and has started from the pole six times. Burton is another driver for RCR who has made the Chase for the Championship four of the last five years. A solid performer in 2010 Jeff has 13 top ten finishes and starts the Chase in the 10th spot with a 12.7 average finish thus far in 2010.


Clint Bowyer (Cup #33)
2010 is Bowyer's 7th season at the Sprint Cup level, his 6th year as a full-time Cup Series driver. Clint has posted season finishes in the top twelve three of the last four years, his best season being 2007 when he finished third in season points. Over his 171 Cup Series starts Bowyer has claimed two wins, 24 top five finishes, 75 top tens, and two starts from the pole.

Bowyer also has a full-time dirt track late model team that races under Clint Bowyer Racing. Carrying over momentum from this year's Sprint Cup Series successes, dirt driver Dale McDowell posted a win just two weeks ago for Clint Bowyer Racing, earning a $20,000 check at the Pepsi 75 River Days Rumble at Portsmouth Raceway Park in Portsmouth, Ohio on September 4th. It was McDowell's third win of the season for Clint Bowyer Racing.  It seems that Bowyer is a success both on and off the track.

#21 Nationwide Series Car

The #21 car has had Clint Bowyer, Morgan Shepard, Scott Riggs, and John Wes Townsley behind the wheel in 2010 and has earned seven top ten finishes in 2010, no top fives, and no wins. The #21 car for RCR has been in the Nationwide Series, at least on a part-time basis since 2000. At the end of August the team developed a partnership with Morgan Shepard to form Shepard Racing Ventures to keep the #21 car on the track for the remainder of the season.


Austin Dillon (Trucks #3)

The Grandson of Richard Childress, Austin Dillon is in his rookie season in the Camping World Truck Series. An impressive start in his first full-time season Dillon has one win, five top five finishes, 12 top tens, and is 6th in season points standings. Austin participated in four different series in 2009 as part of his development from RCR; Dillon raced in the Nationwide and Camping World Truck Series along with K & N Pro Series starts and ARCA races. With wins in the Nationwide, Camping World Truck Series, and K & N Dillon has proven he can be competitive in various series and his freshman year in the Camping World Truck Series has shown he can hold his own on the track with the more experienced drivers.

Development and the Future of RCR
The future is taken seriously at Richard Childress Racing. From the #21 Zaxby's car in the Nationwide Series down to dirt track racing RCR involvement with many talented drivers to step up into the higher series' as their skill is developed. Names to watch for in the future with Richard Childress Racing include Ty Dillon, Ryan Gifford, Blake Koch, and Tim George, Jr.

Richard Childress Racing announced earlier this year that the team will be adding a fourth car to its Sprint Cup Series stable with driver Paul Menard; this addition will come with Menard's Sponsorship. Menard will be joining RCR veteran drivers Kevin Harvick, Jeff Burton, and Clint Bowyer. With just the three cars guaranteed starting spots based on owner's points carryover from 2010, Menard will have to qualify in on speed to begin the 2011 season. Next year will prove to be another pivotal year at RCR with the strong 2010 season to answer to.

Amy McHargue
http://ellipticalcurrents.blogspot.com

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Clint Bowyer: News Conference Notes

Morning practice for the NASCAR Nationwide Series at Richmond found Clint Bowyer on top of the leader board. Clint has hopes that he can carry this morning's practice speeds into Nationwide Qualifying later today and into Cup practice and Qualifying later this afternoon. Pulling double-duty this weekend, Bowyer is in the precarious 12th Cup Chase spot and needs a good showing in Cup Series racing. With an average finish at Richmond International Raceway of 10.2 and 44% of his Cup starts at RIR ending in top ten finishes Bowyer should feel confident going into the Cup race that the 12th Chase spot will be his at the end of Saturday night.

At Clint's morning media session at Richmond International Raceway he came in with a smile on his face. Bowyer opened with comments that he has had fun at RIR so far and has a great Nationwide car. He says he is fairly comfortable with his lead over the 13th spot in Cup Points and if something happens to keep him out of the Chase “it was just not meant to be.” With a 117 point lead over Ryan Newman, Bowyer does have a bit of a cushion going into this weekend's Cup event although he is definitely not assured of a Chase spot quite yet.

Bowyer said that the team's struggles in the middle of the Atlanta race were rough but when they got the car straightened out by the end of the race for a 7th place finish it was a big sigh of relief to widen the gap between Clint's 12th spot and Newman's 13th spot in Points. One media member present said that he had spoken with Bowyer's Crew Chief Shane Wilson earlier in the morning. Wilson had stated that he thought Clint was more nervous than himself going into this weekend. Clint laughed and said he is nervous but he has a good feeling going in with a 100+ point lead. Bowyer went on to say that “being part of the Chase is very relieving, very gratifying, it's a pretty elite crowd.”


When asked if drivers can try any harder than they have all season when they have nothing to lose Clint talked about taking chances on tire and fuel strategy. Bowyer says that he expects teams to take chances at the end of the race Saturday night but that every driver at this level gives 110% at every track.

Shannon Spake from ESPN asked Clint how nervous he is compared to how confident he is that he will be in the Chase Bowyer answered that anything can happen. He said he was nervous about running Nationwide the past few weeks because he wasn't sure how it would affect his Chase performance but that he has been pleasantly surprised how well the two compliment one another. Bowyer also said he thinks that he has a shot at “winning this thing tonight.”

When asked about the have-at-it-boys policy Bowyer said “Respect goes a long way in this sport. I feel like I respect drivers on the race track and they respect me back...I'm proud of that.” Clint said he is looking forward to a good race; he is here to win the race. He said RIR is his favorite race track. Short-track racing is an opportunity for Clint to run well and to have a good time doing it, as he says that Short-track racing is fun for him, as it is for most drivers.

Asked if there is any strength in numbers with teammates also in the Chase, Clint answered “Absolutely.” He said that learning from teammates can be a big advantage and that he needs to finish better like teammate Kevin Harvick. Bowyer also said that if all three drivers can put it together and learn from one another during the last ten races RCR has a real shot at winning the Championship.

“Consistency always wins Championships”, Bowyer stated. He made a comment that “Superman” (referring to Jimmie Johnson) has struggled and he expects that going into Homestead there will be four or five cars in contention. According to Bowyer finishing consistently well will be the key to winning the Championship. Clint closed with comments that going into the Chase in 12th place he has no where to go but up; Bowyer will be racing to gain spots from here on out in the 2010 season.

Amy McHargue
http://ellipticalcurrents.blogspot.com/

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Busch vs. Busch: Infineon

Kyle Busch

Nationwide: Brad Coleman again was in the seat of No. 18. He finished sixth after qualifying fourth. He finished third, third and first in three of the four practices and led one time for seven laps.

Cup: Busch had a horrible weekend at Sonoma, one he probably wants to forget. After finishing ninth, 11th and 24th in practices, he started 27th. On the 11th lap, he was involved in an accident with Jamie McMurray, A.J. Allmendinger, Elliot Sadler and Clint Bowyer. While the others were able to get back on the track, Busch wasn't so lucky and went behind the wall for 33 laps. Upon returning, he received a penalty on lap 87 for pulling up to pit. The race finally ended and Busch finished 39th, 34 laps down. He lost the second spot in the standings, falling to third, being replaced by race winner Jimmie Johnson.




Kurt Busch

The elder Busch was on track to have a great race...



The remainder of this article can be read at examiner.com.

Article originally published at LV NASCAR Examiner and republished with permission of author.

Photo: Tom Pennington/Getty Images for NASCAR

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Bowyer gets three-race probation for aggressive driving at Dover

Clint Bowyer was placed on a three-race probation for intentionally wrecking Denny Hamlin under caution during last weekend's Nationwide Series race at Dover, NASCAR announced Wednesday.

Bowyer, driver of the No. 21 car in the Nationwide Series, will be on probation until June 16 for aggressive driving. The probation applies to all three of NASCAR's top series.

NASCAR parked Bowyer for the last six laps of the Heluva Good! 200 for retaliating against Hamlin, driving the No. 20 for Joe Gibbs Racing, for an incident that happened a few laps earlier.

Before the second to last restart, Hamlin got into the back of Bowyer, who was running second. The contact triggered a nine-car wreck. After the red flag, Bowyer drove from the pits and hit the side of Hamlin's car, spinning him out.

Bowyer was issued the same penalty that Carl Edwards and Jason Leffler received for retaliation incidents earlier in the season.

PHOTO FROM NASCAR MEDIA

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The Lugnut Report: Clint Bowyer Grabs Top Ten in Phoenix

It was an unexpectedly busy weekend at Phoenix International Speedway for Clint Bowyer. Coming into the first Saturday night race of the season, Bowyer was ninth and points and ready to put all his focus on the Subway Fresh Fit 600.

On Friday, Bowyer practiced his No. 33 Cheerio's/Hamburger Chevrolet in both Sprint Cup practices, putting the No. 33 sixth and 13th on the speed charts.

During the only Nationwide Series practice of the day John Wes Townley had a hard wreck and Richard Childress Racing announced Bowyer would take over the No. 21 car for Friday's Nationwide race.

After Cup practices were over, Bowyer qualified the Nationwide car 21st, and headed back to the Cup garage to qualify his No. 33 25th.

Despite rumors in the garage, Bowyer said before the Basha's Supermarkets 200 began that he had no intention of driving the Zaxby's Chevrolet for the rest of the year, and that Townley was "a good kid from a good family."

Trouble for the No. 21 team came on lap 31 when Bowyer hit the wall. However, Bowyer spent most of the race successfully battling his way toward the front.

Late in the race, Bowyer managed to escape a multi car wreck, caused by leader Kyle Busch's bad restart, with minimal damage.

Bowyer would finish the race just outside the top ten, in 11th.

On Saturday night, Bowyer started mid pack but he and teammates Kevin Harvick and Jeff Burton were all in a hurry to get to the front.

Upon the lap 22 restart Clint Bowyer, in the midst of traffic, spun the 2010 Daytona 500 winner Jamie McMurray, bringing out the second caution of the night. The No. 33 escaped with no damage, while McMurray had to bring his Chevy down pit road for repairs.

By lap 71, Bowyer had cracked the top ten and stayed there the majority of the night. He didn't make much noise there, however, until late in the race. He and Jeff Gordon had an intense side by side battle for third on lap 361, but Gordon ultimately prevailed.

Bowyer continued to challenge in the top five, but the pit stop prior to the green white checkered back tracked on Bowyer's momentum, and he fell back out of the top five. He finished ninth.

The finish,though, shot Bowyer three spots up to sixth in points. Next up for Bowyer is the Samsung Mobile 500 at Texas Motor Speedway on April 18, 3 PM ET on FOX.

Thanks to Racing Reference, NASCAR.com, NASCAR on FOX, ESPN2, Jayski, ClintBowyer.com, SceneDaily.com, and NNSRacing.com for the information, quotes and stats used in this post.

For Patti Rodisch's Lugnut Report on Martin Truex, Jr. click here.

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