NASCAR Cup

Bowyer - Kansas Friday Media Visit

Kansas Speedway

Edited: Jun 1, 2018, 1:02 PM

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CLINT BOWYER, AMERICAN ETHANOL CHEVROLET met with media and discussed racing in his hometown of Kansas, the upcoming Prelude, and more.

ON THE TORNADO DESTRUCTION IN JOPLIN “Oh, it’s just horrible what has happened to those folks down there. We were able to go over to Bass Pro Shops; Johnny Morris put on a great fund-raiser in Springfield at their headquarters there. I had a lot of fun. We had a lot of people come in and we raised I think over $350,000 for those folks. It meant a lot to me to be able to go over and participate in that. I thanked them for giving me the opportunity and we’re just doing anything you can possibly do to help out in any way possible. I don’t know the words that you could say to talk about that. It’s very devastating and sad and you just wish them all the best in getting things back up and ready to go again.”

IF YOUR CREW CHIEF TELLS YOU TO CONSERVE FUEL, WHAT GOES THROUGH YOUR MIND AND HOW DO YOU DO THAT AT A TRACK LIKE KANSAS? “The first thing through your mind is, ‘Oh no!’ (laughs). That’s the first thing. But there are some things you can do. First and foremost you’ve got to start backing up the corner; not using any brake, let the car roll and try to stay off the gas pedal as much as possible. You can truly save a lot of fuel doing that. And sometimes even keep your same speed or actually pick up some speed in doing that. That’s absolutely crucial. When the caution comes out, you’d better get that baby shut off. Coast as much as you can and stay off the gas. Keep here in high gear and just try to do the best you can in managing in that situation. And if you do, you just might win a race.”

Clint Bowyer, Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet

Photo by: Motorsport.com / ASP Inc.

HOW HAS THIS TRACK MATURED OVER THE YEARS YOU’VE RUN HERE? “When we first came here it was really single-file, ride around the bottom. As these tracks age, these 1.5-mile tracks, I feel like they get a lot better. The racing gets better. The groove widens out. It really becomes a multi-groove race trace and that’s what excites me about this place. It’s slick man, I’m telling you; every time I come back here, the track gets slicker and slicker where they’ve tarred and patched the cracks are really slick. You’ve got to be conscious of those and not get on those; cross them or try to drive on them you run your right sides on them you could bust your butt pretty easy.”

IS THE HEAT GOING TO MAKE THEM EVEN SLICKER? “Oh, yeah, but I’m telling you, for an old dirt racer that plays right in my hand. I enjoy that. That’s usually when I perform my best.”

ARE YOU GOING TO GET TO SOME OF THE OTHER TRACKS THAT YOU USED TO RACE ON WHILE WE’RE HERE IN KANSAS? “Yeah, I’ll get over to Lakeside (Speedway). I’m not going to be able to race this time. The Prelude is next Wednesday so all of our dirt efforts are getting prepared for the Prelude and obviously the Dream is that weekend and the biggest race of the year for us on the dirt side. So it’s a big weekend next weekend. I’ve kind of kept the plans for Lakeside and the Kansas deal off a little bit. But I’m looking forward to the fall race and hopefully getting over there and racing then.”

FROM A PRIDE PROSPECTIVE, HOW BIG IS THE PRELUDE? “It’s huge. A lot of pride goes into that. But for me, it’s a lot of fun. It’s my one fun week a year. That’s where we just go out and I hope that none of those guys take that too seriously because it’s all about fun. More importantly the reason we all take it pretty serious is because of the impact that we get to make in a lot of people’s lives. Tony (Stewart) raises a ton of money in that thing and it’s very gratifying to be a part of that.”

ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO TRYING TO BEAT JIMMIE JOHNSON SINCE HE BEAT YOU LAST YEAR IN YOUR CAR? “Oh, yeah; don’t kid yourself. We’re there to win. But like I said, I have a lot of fun there. You won’t see me without a smile on my face.”

-source: team chevy

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