NASCAR Cup

Michigan: Clint Bowyer preview

This Weekend's Cheerios/Hamburger Helper Chevrolet Impala at Michigan International Speedway... Clint Bowyer will pilot Chassis No. 306 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable. This is a brand new Chevrolet Impala that will ...

Published: Jun 9, 2010, 5:16 AM

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This Weekend's Cheerios/Hamburger Helper Chevrolet Impala at Michigan International Speedway... Clint Bowyer will pilot Chassis No. 306 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable. This is a brand new Chevrolet Impala that will be put through its first paces this weekend.

Michigan Stats ... In eight NSCS starts at MIS, Bowyer has two top-10 finishes, a 10th-place finish last July and an eight-place finish in August. The two-time NSCS race winner has completed 1,486 of 1,535 laps contested (96.8 percent) and owns a 21.1 average finish at the two-mile track located in Michigan's Irish Hills.

Rearview Mirror ... Bowyer and the No. 33 Cheerios/Hamburger Helper team are back inside the coveted top 12 in the NSCS point standings following a ninth-place finish in last Sunday's Gillette Fusion ProGlide 500 presented by Target at Pocono Raceway. The Emporia, Kan., native started on the outside pole, led a season-high 59 laps and had a strong comeback as he picked up 20 positions over the final 33 laps to score his eighth top-10 finish of the 2010 season.

Points Check ... With 12 races remaining before the 12-man Chase field is set, Bowyer sits 12th in the NSCS championship point standings, 117 markers in arrears to his RCR teammate Jeff Burton in eighth and one point ahead of fellow Chevrolet driver Tony Stewart in 13th.

Prelude to the Dream ... Bowyer will pilot his Clint Bowyer Racing-prepared No. 33 Cheerios/Dollar General Chevrolet in Wednesday night's Gillette Fusion ProGlide Prelude to the Dream at Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio. The annual event includes a little twist in terms of who benefits from the proceeds. Four teams, each comprised of six to seven of motorsports' top drivers, will compete for four different children's hospitals from across the country. Bowyer is the captain for Team Riley Hospital for Children (Indianapolis, Ind.) with teammates Jeff Gordon, Ryan Newman, A.J. Allmendinger, Kenny Wallace, Ron Capps and Justin Allgaier. The Prelude to the Dream will air live on HBO Pay-Per-View beginning at 7 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time. For more information and instructions on how to order the event, please visit http://www.preludetothedream.org/.

CLINT BOWYER: You had two top-10 finishes in the last season at Michigan. Has the No. 33 team found something that has improved your performance there?

"We found a little bit last year. Michigan has been an up and down race track for me, but we were able to smooth things out last year. We had two top-10 finishes, but we would like to find a way to make them top fives this year. That is our goal this season. To improve not only there, but everywhere we go. Certainly, earning top fives will really help our cause."

Does Michigan drive like a dirt track?

"Absolutely. It's like a big, big dirt track. You get into the corner with so much momentum. You try to make the car rotate with the inertia and speed your carrying through the center of the corners so you don't get loose and have the car get out from underneath you. That's the trick there. You have to get the car to rotate as soon as possible in order to make those straightaways as long as possible. If you are able to do that, and your car will allow you to do that, you'll be just fine there."

Can you explain to a race fan what it is like to 'dirt track' around Michigan?

"It's not a very good feeling. It depends on what type of 'dirt tracking' you're working with. If it's a controlled slide, then you're good. If your car gets to stepping out on you, it's no fun and you better be slowing down or else you will bust your butt."

Does horsepower play a major role in Michigan?

"Horsepower definitely play a major role there. It's a big race track so you need a lot of steam. The ECR (Earnhardt-Childress Racing) boys have been doing a great job with their engine packages for us every weekend. I'm proud of the engine shop on what they've been able accomplish so far this season. Their hard work is going to pay dividends at a place like Michigan."

-source: rcr

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