BUSCH: Memphis: Clint Bowyer preview

EVENT INFORMATION - Event: NASCAR Busch Series Sam's Town 250; Time and Date: 3:30 p.m. EDT, Saturday, Oct. 23; Site: Memphis Motorsports Park, Millington, Tenn., Live Coverage: TNT (television) at 3:30 p.m. EDT and MRN (radio) at 2:45 p.m. EDT; Qualifying: 4:35 p.m. EDT, Friday, Oct. 22, on SPEED (television).

DEFENDING CHAMPIONS - For the first time in NASCAR Busch Series history, the Owners' Championship and the Drivers' Championship were split. The No. 21 PAYDAY Chevrolet team won the Owners' Championship in commanding fashion, clinching the title at Rockingham with one race remaining in the season. The team finished 261 points ahead of the No. 5 team of Brian Vickers, who claimed the Drivers' Championship. In 2004, the No. 21 Chevrolet carries the REESE'S peanut butter cups colors as the team attempts to defend its title. Harvick will compete in 20 of the 34 Busch Series events this season, and rookie driver Clint Bowyer will drive the No. 21 REESE'S Chevy in the 14 other events on the schedule.

FOUR IN A ROW? - After taking a hiatus from Busch Series competition that lasted from Aug. 7 to Oct. 9, Bowyer's race at Memphis will be his third start of four consecutive races. Bowyer spent the past two weeks driving at Kansas Speedway and Lowe's Motor Speedway, with a solid 10th-place effort at Charlotte in a car owned by Harvick.

TESTING ALL CYLINDERS- Bowyer tested the REESE'S Chevrolet two weeks ago at Memphis Motorsports Park. The test went well, but most importantly, Bowyer became acclimated to the track. The team is optimistic entering the race weekend and hopes to build on the solid third-place effort Johnny Sauter posted there last year in the PAYDAY Chevrolet.

NEXT YEAR IS SET - Bowyer has a full-time ride in place for the 2005 Busch Series season. RCR announced at Kansas that Bowyer will drive the No. 2 ACDelco Chevrolet full-time in 2005. Bowyer's patience and eagerness to learn in 2004 has paid off in major ways.

CANDY MAKER FOR A DAY -Bowyer, Ron Hornaday, the ACDelco crew and REESE'S crew will visit the Hershey Foods Memphis production plant Thursday before the Memphis race. The team will meet with the employees at the plant and take a VIP tour of the facility. Bowyer and Hornaday might even get a chance to play candy maker for the day. The plant produces a variety of brands, the most recognizable brands being Hornaday's favorite Twizzler's and Good N' Plenty.

DID YOU KNOW? - Bowyer is an Elvis fan. He carries a copy of Elvis's driver's license with him in the pocket of his firesuit every time he qualifies the REESE'S Chevy. Bowyer toured Graceland while testing two weeks ago, and the team will host an Elvis impersonator at the track this weekend.

THE CAR - This week, crew chief Ricky Viers will load chassis No. 046 onto the REESE'S transporter. The car is one of the team's favorites. Bowyer tested the car three weeks ago at Kansas, and Harvick drove the car to a third-place finish at California in early September.

QUICK QUOTES AND NOTES: Crew chief Ricky Viers on Bowyer at the Memphis test- "Clint did a good job for us during the test. The most important thing is seat time at the track. There are a lot of tracks that Clint hadn't seen before, including Memphis. I'm glad that we got a ton of laps in, and Clint was comfortable with the car and the track."

Clint Bowyer on Memphis- "It's the home of the King! I know Elvis will be there to cheer us on. I like the track, and I think it has characteristics that fit my driving style. The test went well for us, and I logged a ton of laps. I had a pretty disappointing run last time I was in the REESE'S Chevy, so I'd like to rebound from that."