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CLINT BOWYER

Birth Date: May 30, 1979 Hometown: Emporia, Kan.
Team: No. 14 Ford Mustang GT / Stewart-Haas Racing

Clint Bowyer didn’t know what to expect ahead of the 2019 Monster
Energy NASCAR Cup Series season. Not only will he be in a new car at
2018 featured drivers will change track-by-track.
Stewart-Haas Racing, he will be working with a different set of rules that

But Bowyer is certain of one thing: the season will be fun and exciting.

He revived his career in 2018 by winning twice and qualifying for the
NASCAR Playoffs that broke a winless streak that stretched all the way
back to 2012. And while he faces the challenges of a switch from the Ford
Fusion to the Mustang GT, as well as a host of new rules designed to
create more side-by-side racing, Bowyer will have a good time while he
figures things out.

Bowyer didn’t win during his first year at SHR in 2017, but he certainly was FOLLOW ONLINE
an asset to the four-car operation last season.

“Everybody that knows me know that I have fun and run my mouth and @ClintBowyer @ClintBowyer
I’m goofy and everything else, but I do appreciate this opportunity and
appreciate the army of people that make this possible for all of us,” he
said. “This is fun to be in this equipment. It’s fun to be alongside our clintbowyer.com @ClintBowyer
teammates. I appreciate this opportunity more than it’s hard to say, know
what I mean?”
With so much already accomplished, and so much more to improve,
Bowyer’s first victory came at Martinsville. He led the final 114 laps to Bowyer now has to deal with learning a new car and rulebook.
break a 190-race draught, and he marked the occasion by wiping tears
and waving at fans along the frontstretch while carrying his son, Cash. “To be dead honest with you, generally speaking, I don’t know what
to expect,” Bowyer said. “I don’t think anybody can expect too much
He won again in June at Michigan with Stewart-Haas teammates Kevin right now or know what to expect. I’m looking forward to going out
Harvick and Kurt Busch following in second and third, respectively. there and getting, I guess, that idea of the expectations going into the
season under my belt, firsthand.
Another high-water moment for SHR came at Talladega during the playoffs
when Almirola led Bowyer across the finish line. All four team cars ran in a “This is a drastic rule change. The face of our sport is going to be
group at the front of the pack for most of the race, only to be broken up in different.”
overtime when Harvick ran out of gas and Busch got shuffled in the draft.
NASCAR will have different specifications tailored to specific tracks,
“Man, you can’t say enough. I mean, I don’t think you can write enough including a tapered spacer to reduce horsepower and aero ducts as
about the job that everybody at Stewart-Haas did,” Bowyer said after the racetracks that measure more than a mile. Five races will have the
race. “Those cars were so fast. Oh my gosh, was it awesome.” smaller spacer and no aero ducts. Cars also will be fitted with larger
real spoilers and front splitters, as well as a wider radiator pan to
Once he got into the playoffs, he advanced through the first two rounds, create more downforce to enhance handling.
but he was knocked out in the third with finishes of 21st, 26th and 35th.
The deciding blow came at Phoenix with the 35th-place finish after he Bowyer will have the benefit of having three other teammates to
blew a left-rear tire and crashed. quickly sort through the nuances. Kevin Harvick and Aric Almirola both
made the playoffs a year ago, while newcomer Daniel Suarez brings a
Bowyer wound up 12th in points – his highest finish since he finished fresh approach – and the experienced learned while winning the 2016
seventh in 2013. NASCAR Xfinity Series championship.
Bowyer wound up with nine top-fives and 16 top-10s. But he also was “The strength comes with numbers in our sport, and having four cars
knocked out the race six times by crashes. is such a powerful thing,” Bowyer said.

76 THE OFFICIAL NASCAR 2019 PREVIEW & PRESS GUIDE