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[/media-credit]Bowyer Says Pocono/Prelude to the Dream Week
is Perfect Example of Why He is a 5-hour ENERGY Guy
CORNELIUS, N.C. – No. 15 5-hour ENERGY Toyota driver Clint Bowyer likes to keep busy, but this week between building dirt cars, NASCAR Sprint Cup Series testing at Pocono Raceway, dirt racing in Tony Stewart’s Prelude to the Dream, and Cup Series racing at Pocono, he may be taking it to the extreme.
That’s why Bowyer says he’s a 5-hour ENERGY guy.
“It’s a 5-hour ENERGY kind of week!” says Bowyer. “I have been out at my dirt shop all week trying to get my Georgia Boot car ready for the Prelude (to the Dream), my dirt car teams got back super late last night (Monday), and I was trying to help them get their cars clean and repaired. We have a two-day test at Pocono split by the Prelude and then our normal Sprint Cup race weekend. Lots to get done and no rest in sight.”
Bowyer sent out the following tweet on Monday afternoon of his Georgia Boot dirt car getting ready for the Prelude to the Dream.
“5-hour ENERGY really is a staple in my life. I take a shot or two a day when I really start to hit the wall, but I know there is no way I can stop with the amount of work I have to get done,” continued Bowyer.
Bowyer owns his own dirt late model team, Clint Bowyer Racing, which competes in the Lucas Oil Late Model Series. Clint Bowyer Racing built Jimmie Johnson’s race winning car for the Prelude to the Dream in 2010 and Bowyer’s race winner in 2011.
Clint Bowyer Racing aims for its third straight victory in the Prelude to the Dream but knows the long hours and hard work are just part of the deal.
“We all work hard and take the Prelude very seriously – it’s important to our team and our sponsors that we go out and perform at the highest level,” explained Bowyer. “So we need all the focus and the energy that we can get.”
And it’s not just Bowyer’s dirt car team that’s burning the midnight oil. His Michael Waltrip Racing team will also embark on a busy schedule beginning this weekend.
“We have a two day test in Pocono followed by a typically long race weekend,” said Brian Pattie, crew chief for the No. 15 Toyota. “After that we get back to North Carolina and immediately leave for the Bristol tire test and then a Michigan open test and race weekend followed by Sonoma.”
ADDITIONAL NOTES OF INTEREST
· 5-hour ENERGY VIP Sweepstakes: The 5-hour ENERGY VIP Racing Experience Sweepstakes winner will receive travel accommodations to Charlotte, N.C., unique team access at the track, honorary pit crew memberships, the winner’s name on the No. 15 Toyota, NASCAR Hall of Fame tickets, a MWR shop tour and meet and greets with Michael Waltrip and Clint Bowyer. For more information or to enter, please visit the online entry form.
· BOWYER AT POCONO: Bowyer will make his 13th NSCS start at Pocono Raceway on Sunday. In his previous 12 starts Bowyer has one top-five and five top-10 finishes. His best finish at Pocono is third in August 2009 where he led 29 laps. Bowyer has led a total of 91 laps in his 12 starts, averages a 20th place starting position and finish of 17th.
· HELLO JUNE: Bowyer kicked off June by recording a fifth place finish at Dover – his first top-five since Bristol. Prior to 2012, Bowyer has four top-five and 18 top-10s with an average finish of 15.6 in 42 starts at tracks the NSCS visits in the month of June (Dover, Pocono, Michigan and Sonoma)
· BOWYER IN 2012: In 13 starts this season Bowyer has two top-five, six top-10 and 10 top-15 finishes. He has led five laps – three at Las Vegas and two at Martinsville. He has an average finish of 13.0 and start of 14.6. Bowyer’s best average finish for a season came in 2007 when he averaged a finish of 13.8 and finished third in the final point standings.
· CHASSIS NOTES: Primary Chassis No. 733 is a new chassis racing for the first time at Pocono Raceway. Chassis No. 721 is the backup and previously served backup duty at Las Vegas, California, Texas, Kansas, Darlington, All-Star and Charlotte but never raced.
· TESTING: Bowyer and the No. 15 team are participating in NASCAR’s open test at Pocono Raceway on Wednesday and Thursday this week. Next week the No. 15 team is part of the Goodyear Tire Test at Bristol on Tuesday and Wednesday before heading to Michigan for NASCAR’s open test on Thursday.
· 2013 TOYOTA CAMRY REVEAL: Bowyer and team owner Michael Waltrip visited the Toyota Racing Development campus in Salisbury, N.C. on Wednesday, May 23 for the unveiling of the 2013 Toyota Camry which will race in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series beginning at the 2013 Daytona 500.
· PRELUDE TO THE DREAM: Bowyer, last year’s Prelude to the Dream winner, will make his sixth start in the dirt track exhibition on Wednesday at Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio. Clint Bowyer Racing also built the race winning car for Jimmie Johnson in 2010. Bowyer has never finished outside the top-five. The 2012 Feed The Children Prelude to the Dream will be broadcast live on HBO Pay Per View.
· DRIVE FOR THE COVER: Activision and NASCAR Team Properties have created an exciting campaign that invites fans to vote for their favorite NASCAR driver to be featured on the cover of NASCAR The Game: Inside Line due to be released this fall. The campaign will position 32 drivers in a five-round bracket-style tournament to select the cover driver for this year’s game. Fans can vote for Bowyer by visiting www.nascarthegame.com/vote
· NMPA SPIRIT AWARD WINNER: The National Motorsports Press Association selected Clint Bowyer as its first quarter Spirit Award winner. The award recognizes an individual’s contributions to the racing community. Bowyer’s “Seventy-Nine Fund” donated more than $1 million to the construction of the Bowyer Community Building, a multi-purpose community center to host events, concerts and activities for the residents of Bowyer’s hometown of Emporia, Kan. Click here for more information on the Bowyer Community Building.
