CLINT BOWYER
No. 15 5-hour ENERGY Toyota
NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
DAYTONA PREVIEW
PREPARING FOR EXTREME TEMPERATURES STARTS EARLY
FOR 5-HOUR ENERGY CREW MEMBERS AT MWR
CORNELIUS, N.C. – The 100-degree temperatures expected at Daytona this weekend means NASCAR Sprint Cup Series crew members will begin preparing for the extreme conditions several days before arriving at the track. Michael Waltrip Racing’s trainers have crew members focused on hydration this week. They are also working outside in the North Carolina heat to acclimate their bodies to the high temperatures. Last week’s race at Kentucky and this week’s in Daytona are just the start of the hot weather races on the schedule.
PAM BROWN, MWR STRENGTH & CONDITIONING COACH/ATHLETIC TRAINER: “The best thing that we’ve been doing is keeping the guys on a hydration schedule. A lot of the guys don’t realize that with hot weather like we’ve had the last few weeks you actually lose about one ounce of water every minute, especially the guys in the firesuits, so in about 20 minutes you can lose about 16 ounces of water. Your body can only absorb about one ounce every three to four minutes, so we keep on them about drinking water and switching back and forth from a sports drink to water to help their electrolyte balance. We tell the guys that if you are already thirsty then you are already dehydrated. I bring stuff to the track to check their hydration levels if they think they are dehydrated. I have IVs for preventative care and an electrolyte mix to help guys out pre-race. For some of the guys that are prone to cramping, we give them a better idea of things to eat pre-race and building up to the race to try and prevent that. We started training outside to acclimate to the heat so they aren’t taken off guard on race day.”
HOW EARLY IN THE WEEK DOES HYDRATION BEGIN: “Three days prior to the race. We get them started Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Three days before we have them drink 50-100 ounces more than what you’d normally drink. I tell the guys that you don’t really want to gulp or chug it, but sip it to help your body absorb as much as you can. I let them know to drink cold water because it absorbs into your body better than a warm liquid. We just try to educate them. The more we educate them the more they are aware of their surroundings.”
BIGGEST HURDLES: “Education is really the biggest thing. Letting them know that if they are thirsty then it’s already too late and they are already dehydrated. So getting them on the schedule for hydration especially for these hot weather days. It can creep up on you – in Charlotte for instance there isn’t a lot of in between – it goes from cold to hot.”
SHAUN PEET, MWR ASSISTANT STRENTH & CONDITIONING COACH/No. 15 JACKMAN: “We start training outside earlier in the year so they get used to working in the heat. They aren’t out there in their firesuits like they are on raceday, but it allows the guys to get their heart rate up with a good volume of work. That translates to them having the ability to handle that heat when you do add in the firesuit. Like today – it’s 95 degrees outside with a high level of humidity and we have to get used to that. It’s physical training, but it’s also training that mental aptitude so that you can take it from the workout at the shop and bring it to the racetrack.”
ON HYDRATION: “Pam (Brown) has been really working on a lot of that. She brings salt tablets and a lot of that stuff to make sure that we retain water. It’s sometimes a hard deal because you can’t forget – this is NASCAR. Guys like to have a beer occasionally, so we are constantly reminding them to keep that at a minimum and really focus on hydrating. Our truck drivers do a great job keeping tons of water available outside the trucks – we use stacks and stacks of water bottles. Some of the guys use cool cloths to keep their core temperature down. Pam is really good and is used to working in tough conditions. Her background is in college sports mostly in the South – so she has done a lot of work with athletes in hot summer conditions.”
ADDITIONAL NOTES OF INTEREST
· REVIEWING JUNE: Bowyer scored 191 points in the month of June – second only to Jimmie Johnson. He climbed from 12th in points up to seventh. His average starting position was ninth and finish was seventh. He had one win, two top-five and four top-10 finishes in five races. He led 72 laps (one at Michigan and 71 at Sonoma). At Sonoma, Bowyer scored his sixth career Cup Series win and his first on a road course. He kicked off June by recording a fifth place finish at Dover – his first top-five since Bristol. He followed that up with a sixth place finish at Pocono and a seventh place finish at Michigan.
· JULY FORECAST: In the three racetracks that the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series visits in the month of July (Daytona, New Hampshire, Indianapolis), Bowyer has two wins, one pole, six top-five, 12 top-10s and has led 625 laps. He has an average starting position of 17th and average finish of 15th.
· BOWYER IN 2012: In 17 starts this season Bowyer has one win, three top-five, nine top-10 and 13 top-15 finishes. He has led 77 laps – three at Las Vegas, two at Martinsville, one at Michigan and 71 at Sonoma. At Sonoma, Bowyer scored his sixth career Cup Series win and his first on a road course. He has an average finish of 11.7 and start of 13.6. 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.
· BOWYER AT DAYTONA: Bowyer will make his 14th career NSCS Daytona start on Saturday night. In 13 previous Daytona starts, he has two top-five and six top-10 finishes. He started a career-best third in July 2011 where he also recorded his lone DNF. He started 30th and finished 11th in the season-opening Daytona 500. Bowyer has an average starting position of 18th and finish of 15th.
· CHASSIS NOTES: Primary Chassis No. 679 started 24th and finished sixth at Talladega. It also served as the backup car for the Daytona 500. The backup chassis is No. 705 which started 17th and finished eighth in the Bud Shootout at Daytona. It also served as the backup at Talladega.
· LEADING THE WAY: MWR’s Toyotas have led 620 laps in the first 17 Sprint Cup Series races of 2012. Martin Truex Jr. leads the MWR charge with 318 laps, followed by Brian Vickers with 125, Martin with 79, Bowyer with 77 and Waltrip with 21.
· CLINT BOWYER COMMUNITY CENTER: Bowyer hosted the grand opened of the Clint Bowyer Community Center at the Lyon County (Kan.) Fairgrounds on June 26. The celebration included a concert by country music star Blake Shelton with Kyle Petty serving as the opening act. Bowyer donated more than $1 million to the design and construction of the multi-purpose facility.
· BARRETT JACKSON UPDATE: Bowyer designed a 1950s-inspired work truck out of a 2011 Toyota Tundra for the Sherwin-Williams Planet Color All-Star Charity Challenge. Bowyer flew to Orange County, Calif. on Saturday, June 23 while the Sprint Cup Series was in Sonoma to see the finished design go up for auction at the Barrett Jackson Auto Auction. The Tundra sold for $100,000 with proceeds going to benefit Bowyer’s 79 Fund and the Emporia Community Fund.
· 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 Bowyer. For information or to enter, please visit the online entry form.
