CLINT BOWYER
No. 15 5-hour ENERGY Toyota
Charlotte Motor Speedway
CORNELIUS, N.C. — No. 15 5-hour ENERGY Toyota driver Clint Bowyer visited victory lane at Charlotte Motor Speedway for the first time in October. The Michael Waltrip Racing driver enjoyed the experience so much he’d like to do it again Sunday after 400-laps around the 1.5-mile track. The tradition and importance of the 600-mile annual Memorial Day weekend race isn’t lost on the 33-year-old Emporia, Kansas native.
QUOTES
CHARLOTTE 600: “The 600 at Charlotte on Memorial Day weekend is a tradition in NASCAR. The folks at Charlotte Motor Speedway do such a great job of honoring our troops – they really do roll out the red carpet for the military. The pre-race demonstration/invasion of the infield is awesome! All that stuff really hits home and it’s great to see. It helps remind us of how lucky we really are to be out here racing cars and all the folks out here enjoying a great weekend at the races – that’s all possible because those young men and women are over there fighting for our freedom and way of life.
“The race itself is a whole other kind of deal. It’s 600 miles long! That’s like getting in my 5-hour ENERGY Toyota and driving from Charlotte Motor Speedway to more than halfway back to Emporia, Kan. That’s crazy! We strap in and race on and on and on and on … then we ask our crew chief how many laps are left and they tell us that we just got to halfway! (laughs). It’s a long day and we have to be sure we are ready for it. We have to hydrate ourselves because it can be grueling inside the car. I joke about how long and grueling this race is, but it’s a huge race to win. It’s the biggest day of racing for the year in motorsports and to win on that day is a very big deal. We won here in the fall and I’d love to do that again this weekend.”
ADDITIONAL NOTES OF INTEREST
· BOWYER IN THE 600: Bowyer will make his eighth start in the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Sunday. In seven previous attempts Bowyer has one top-10 (seventh in 2010) and three top-15s. He led three laps in 2010. On average he starts 21st and finishes 21st.
· CHASSIS: Primary chassis No. 773 finished 18th in the Sprint All-Star Race. Backup chassis No. 724 served backup duty at Las Vegas, Fontana, Texas, Kansas, Darlington and the Sprint All-Star Race, but has yet to see the track this season.
· 2013 vs. 2012: Through 11 races of 2013, Bowyer is ranked six spots higher (2013 – fifth; 2012 – 11th), has 14 more points (2013 – 349 points; 2012 – 335 points), three more top-five finishes (2013 – four; 2012 – one), the same number of top-10s (five), he has led 109 more laps (2013 – 114 laps; 2012 – five laps).
· NASCAR UNITES : The No. 15 5-hour ENERGY Toyota and all MWR Toyotas will carry special “NASCAR: An American Salute” paint scheme on Sunday. NASCAR Unites is an initiative uniting 5-hour ENERGY, Michael Waltrip Racing, the NASCAR industry and fans this summer to celebrate America and enhance the lives of U.S. military families. The NASCAR Unites Military Family Fund will benefit the USO and support our troops.
· MWR SOCIAL STOP: Make Michael Waltrip Racing’s “Social Stop” your second screen on Sunday to follow all the racing and social media action when the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races this weekend. MWR’s “Social Stop” goes live before the race allowing fans to view information from Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube all on one page Visit
