Staying On Course
CORNELIUS, N.C. — For someone who grew up racing motorcycles and sliding around in dirt cars it is somewhat surprising that Sonoma Raceway ranks as one of Clint Bowyer’s best tracks on the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series circuit.
Statistics, however, don’t lie. In nine starts at the 2.5-mile road course, Bowyer has finished outside the top 10 only twice. He has five top-five finishes with one of the those top-five results being a victory in 2012.
With 11 races left to make the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup field, Bowyer and his No. 15 5-hour ENERGY Toyota team know that they must stay on course, literally, at Sonoma if they want to keep themselves in the hunt. Bowyer is currently only 12 points from the top 16, the cut off for the Chase. A good finish at the California road course would keep him on course to make the field, while a win would likely secure a berth. With his impressive stats at Sonoma, anything is possible.
How much confidence do you take to Sonoma as a past winner?
“Anytime you go to a track you’ve won at, there’s confidence there and that means something. It’s a fun race track and fun weekend. It’s in wine country and everybody likes to go up there and have fun. It really is kind of a vacation for everybody because everything is so different. The track and the racing action on the track is a lot different – it can get really wild. Off the race track, there’s a lot to do so looking forward to it.”
Bowyer Raises More Than $350,000 For His Hometown
Before heading to Sonoma Bowyer hosted the eighth annual Clint Bowyer’s Support Emporia Charity Event on Saturday, June. 20 in his home town of Emporia, Kan. More than 450 people attended the golf tournament and auction where a record $360,000 was raised. It was the sixth consecutive year the event has raised more than $350,000.
The dinner and auction included several one-of-a-kind items from several NASCAR stars, the Kansas City Royals and the Kansas City Chiefs. The highlight of the auction was a VIP experience with Cessna to the Daytona 500. The evening concluded with a concert by country music entertainer Chris Weaver.
Money raised from the event goes to the “79 Fund,” a fund established by Bowyer for the Emporia Community Foundation. To date, Bowyer has helped raise more than $2.5 million for the fund.
In addition to constructing the Clint Bowyer Community Building, a multi-purpose community center, gifts have been awarded to various youth-related initiatives including outfitting children with school backpacks as well as shoes for the needy at Christmas.
NO. 15 CREW ROSTER
Billy Scott
Crew Chief
Terry Spalding
Front Tire Changer
Allen Steele
Front Tire Carrier
Lee Cunningham
Rear Tire Changer
P.J. Briody
Rear Tire Carrier
Brian Chase
Jack Man
Evan Marchal
Gas Man
J.D. Frey
Car Chief
Brett Griffin
Spotter
Dax Gerringer
Race Engineer
Joe Bisson
Race Engineer
Adam Cooke
Shock Specialist
Travis Stock
Rear Mechanic
Chris Sherwood
Front Mechanic
Kyle Anderson
Interior Mechanic
James Davis
Tire Specialist
Gregg Huls
Engine Tuner
Ray Erwin
Truck Driver
Jeff Shano
Truck Driver
SONOMA STATS
· One win (June 2012)
· Five top-five and seven top-10 finishes in nine starts
· Completed 997 of 997 laps (100%) and led 78 laps
· Average start 16.7 and average finish 9.2
· No DNFs (Did Not Finish)
