Ford Notes and Quotes
Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series (MENCS)
Pennzoil 400 Media Availability (Las Vegas Motor Speedway)
Friday, March 2, 2018
Clint Bowyer, driver of the No. 14 One Cure Ford Fusion, posted the 15th best practice speed in the long session of the day Friday. Bowyer spoke about the weekend ahead and his season to date with media members at Las Vegas Motor Speedway Friday afternoon.
CLINT BOWYER, No. 14 One Cure Ford Fusion — YOU ARE COMING OFF A STRONG PERFORMANCE, CAN YOU TALK ABOUT THE MOMENTUM YOU BRING INTO THIS WEEKEND? “Yeah, it was a good weekend for Ford and for our team, Stewart-Haas Racing and our 14 team in general. You can use races like that for confidence and momentum for this west coast swing. It is taxing on everyone, a lot of fun but also a lot of work to come out here. To get the year started with a good run at Atlanta feels good. I am looking forward to being out here in Vegas. Hell, who doesn’t like being in Vegas? It is pretty windy out here. I am excited about having One Cure on my car this weekend. It is a great program. I have learned a lot about it. From within that, I spoke with the doctors and met with them in Daytona and their initiative with Colorado State University out there and the One Cure for cancer, not only in our pets but for us. That is the wildest thing about it. I guess I didn’t realize that once I got to learning about it, the similarities that we share with our pets. The cancers we have are the same cancers we have. The research that they they are doing and learning from these dogs is greatly benefiting us as well. It is neat to be around really intelligent doctors like that and to listen to their side of it and to learn from them and it has opened my eyes up to the possibilities that are there. Obviously being a pet lover and having two dogs of our own, it is near to see the research that is going into that. Obviously bringing a lot of awareness from the race track. They can’t do this without money and mentions and stuff like that. I am proud to represent it and I look forward to a big weekend here in Vegas with it.”
WHEN CAN WE START TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHO IS GOING TO BE GOOD THIS SEASON? “It is funny. We say after Daytona, “That isn’t the real season.’ Then if you have a bad run in Atlanta, ‘Well, that isn’t really the regular season either.’ If you run good at Atlanta you are going to say, ‘Hell yes, that is what you will see all year long.’ This repave out here, the grip level and the tire that we run is similar to the feel I guess in the car that you will have at a lot of tracks. It is a lot different. Atlanta, you are slipping and sliding around. You come here and the car is instantly a lot faster. The grip level and comfort in the sidewall of the tire and stiffness of the tire is a whole different animal. Throw in the wind aspect of it and even going to that short track at Phoenix next week, you will have that same type of feel with the tire. There is a little bit of truth to that. But it still feels good to run good though.”
WAS THE WIND MUCH OF A FACTOR IN PRACTICE? “Yeah. It is just like anything else. It is the same for everybody. You are worried about it when you get in the car. It affects the balance of the car where you pick up that head wind or maybe lose it as you are going through the corner and which end of the track you are going through. You definitely feel its presence. You lose the nose a little in three and four and the middle of one and two as you change that direction.”
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN YOUR DAUGHTER PRESLEY AND YOUR SON CASH? HOW IS BEING A DAD TO A GIRL DIFFERENT? “She is a girl, I can promise you that. It shows up at an early age. She is a lot to handle compared to him. It is so fun to have those kids and to learn and experience it. I saw from an early age, it was like, ‘My gosh, she is a girl.” She is sassy. She is whiny. She is a girl. We have a ton of fun with it. She is not a very good sleeper. Other than that, she is awesome. She is a rock star. It is so much fun. She is a bully. She pushes Cash around and he comes whining to me. I am like, ‘She is half your size. Get with it.’”
“I see half of you guys didn’t show up. Does that mean they are still at the casino? Still trying to wake up? Is that what it is? You can tell the good boys went to bed early last night and made it here on time. The rest of them god bit by the Vegas bug it looks like.”
