Clint Bowyer’s tenure in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series reaches a milestone this weekend when he makes his 300th career-start at an ideal place, his home track of Kansas Speedway.
“Yeah, every time you see one of these 300 starts or 400 starts, whatever it is with us, it really doesn’t register until you get back to thinking about how it all began and what it really means,” Bowyer expressed on Tuesday afternoon. “(I’m) very fortunate to be a part of this sport for 300 races.
“Love this sport, love being a part of it, and hopefully we’re a part of it for a long time. All of that coming down to Kansas, my home track, is even that much more special to be able to celebrate my 300th (start) right here in my own backyard at Kansas Speedway.”
Bowyer, on the heels of declaring his newly-wed wife, Lorra, is pregnant with a male, received a three-year extension on his current contract with Michael Waltrip Racing; a team he’s partnered with the past two seasons.
“Yeah, really excited about a multi-year deal with them,” Bowyer further explained about the recently signed contract. “It means a lot that we were able to put it back together at MWR. I’ve had a tremendous amount of success there right off the bat. The key to success in this sport is people and being able to keep those people together, so really happy about keeping (Brian) Pattie and the whole group intact.”
Bowyer, who began his career at Richard Childress Racing, is now alluding to how fortunate he’s become racing for Michael Waltrip’s organization.
“I have a great team; I have a great sponsor; I have a great manufacturer; I’ve got a great organization that takes care of my sponsors that builds a great platform for all of them to be able to showcase a product and get their bang for the buck. That is so important,” Bowyer further commented during a media conference.
The Emporia, Kansas competitor is also reliving his greatest moments during his first 299 appearances, and one sticks out – his first career-win in 2007 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
“I’ll never forget it,” Bowyer noted about his first-victory. “Both of my parents were there, my brothers were there, and it was just like surreal because here all these people were to help me get to where I was at, you know, and it immediately made you think back to how it all started. You almost get giddy and start laughing like how in the hell is this happening right now.”
Bowyer, 33, now rotates his attention towards the ultimate goal – winning and guaranteeing a Chase berth – however, he’s not pondering upon that thought, he’s hoping to seal the situation and grant the placement in the Chase this weekend at Kansas.
“I’m pretty excited about the weekend,” Bowyer added. “I had a great week, and can’t wait for the race. It’s our first night race. Everybody’s excited about the night race at Kansas, and can’t wait to get on the track. Hopefully my 5-Hour Energy Toyota is going to be strong.”
5 to 1 he does something stupid again.