TOYOTA NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS)
Clint Bowyer — Notes & Quotes
Kansas Speedway – May 9, 2014
CLINT BOWYER, No. 15 Cherry 5-Hour ENERGY for Special Ops Warrior Foundation, Michael Waltrip Racing
What has it been like coming home to Kansas this week?
“It’s been a hell of a week. We’ve had a lot of fun. Coming back to Kansas first and foremost is always big for me. I spent a lot of time with the Sprint folks — Miss Sprint Cup and I actually went to the old high school and last time I left there was in 1998 — a free man. I went back and it was so fun to talk to the students. It’s really probably the hardest thing I’ve ever done because I remember when I was a senior in high school and you’re not a kid anymore and you don’t want to be talked down to. You hear all these people come in and tell you stats and everything and I was that guy, I couldn’t help it. I was like, ‘Trust me kids, I know this, I’ve lived it — don’t screw up and listen to us.’ We have a strong message with Sprint about no texting and driving — that’s a situation that wasn’t even around when I was in high school. I signed autographs at the dealership and then came here. All the announcements that happened — of course you go in and you’re so nervous and you know you’re going to see your child for the first time in one of those pictures and I didn’t know what it was. Everybody is asking, ‘What is it, what is it and what do you think it is?’ He — it’s a he so I was super pumped about that. Then announced that his father will have a job for the next few years. It’s been a pretty good week for the little man already. Being back home announcing again and another announcement being here and being around this sport for 300 starts is a milestone and an accomplishment. People always ask you, ‘What do you think about that?’ As a racer, you really don’t know what to think, it kind of doesn’t register and then you get to thinking that it does mean something. To be around this sport for 300 starts and announce that you’re going to be around for a lot more starts is pretty special. It’s weird that it all comes down at Kansas Speedway, last race before the cutoff to get into the All-Star race and all the stars are aligning. It’s been a good week and we’ve got a lot of great announcements. Cherry, a new flavor is on my race car for the first time. We’ve been doing a lot of radio announcements and things like that — a lot of interviews this week and talk about the night race and the first ever night race right here at Kansas. Everybody is super pumped up about it and the fans are all excited and we are too. Night races are always exciting for our sport and looking forward to getting out there and getting this Cherry 5-hour ENERGY Toyota up there in victory lane.”
What are NASCAR Mom’s like and what does it mean to have your Mom a part of this weekend?
“They are every bit as tough as a NASCAR Dad, I can promise you that. She’ll be over chewing my butt faster than he will or tell you or anything like that. She’s always in somebody’s ear. It really is cool and it’s a big weekend for Mother’s Day. She means a lot to us and thinking back to the early days when she had three kids racing and getting everything ready for us. Racing is a family sport and it always has been for us and it is today. It’s pretty cool and they asked her to wave the green flag so are a pretty close family so we’ve all been ragging her a little bit, ‘Don’t drop the flag Mom, just whatever you do, do not drop the flag.’ That’s pretty cool. I hope there’s not a caution.”
How would you assess this season so far?
“I think Daytona kind of set our season when we started with a barrel roll — flipped on the front straightaway at the end of the race. And then the very next attempt the engine blew up halfway through the race. I’m like ‘Can we skip this year. This is not starting very good.’ Last weekend at Talladega — a lot of good news. A lot of good momentum and ‘mojo’ around our 15 team. It couldn’t come at a better time. Rolling into home at Kansas Speedway — sponsor’s race and the last race before the All-Star race. We’ve had some shots at it — Martinsville, California and Texas — we were running good. If we can get all of the race put together and close, I think we can have a shot at it. I really do.”
Will you name your son Clint Jr.?
“No. No Juniors. Can’t have Juniors. I’m really looking forward to it. That’s the question, I know everybody you talk to, ‘What are you going to name him.’ I’m scrambling right now. Really, really excited about our boy. Casey (Bowyer, Clint’s brother) brought in nieces and nephews to our family a few years ago. And ever since then Lorra (wife) and I are like we got to have one soon.”
