(WOMR file photo)
When NASCAR races at Charlotte Motor Speedway, the home to all race teams with the exception of James Finch’s Phoenix Racing, it is considered a home game. There is no better feeling than to win at home. However, only one team can claim the home town victory. Saturday night Michael Waltrip Racing claimed the victory when Clint Bowyer’s #15 5Hour Energy Toyota led the pack to the checkered flag.
Clint Bowyer was burned up that he didn’t have enough fuel to complete a righteous burnout.
But that was the only thing that went wrong in Saturday night’s Bank of America 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Saving fuel over the final 56 laps of the closing green-flag run, Clint Bowyer snookered his Chase for the Sprint Cup rivals in winning his third race of the season and the eighth of his career.
Bowyer, who won for the first time at Charlotte and the first time on an intermediate speedway, beat Denny Hamlin to the finish line by .417 seconds. Jimmie Johnson, who like Hamlin and Bowyer was saving fuel over the final run, came home third. The top three finishers trimmed a significant portion off Brad Keselowski’s series lead.
“I want to do a burnout!” Bowyer lamented in Victory Lane. “Am I ever going to get to do a burnout?”
Keselowski ran out of fuel before his final pit stop and finished 11th. Keselowski leads Johnson by seven points and third-place Hamlin by 15 at the midpoint of the Chase. Bowyer climbed to fourth in the standings, 28 points back.
Check out the unofficial results of the Bank of America 500 from Charlotte.
Check out the Sprint Cup standings through the first half of the Chase races.
Twelve drivers, five races, on championship, who will be the last man standing?
TIL NEXT TIME, I AM STILL WORKING ON MY REDNECK!
