(photo courtesy Leon Hammack)
Date: March 26, 2017
Event: Auto Club 400 (Round 5 of 36)
Series: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
Location: Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California (2-mile oval)
Format: 200 laps, broken into three stages (60 laps/60 laps/80 laps)
Start/Finish: 17th/3rd (Running, completed 202 of 202 laps)
Point Standing: 8th (143 points, 100 out of first)
Race Winner: Kyle Larson of Chip Ganassi Racing (Chevrolet) in overtime
Stage 1 Recap (Ended on Lap 60):
● Started 17th, finished sixth to earn five race points.
● Moved to 10th by lap 16.
● Car excelled on long runs as Bowyer managed his tires on ultra-fast track.
Stage 2 Recap (Ended on Lap 120):
● Started third, finished fourth to earn seven race points.
● Dropped to sixth early in stage, but climbed as high as second.
● Turned fastest lap on the track several times during stage that ran without a caution.
Final Stage Recap (Ended on Lap 202):
● Started fourth, finished third.
● Climbed to third with 60 to go and survived several late cautions.
● Started seventh in overtime and drove to third.
Notes:
● Race marked first time Bowyer earned race points for top-10 finishes in consecutive stages.
● Bowyer’s second top-10 and first top-five finish in 2017.
● First top-three since third-place finish in July 2015 at Daytona International Speedway.
Clint Bowyer, driver of the No. 14 Rush Truck Centers Ford Fusion for Stewart-Haas Racing:
“It was just a good weekend. I appreciate everybody’s hard work at Stewart-Haas Racing. Having these teammates and having this group behind you, the organization and the teamwork, it’s just amazing to be a part of it at this point in my career. Thanks to Rush Truck Centers for making this possible, Gene Haas and Tony Stewart for giving me this opportunity. It means a lot to me to be in this 14. I have a lot of fun with these guys. Buga (crew chief Mike Bugarewicz) and all these guys mean business. It’s a confidence thing right now, a momentum-builder, and we’re getting closer. Obviously, this is a good track for me. I wanted to win that damn thing, but to come home with the wild finish and everything that it was, we’ll take it.”
Next Up:
The next event on the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the Martinsville 500 Sunday,April 2 at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway. The race starts at 2 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by FS1.
TIL NEXT TIME, I AM STILL WORKING ON MY REDNECK!
