Date: April 30, 2017
Event: Richmond 400 (Round 9 of 36)
Series:Monster EnergyNASCAR Cup Series
Location: Richmond (Va.) International Raceway (.75-mile oval)
Format: 400 laps, broken into three stages (100 laps/100 laps/200 laps)
Start/Finish: 8th/15th (Running, completed 400 of 400 laps)
Point Standing: 9th (266 points, 132 out of first)
Race Winner: Joey Logano of Team Penske (Ford)
Stage 1 Recap (Ended at Lap 100):
● Started eighth, finished ninth to earn two race points.
● Bowyer, like most drivers, battled with a loose racecar in the opening laps.
● After chassis changes during pit stop, Bowyer reported car wouldn’t turn.
Stage 2 Recap (Ended at Lap 200):
● Started seventh, finished eighth to earn three race points.
● Crew said after adjustments Bowyer’s lap times were a tenth-of-a-second faster.
● Bowyer climbed as high as sixth midway through the stage.
Final Stage Recap (Ended at Lap 400):
●Started sixth, finished 15th.
●Bowyer turned in top-five times throughout stage.
●Commitment lane violation while entering pits with 81 laps to go and the drive-through penalty dropped Bowyer to 26th.
●Bowyer returned to lead lap with 52 to go racing in 19th.
●Contact with Ty Dillon coming to pit road caused significant damage to the front end of Bowyer’s car.
● Bowyer rallied to 15th in closing laps.
Notes:
● Temperatures of 90 degrees outside and 140 degrees inside the car Sunday afternoon made for challenging conditions for all drivers.
● Bowyer gained positions on nearly every pit stop during the 400-lap race.
Clint Bowyer, driver of the No. 14 Haas Automation Ford Fusion for Stewart-Haas Racing:
“No doubt we’re disappointed. We were going to have a top-10 and maybe a top-five today. Everyone is trying hard. Car was good, and we had great pit stops today.”
TIL NEXT TIME, I AM STILL WORKING ON MY REDNECK!
