Bowyer says Nationwide duty on road course helps Cup effort
By SceneDaily Staff
Friday, August 08, 2008
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WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. – Clint Bowyer says running the Nationwide Series event a day before the Sprint Cup race at the same track does little to boost his Cup effort on most weekends.
That’s because the handling characteristics and horsepower of the two cars are too different to carry much information over from one to the other.
The Nationwide Series is still using NASCAR’s old car, while a new model is being used in Cup. But Bowyer says the differences don't mean as much this weekend at the Watkins Glen International road course, where Bowyer will drive in both the Nationwide race Saturday and the Cup event Sunday.
“Obviously the [old] car having so much more downforce, the motors having a lot less horsepower, that’s just quite a different animal at a place like Chicago [where] we were at a month or so ago,” Bowyer said at Watkins Glen. “A place like this, it’s laps. It doesn’t matter if you’re driving a dump truck around there.
“Laps on a road course and being familiarized with the surroundings and everything and all the aspects of road racing, especially for a driver like me that grew up racing motorcross [is important]."
To lessen his road-course learning curve, Bowyer says he also gleans as much information as possible off Richard Childress Racing teammate Kevin Harvick, who some consider to be one of the Cup series’ top road racers.
“I didn’t race go-karts on road courses and things like my teammate Kevin Harvick did,” Bowyer said. “And having good teammates like Kevin - he’s an experienced road racer. He’s a proven winner, he’s won here before, he’s been at Road Atlanta testing and doing those things for me.
“I know, I have 100 percent confidence [that] what he does, what he says, what he feels on these road courses is right [and] is going to be right for me.”
Harvick and Bowyer are entrenched in a battle with several others to secure the final spots in the 12-driver Chase For The NASCAR Sprint Cup field.
Bowyer enters Sunday’s Centurion Boats at The Glen in 12th in the standings, just eight points behind his 11th-place teammate. Only five races remain until the Chase field is set.
“You hope that it doesn’t come down to racing him or him putting me out or me putting him out. I hope all three of us [Richard Childress Racing drivers, including Jeff Burton] are in it,” Bowyer said. “We’re only what, 80 some points out of seventh place, nine points out of 13th?
"So there’s a lot that can happen in five races right there. I’m looking forward to both of us and all three RCR cars being back in the Chase where we belong.”
- Mentioned Drivers:
- Clint Bowyer
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