Does Bowyer get respect he deserves?

By Kenny Bruce

Saturday, October 20, 2007

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MARTINSVILLE, Va. - Clint Bowyer is the Rodney Dangerfield of NASCAR's Chase For The Nextel Cup. The way the Richard Childress Racing driver sees it, he gets no respect.

Bowyer was the only driver among the 12 that qualified for the Chase who didn't have at least one win. His team was making its first appearance in the "postseason." He was, some may have felt, the longest of longshots.

Even though he scored his first career Cup win during the Chase, and is third in points heading into Sunday's Subway 500 at Martinsville - trailing Hendrick Motorsports drivers Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson - few have Bowyer pegged as a genuine championship contender.

Which is OK with the Kansas native.

"That's fuel for the fire," Bowyer says. "That's all it is. You sit down in your motorhome, watch TV and the commercials come on - 'Come watch Tony Stewart chase down Jeff Gordon for the championship.'

"You're like 'Man!'

"It wasn't any different when we were trying to make the Chase. Everybody said we were the team that backed into the Chase just because we hadn't won a race."

But, Bowyer points out, "We were ninth [in points] not 12th. There were three cars behind us. Like I said, that's just fuel for the fire. It makes you want to do good even more so I like it."

His only suggestion?

"Keep it up," he said.