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No. 14 Haas Automation Racing: Clint Bowyer New Hampshire Advance – YankeeRacer.com

No. 14 Haas Automation Racing: Clint Bowyer New Hampshire Advance

CLINT BOWYER

‘Back in (the Haas Red and) Black’

KANNAPOLIS, North Carolina (July 28, 2020) – It’s been a while since Clint Bowyer carried the Haas Automation decals on his No. 14 Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR), but he’ll get the chance once again Sunday when the NASCAR Cup Series races at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon.

Both of Bowyer’s Cup Series victories since joining SHR in 2017 came driving the red-and-black Haas paint scheme. He led 215 laps on his way to dominating and winning the March 2018 race at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway, then led just eight laps in June 2018 at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, posting his 10th career and most recent victory.

“Those Haas Automation decals must be pretty fast,” said Bowyer, who last raced a Haas liveried Ford in June last year.

Haas Automation, owned by SHR co-owner Gene Haas, is America’s leading builder of CNC machine tools. Founded by Haas in 1983, Haas Automation manufactures a complete line of vertical and horizontal machining centers, turning centers and rotary tables and indexers. All Haas products are built in the company’s 1.1 million-square-foot manufacturing facility in Oxnard, California, and distributed through a worldwide network of Haas Factory Outlets.

“It’s nice to do well for the ‘Boss Man’s’ company,” Bowyer said. “Gene does so much for us at Stewart-Haas Racing and racing in general, whether it’s here in NASCAR or Formula One. I’d love nothing more than to get another trip to victory lane in one of his cars.”

Bowyer could use a victory. He arrives in New Hampshire 12th in the season’s point standing after a 14th-place finish at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City last Thursday night. He is 14th in the playoff standings with a 42-point cushion over the final transfer spot into the 16-driver playoff field. A win at New Hampshire secures a spot in NASCAR’s postseason, but a good run helps in padding his points cushion.

Few places have shown Bowyer the hospitality like the “Magic Mile” has over his 16-year Cup Series career.

Two of Bowyer’s 10 career victories and one of his two poles have come on the flat mile oval, including his first Cup Series victory in 2007.

Bowyer affectionately calls the New Hampshire track that’s celebrating its 30th anniversary this season “a big Martinsville.”

“I love New Hampshire,” he said. “That place just fits my driving style. We don’t get up to that part of the country a lot, so it’s good to see the race fans there. They have so many tracks and they love their racing, from Modified to Late Models to our stuff.”

A look at Bowyer’s record makes it easy to understand why he likes racing in the Granite State.

At the September 2007 race weekend, he earned his second career pole Friday, then led 222 of 300 laps Sunday en route to his maiden Cup Series win. Attrition played no role in the victory as, for the first time in the sport’s modern era, the entire 43-car field finished the race.

Fast-forward to September 2010, when Bowyer started second and led the most laps before fading back. A series of caution periods put him behind now-boss Tony Stewart during the closing laps. With both drivers trying to nurse their sputtering fuel tanks to the finish, Bowyer found himself in position to pounce when Stewart’s tank ran dry a lap from the checkered flag.

It was Bowyer’s turn to run out of gas with two laps remaining in the September 2011 race at New Hampshire, giving the victory to – you guessed it – Tony Stewart.

“We still laugh about running out of gas and giving each other the victories,” Bowyer said, “whether it’s fuel mileage or those late restarts where everyone starts beating and banging. It seems like there is always an interesting finish there.”

Bowyer has made quite the impression on New Hampshire, as well.

Then-Gov. Maggie Hassan declared Sept. 5, 2013 “Rockin’ with Clint Day” in New Hampshire. Bowyer took her for a burnout, used a 250-foot crane to dig up a personalized, 7,500-pound piece of granite at a local quarry, and took part in a rock-climbing race.

“There aren’t many states where I’ve gotten to do burnouts with the governor,” Bowyer said with a laugh.

With approval from now-Gov. Chris Sununu, New Hampshire Motor Speedway plans to allow fans to attend Sunday’s race. The grandstands and suites at the Loudon track will be open to fans with social-distancing requirements and other health protocols in place. The number of fans will be limited, however, the Foxwoods Resort Casino 301 is still expected to be the largest fan event in New England since the onset of the pandemic.

“I hope we can put on a good show for the fans this Sunday,” Bowyer said. “These folks deserve a good race. I’d like to win and hold that big lobster up in victory lane.”

He’ll have the right paint scheme for the pictures.

CLINT BOWYER, Driver of the No. 14 Haas Automation Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing:

What is the secret to getting into the playoffs?

“It is all about the racecars and making them as fast as possible. That goes for aerodynamics, having the right setup underneath with (computer) simulation and everything. Everything has to be perfect. It is so much more competitive than when I came into this sport. You can’t have a down area. You can’t have a weak link. It is all across the board that you have to be 100-percent perfect.”

You were a commentator on FOX Xfinity broadcasts this season. Is that something you are interested in pursuing in the future?

“I’m a racecar driver man. I love doing the broadcasts and things like that but, you know, I think that time will come and I don’t know when that’ll be. I want to race and I want to be in a racecar. I love competing. I love being pissed off at the end of the race. I love being happy at the end of the race. I love that adrenaline of lining up next to that guy and wondering how in the hell you’re going to come off the turn two ahead of him and that’s a feeling that can’t be replaced.

“That being said, I feel like I really have appreciated the relationship with FOX this year. I feel like that’s something. It’s not up to me whether that happens or not. It’s a ton of fun, I can tell you that. I mean, it’s relatively easy for me. I mean, everybody’s always asked, ‘How do you get up and do that.’ I mean, I don’t know. Let me get this straight, you want me to go up there and bench race with a bunch of my buddies and talk racing about a race, like I’ve done since I was 4 years old at the dinner table? That’s what you want me to go do? Yeah, I got that, I can handle that. It is a ton of fun and I have a huge amount of respect for everybody who puts on the production of our sports. And then you start looking at production, when you watch a football game or a baseball game, differently. Once you know how that product comes to play and what we see on television, it’s a whole different respect for all the individuals who make that happen, from the cameraman to the producers. The lead guys, like Adam Alexander, and Mike Joy, those guys are just crazy talented. They keep these maniacs who grew up racing and talk racing and doing that bench racing like we do up there, for those guys to get up there and to control all of that and to make that go smooth as silk is just amazing. So, yeah, I appreciate that. And, hopefully, that opportunity will come someday. I don’t know when that day will be.”

No. 14 Haas Automation Team Report

Round 20 of 36 – Foxwoods Resort Casino 301– New Hampshire

Car No.: 14 – Haas Automation Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing

No. 14 At-Track Crew Roster

Primary Team:

 

Driver: Clint Bowyer

Residence: Emporia, Kansas

 

Crew Chief: Johnny Klausmeier

Hometown: Perry Hall, Maryland

 

Car Chief: Chad Haney

Hometown: Fairmont, West Virginia

 

Engine Specialist: Jon Phillips

Hometown: Jefferson City, Missouri

 

Engine Builder: Roush Yates Engines: Mooresville, North Carolina

 

Spotter: Brett Griffin

Hometown: Pageland, South Carolina

Over-The-Wall Crew:

Fuelman: Rick Pigeon

Hometown: Fairfax, Vermont

 

Front Changer: Ryan Mulder

Hometown: Sioux City, Iowa

 

Carrier: Jon Bernal

Hometown: Shelby, North Carolina

 

Rear Changer: Chris McMullen

Hometown: Canton, Michigan

 

Jackman: Sean Cotten

Hometown: Mooresville, North Carolina

Notes of Interest:

  • Bowyer owns career totals of 10 wins, three poles, 82 top-five finishes, 219 top-10s and 3,127 laps led in 524 NASCAR Cup Series races. He also owns eight NASCAR Xfinity Series victories.
    • His most recent Cup Series victory came at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn (June 10, 2018).
    • His most recent Cup Series pole came at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California on Feb. 29, 2020.
  • Most Recent Cup Race: Bowyer finished 14th at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City last Thursday after suffering with a loose-handling racecar and avoiding several near accidents in the final stage.
  • All-Time Victory List: With 10 career victories, Bowyer is in a 59th-place tie on the all-time wins list with Donnie Allison and Sterling Marlin.
  • Bowyer at New Hampshire in 2019: Bowyer started 16th and quickly climbed into the top-10, finishing fourth in Stage 1. Bowyer continued running at the front of the field in Stage 2 until he pitted with 10 laps remaining. On the restart, Bowyer made contact with another car, forcing him to pit for repairs. He fell to 29th and the damaged car only allowed him to climb to 20th by the time the race ended.
  • Bowyer at New Hampshire in 2018: He started 15th and moved to eighth by the end of the first stage. He started and finished seventh in the second stage and raced there with about 80 laps to go when he reported a vibration. After a penalty dropped him two laps behind the leader, a broken shock mount sent the No. 14 into the wall, leaving him with a 35th-place finish.
  • Bowyer at New Hampshire in 2017: In his first year driving the No. 14 Ford for Stewart-Haas Racing, Bowyer logged a pair of seventh-place finishes in each of the two races at the “Magic Mile.” In the July race, Bowyer and his No. 14 for SHR showed his Ford had the speed to contend for victory. He started 19th but climbed to fifth in the final 100 laps until a slow pit stop, when his car slid through the pit stall, left him with a seventh-place finish. In the September race, Bowyer started 11th and battled a tight-handling car before climbing as high as second late in the race.
  • New Hampshire Victory Sept. 16, 2007: Bowyer earned his second career pole on Friday, then led 222 of 300 laps Sunday to win the first Cup Series race of his career. Attrition played no role in the victory as, for the first time in the sport’s modern era, the entire 43-car field finished the race.
  • New Hampshire Victory Sept. 19, 2010: Bowyer started second and led the most laps before fading back. A series of caution periods put him behind now-boss Tony Stewart over the closing laps. With both drivers trying to nurse their sputtering fuel tanks to the finish, Bowyer found himself in position to pounce when Stewart’s tank ran dry a lap from the checkered flag.
  • Near Miss in 2011: It was Bowyer’s turn to run out of gas with two laps remaining in the Sept. 25, 2011 race at New Hampshire, giving the victory to Stewart.
  • In addition to the two victories, Bowyer and has posted four top-five finishes and nine top-10s in 26 starts at New Hampshire. One of his four career poles came at New Hampshire on Sept. 16, 2007.
  • SHR has five victories at New Hampshire (Tony Stewart 2011, Ryan Newman 2011 and Kevin Harvick in 2016, 2018 and 2019) and has 15 top-five finishes and 26 top-10s in 62 starts.
  • Bowyer’s Top-Three Finishes at SHR (2017- Present):
    • Wins
      • Michigan International Speedway (June 10, 2018)
      • Martinsville (Va.) Speedway (March 26, 2018)
    • 2nd place: 
      • Bristol Motor Speedway (May 30, 2020)
      • Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth (March 31, 2019)
      • Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway (Oct. 15, 2018)
      • Dover (Del.) International Speedway (May 6, 2018)
      • Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway (April 24, 2017)
      • Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway (June 25, 2017)
      • Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway (July 1, 2017)
    • 3rd place: 
      • Richmond (Va.) Raceway (April 13, 2019)
      • Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval (Sept. 30, 2018)
      • Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway (June 24, 2018)
      • Atlanta Motor Speedway (Feb. 25, 2018)
      • Martinsville (Va.) Speedway (Oct. 29, 2017)
      • Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California (March 26, 2017)
  • Bowyer’s Stage Victories 
    • Darlington (S.C) Raceway Stage 1 (May 20, 2020)
    • Darlington (S.C) Raceway Stage 2 (May 20, 2020)
    • Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway (Oct. 14, 2019)
    • Indianapolis Motor Speedway Stage 1 (Sept. 10, 2018)
    • Pocono (Pa.) Raceway Stage 2 (July 30, 2017)
  • Bowyer Cup Series Career Victories:
    • Michigan International Speedway (June 10, 2018)
    • Martinsville (Va.) Speedway (March 26, 2018)
    • Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway (Oct. 13, 2012)
    • Richmond (Va.) Raceway (Sept. 8, 2012)
    • Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway (June 24, 2012)
    • Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway (Oct. 23, 2011)
    • Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway (Oct. 31, 2010)
    • New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon (Sept. 19, 2010)
    • Richmond (Va.) Raceway (May 3, 2008)
    • New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon (Sept. 16, 2007)
  • Bowyer Cup Series Career Poles:
    • New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon (Sept. 14, 2007)
    • Darlington (S.C.) Raceway (May 11, 2007)
    • Las Vegas Motor Speedway (Sept. 14, 2019)
    • Auto Club Speedway (March 1, 2020)
  • Bowyer Career Cup Series Points Finishes:
    • 2019  9th
    • 2018 12th
    • 2017 18th
    • 2016 27th
    • 2015 16th
    • 2014 19th
    • 2013 7th
    • 2012 2nd
    • 2011 13th
    • 2010 10th
    • 2009 15th
    • 2008   5th ​
    • 2007   3rd
    • 2006 17th
  • Bowyer Cup Series Career Stops:
    • 2017- Present Stewart-Haas Racing
    • ​2016  HScott Motorsports
    • 2012-2015 Michael Waltrip Racing
    • 2006-2011 Richard Childress Racing
  • Bowyer Xfinity Series Championship:
    • 2008
  • Bowyer Xfinity Series Career Victories:
    • Dover (Del.) International Speedway (Sept. 26, 2009)
    • Daytona (Fla) International Speedway (July 3, 2009)
    • Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway (March 15, 2008)
    • Richmond (Va.) Raceway (May 4, 2007)
    • Phoenix (Ariz.) International Raceway in Avondale (April 20, 2007)
    • Dover (Del.) International Speedway (Sept. 23, 2006)
    • Memphis (Tenn.) Motorsports Park  (Oct. 22, 2005)
    • Nashville (Tenn.) Superspeedway (June 12, 2005)
  • Bowyer NASCAR Gander RV and Outdoors Truck Series Victories:
    • Kansas (Kan.) Speedway in Kansas City (June 4, 2011)
    • Phoenix (Ariz.) International Raceway in Avondale (Nov. 12, 2010)
    • Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth (Nov. 3, 2006)
  • Crew Chief Johnny Klausmeier’s Victories:
    • Talladega SuperSpeedway (Aric Almirola, Oct. 14, 2018)
    • Pocono Raceway (Kurt Busch, June 6, 2016)

Sources: Drew Brown/True Speed Communication