TEAM REPORTS (DAYTONA, FLA.) - RCR/BOWER PRE-DAYTONA NOTES

* This Week’s Jack Daniel’s Chevrolet at Daytona International Speedway … Clint Bowyer will pilot Chassis No. 233 from the Richard Childress Racing (RCR) NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) stable in this year’s Daytona 500. Chassis No. 222 is the back up. Both cars are brand new and were tested at Daytona Jan. 7-9.
* Grinding out the Preseason … During the off season, Bowyer and both of his race teams – the No. 07 Sprint Cup team and the No. 2 Nationwide Series team – ground out a rigorous testing schedule. Mr. Jack’s Crew hit the pavement Dec. 18-19 at New Smyrna Speedway in New Smyrna Beach, Fla. Shortly after the New Year, the No. 07 team headed back to the Sunshine State for three days of testing at DIS Jan. 7-9. The following weekend, the No. 2 BB&T NASCAR Nationwide team tested on Daytona’s high banks where Brandon Miller filled the seat in Bowyer’s absence. NASCAR’s senior circuit made its annual pre-season trek to Las Vegas and California the last week in January while the Nationwide teams shook down their machines in Las Vegas Jan. 30-31.
* So Much for a Sophomore Slump … Last year, in his second full season as a competitor in NASCAR’s premier division, Bowyer recorded his first win, two poles, five top-five and 17 top-10 finishes. The 28-year-old driver finished third in the Chase for the Sprint Cup, trailing only four-time titlist Jeff Gordon and back-to-back champ Jimmie Johnson when the checkered flag fell on 2007 in November at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
* Pretty Hard to Argue with Stats … In five previous NSCS starts on Daytona’s high-banks, including this year’s Budweiser Shootout, Bowyer has logged a 22.2 starting average and a sturdy 10.6 average finish. Meanwhile, in six NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) races at DIS, he has an impressive 8.7 starting average and a head-turning 5.8 average finish. Even more impressive are Bowyer’s lack of DNFs (did not finish) and finishing rate at the famed 2.5-mile Daytona Beach race course. Dating back to February 2005, Bowyer has finished on the lead lap of all 10 races and has yet to finish worse than 18th.
* The Fast Way Around … While serving as Kevin Harvick’s crew chief at the 2002 Pepsi 400, Bowyer’s crew chief, Gil Martin, captured the pole after Harvick posted a fast lap of 48.638 seconds (185.041 mph).
* RCR Rocks Daytona … Dating back to 1986, RCR has won seven poles and owns 23 total victories at DIS, including Kevin Harvick’s dramatic win in the 2007 season-opening Daytona 500. Additionally, RCR won 10 straight (1990-1999) qualifying races with Dale Earnhardt. All totaled, RCR has won five Bud Shootouts, 13 qualifying races, two Pepsi 400s and two Daytona 500s. Dale Earnhardt Jr. also won the February 2002 NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Daytona driving a car fielded by RCR and Harvick won the 2007 Nationwide Series opener at DIS in the No. 21 Chevrolet.
* From Dirt to Daytona … In addition to his Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series obligations, Bowyer will race his No. 07 dirt late model during the 37th edition of Florida DIRTcar Nationals at Volusia Speedway Park Feb. 11 - 12. Shannon Babb, driver of Bowyer’s No. 18 dirt late model, will compete Feb. 11-16. Volusia is a half-mile clay oval 15 miles west of Daytona Beach on S.R. 40 in Barberville, Fla.
* Catching Up With Clint … Bowyer will be available behind the No. 07 Jack Daniel’s transporter in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series garage Friday, February 15 at 1 p.m. to field questions from the gathered media.
* Double Down … In addition to his duties behind the wheel of the Jack Daniel’s Chevrolet, Bowyer will also race the No. 2 BB&T Chevrolet in the Camping World 300 NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) race at DIS on Saturday, Feb. 16. Bowyer will race the BB&T Chevy in 25 NNS races this season. Camping World will round out the remaining 10 races on the 2008 schedule as Bowyer pursues NNS championship. The Camping World 300 will be televised live on ESPN2 beginning at noon Eastern Standard Time (EST). The first of 35 races on the 2008 calendar will also be broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network (MRN) and Sirius Satellite Radio.
* Clint Bowyer Live … Bowyer will appear at the Jack Daniel’s Experience Sunday, Feb. 17 from
* 12:45 p.m. – 1 p.m. The Jack Daniel’s Experience will be located in the display area, outside turn 4, on speedway property. The Jack Daniel’s Experience is a 53-foot tractor- trailer filled with artifacts, state-of-the art video monitors, sound system and graphics to give race fans a taste of Lynchburg and the Distillery. Autographs are limited due to time constraints and will be available on a first come, first serve basis. The Jack Daniel’s Experience will be open on Thursday from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m., Friday from 11 a.m. – 7 p.m., Saturday from 8 a.m. – 1 p.m. and on Sunday from 8 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
* Catch the Action … The 50th running of the Daytona 500 will be televised live on FOX Sunday, Feb. 17 beginning at 2 p.m. EST. The first of 36 points-paying races on the 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup schedule can also be heard live on MRN and Sirius Satellite Radio. The Gatorade Duel at Daytona 150-mile qualifying races will take the green flag Thursday, Feb. 14 at 2 p.m. EST and will be broadcast live on SPEED, MRN and Sirius Satellite Radio. The Twin 150s will then re-air on SPEED the same night at 9 p.m. EST.

CLINT BOWYER QUOTES

How do you feel about duplicating your results form last season?

“We just have to continue doing what we’ve been doing and keep learning everything we can. I think we’ve still got a lot of room to improve and if we can do that, hopefully, we’ll find ourselves in the middle of that championship hunt again. It’s a long year and a lot can happen so we’ve got to be smart. Richard (Childress) has surrounded me with a lot of good people and a great sponsor with Jack Daniel’s so the future is looking bright.”

Last year is going to be a pretty tough act to follow.

“That’s going to be that hardest thing – being able to back up what we did last year. We finished third to a couple pretty good teams and we beat a lot of darn good teams. We’ve got to learn from our mistakes and improve on our game a little bit. If we do that, we’ll be just fine.”

Have you spent much time reflecting on last season?

“I don’t really ever reflect on things much. I really don’t ever take enough time to think about that. I know we had a good year last year, we had fun and we learned a lot with the car. I think that’s a big part of our success. The thing that makes me most excited about last year is how far we were able to come in a short amount of time and how much we built. I still think we have a lot of room to improve and I’m looking forward to working on it.”

Based on the Daytona test, are the RCR cars good enough to go to the front?

“I think so. Our speed was a little bit off at Daytona during the test but that’s par for the course. I really feel like our cars handled well and that’s what matters the most when it comes down to crunch time.”

What is the range of emotions you go through before a race like the Daytona 500?

“I grew up dirt racing with 25-lap features and you have to be ready to go on the first lap. As soon as the rag falls you have to go for broke. That’s one thing that I never really got amped up or excited about. Of course you might get goose bumps or something during driver intros when something neat happens. That’s definitely one of those odd moments, but it’s not something that really makes me nervous because it’s 500 miles. If it was 25 laps that separated the winner of the Daytona 500 from the rest then I would be nervous. There’s no sense in getting nervous the first lap.”

What do you want to see during the qualifying races?

“The No. 07 Jack Daniels Chevrolet in Victory Lane with a big old smile on my face. That’s what I want to see. I want to see my car handling better than anybody else’s. That’s just the way it is. But it’s a neat thing that you get so much seat time and so much experience before you go into the 500. By the time you are in the 500 you have been out there, you’ve drafted, you’ve seen what people are going to do, and you know who you can draft with, who you can trust, and who you can’t. Hopefully, you’ve put yourself in about every situation you are going to see in the 500 and you hope you still have your same hot rod. We have all seen that before. That’s a big part of those races – you want to be able to put yourself into situations you can learn from, but you also have to ask yourself ‘is the risk worth the gain’.”