Clint Bowyer, Jack Daniel's Chevy Las Vegas Preview

* This Week’s Jack Daniel’s Chevrolet at Las Vegas Motor Speedway … Clint Bowyer will pilot Chassis No. 241 from the Richard Childress Racing (RCR) NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) stable. This is a brand new Jack Daniel’s Chevrolet Impala SS and this weekend will be the first time it will see time on the race track. * Bet on Black … After featuring a DIRECTV paint scheme last weekend in California, Bowyer’s No. 07 Chevy Impala SS will return to its traditional black and white Jack Daniel’s paint scheme this weekend in Las Vegas. * Every Day We Make it, We’ll Make it the Best We Can … On Tuesday, Feb. 26, Jack Daniel’s Master Distiller Jimmy Bedford announced his retirement, effective March 31. Bedford, 68, has worked for the Jack Daniel Distillery in Lynchburg (Pop. 361) Tenn., for 40 years. As Jack Daniel’s sixth Master Distiller, Bedford went to work for the Distillery in 1968 under the watchful eye of Jack Daniel’s fifth Master Distiller Frank Bobo and is responsible for producing the number one selling whiskey in the world. Brown-Forman, Jack Daniel’s parent company, will announce Bedford’s successor in the near future. * A Look Back … Bowyer finished 19th in Monday’s rain-delayed Auto Club 500 at the newly renamed Auto Club Speedway of Southern California. The Emporia, Kan., native struggled with a loose-handling DIRECTV Chevy throughout the 500-mile event but still moved up four spots, from 23rd to 19th, in the NSCS driver point standings. * Testing One, Two, Three, Testing … The Jack Daniel’s Racing Team tested at Las Vegas Motor Speedway (LVMS) Jan. 28-29 in preparation for this weekend’s 400-miler. Bowyer and company posted the second-fastest lap (30.293 seconds – 178.259 mph) of the 76 cars at the test during the morning session on Jan. 28 and the ninth-best lap (29.775 seconds – 181.360 mph) later that afternoon. The following day, Mr. Jack’s Crew posted the 17th-fastest lap (29.532 seconds – 182.852 mph) during the morning warm up and 16th-fatest time (29.337 seconds – 184.068 mph) of the afternoon shakedown. * Keep on Rolling … Bowyer has been running at the end of every race dating back to Phoenix in November 2006, a streak of 39 races. The only other driver running at the end of more consecutive races is his teammate Kevin Harvick who owns a streak of 46 events without a did not finish (DNF). * Wanna Bet … According to the Web site www.sportsbook.com, Bowyer is a 25:1 favorite to win the UAW-Dodge 400. The 28-year-old driver’s odds to win the Sprint Cup Championship are listed at 40:1. * Luck’s Gotta Turn … In 26 NSCS starts at LVMS, RCR entries have yet to take home a checkered flag. At the same time, team owner Richard Childress has earned just two top-five and seven top-10 finishes at the mile-and-a-half tri-oval. On the flip side, RCR cars have strong results in NASCAR Nationwide Series competition. In eight races at LVMS, RCR Nationwide cars boast two wins, one pole, seven top-five and 11 top-10 finishes. * Clint Bowyer Live … Bowyer will meet fans at three different stops this Thursday night. From 5 p.m.-7 p.m., Bowyer will sign autographs in the Sports Book at the Orleans Casino and Hotel. The Orleans is located at 4500 W. Tropicana Blvd. Following his first stop of the night, Bowyer will head for the Las Vegas Chapter of Speedway Children’s Charities annual NASCAR Driver Auction at Sam’s Town Live, located inside Sam’s Town Hotel and Gambling Hall. Sam’s Town is east of the Strip on Boulder Highway. Race fans will have the opportunity to bid on a ride around LVMS with Bowyer in a convertible during Saturday and Sunday’s driver introduction pre-race parade lap. Finally, he will sign autographs at the NASCAR Café inside the Sahara from 8:30 p.m. – 10 p.m. The Sahara is on the northern end of the Las Vegas strip at 2535 Las Vegas Blvd. South. * Double Time in Sin City … In addition to his duties behind the wheel of the Jack Daniel’s Chevrolet, Bowyer will also race the No. 2 Camping World Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS in the Sam’s Town 300 NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) race on Saturday, March 1. Bowyer will drive the Camping World Chevy in 10 NNS races this season. BB&T will be Bowyer’s primary sponsor for the remaining 25 races on the 2008 schedule as he pursues the NNS title. The Sam’s Town 300 from Las Vegas Motor Speedway will be televised live on ESPN2 beginning at 4 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST). The race will also be broadcast live on the Performance Racing Network (PRN) and Sirius Satellite Radio. Qualifying for the third points-paying race of the season for NASCAR’s junior division will be televised on SPEED the same day beginning at noon EST. * Are You Experienced … Bowyer will appear at the Jack Daniel’s Experience Sunday, March 2 from 10:30 a.m. – 10:45 a.m. The Jack Daniel’s Experience will be located in the display area, outside Gate C, 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 Friday from 9 a.m. – 3:30 p.m., Saturday from 8 a.m. – 1 p.m. and on Sunday from 7 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. * Up to Speed … The UAW-Dodge 400 will be televised live on FOX Sunday, March 2 beginning at 3:30 p.m. EST. Flag-to-flag coverage will also be broadcast worldwide on PRN and Sirius Satellite Radio. Qualifying for the third race of 2008 for NASCAR’s senior circuit will be televised live on SPEED Friday, February 29 at 6:30 p.m. EST. PRN and Sirius Satellite Radio will carry qualifying updates live.

CLINT BOWYER QUOTES

How was the Las Vegas test for you guys?

“I’m really happy with the way the test went. Las Vegas is definitely a track where you want to run well because it’s a pretty good indicator of how your mile-and-a-half program is looking. Things went pretty well for us at the Vegas test and our Jack Daniel’s Chevrolets are running good so I’m excited.”

Talk about the Cup race at Las Vegas last year.

“We were headed to the front and I got a little bit too aggressive and overconfident and I crashed. Fortunately, I always try to learn from my mistakes and I’ve definitely learned a lot since then. Hopefully, I can put those lessons to good use this year.”

How does the new style car feel at Las Vegas?

“The cars are pretty fast. Everyone ran good speeds at the test and I’m looking forward to a good race. The Jack Daniel’s Chevrolet handled good and we’re learning a lot about it. “