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Clint Bowyer, No. 07 DIRECTV Chevrolet Auto Club 500 Preview


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NOTES:

* This Week’s DIRECTV Chevrolet at California Speedway … Clint Bowyer will pilot Chassis No. 237 from the Richard Childress Racing (RCR) NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) stable. Built new for 2008, this is the same DIRECTV Chevrolet Impala SS Bowyer and company tested at California Speedway Jan. 31- Feb. 1. Chassis No. 230 is the back up and is also a brand new race car. * Back on Track With DIRECTV … Bowyer’s No. 07 Chevy will feature DIRECTV colors this weekend in Fontana. DIRECTV’s corporate headquarters are in El Segundo, Calif., just 68 miles west of California Speedway. Jack Daniel’s, the team’s customary primary sponsor, will be featured on the car’s lower-rear quarter panels and deck lid. * Fontana Facts … In four NSCS starts at California Speedway, Bowyer has one top-five and a pair of top-10 finishes, including a career-best third-place effort in September 2006 at the two-mile oval situated in the San Bernadino Mountains approximately an hour east of Los Angeles. The Emporia, Kan., driver finished 20th in the division’s last stop at Fontana. * Looking in the Rear-View Mirror … Last weekend at the Daytona 500, Bowyer started 31st and finished 24th. The third-year Sprint Cup Series driver led twice for four laps and was leading the 50th running of “The Great American Race” with 16 laps to go before contact from another car sent him spinning through the tri-oval, nullifying his run for the Winner’s Circle. Following last weekend’s race, Bowyer comes into California 23rd in points. * No. 75 … This weekend’s Auto Club 500 will mark Bowyer’s 75th start in NASCAR’s premier division. The 28-year-old driver made his Sprint Cup Series debut at Phoenix International Raceway April 23, 2005. Since then, Bowyer has earned one win, two poles, nine top-five and 28 top-10 finishes. Over that span, he has logged a solid 19.1 starting average and a 16.9 average finish. Meanwhile, the 28-year-old driver has led 503 laps and has earned just shy of $11.5 million. * Keep on Rolling … Bowyer has been running at the end of every race dating back to Phoenix in November 2006, a streak of 38 races. The only other driver with more races without a did not finish (DNF) is his teammate Kevin Harvick who owns a streak of 45 events without a DNF. * RCR at California Speedway … In 41 overall starts at California Speedway, RCR cars have earned one pole (Mike Skinner – April 2000) four top five and 11 top-10 finishes. Bowyer’s third-place run two Septembers ago is RCR’s best effort at the moderately-banked D-shaped race track. * Coming Home … Clint “Ratto” Almquist, mechanic and catch can man for the DIRECTV Chevy, is a native of the Golden State. Almquist, 28, grew up in Blythe, Calif., approximately 175 miles east of Fontana. * One Trophy Missing From the Case … RCR has earned a Sprint Cup Series victory at 18 of the 22 tracks on the 2008 schedule. The only tracks on the current schedule where RCR hasn’t earned wins are California Speedway, Homestead-Miami Speedway, Las Vegas Motor Speedway and Kansas Speedway. All totaled, RCR has Cup Series wins at 21 tracks, including three tracks no longer on the schedule (North Wilkesboro, Riverside and Rockingham). * Double Duty … In addition to his duties behind the wheel of the DIRECTV Chevrolet, Bowyer will also race the No. 2 Camping World Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS in the Stater Bros. 300 NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) race on Saturday, Feb. 23. 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 Starter Bros. 300 from California Speedway will be televised live on ESPN2 beginning at 7 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST). The race will also be broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network (MRN) and Sirius Satellite Radio. Qualifying for the second points-paying race of the season for NASCAR’s junior division will be televised on SPEED the same day beginning at 12:30 p.m. EST. * Up to Speed … The Auto Club 500 will be televised live on FOX Sunday, February 24 beginning at 3:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST). Flag-to-flag coverage will also be broadcast worldwide on MRN and Sirius Satellite Radio. Qualifying for the second points-paying race of 2008 for NASCAR’s senior circuit will be televised live on SPEED Friday, February 22 at 6:30 p.m. EST.

CLINT BOWYER QUOTES

How did the California test go for the No. 07 team?

“I think the test went well. We learned a lot and gathered a bunch of good information. Hopefully, we can put that information to good use not only at the race track but in the shop as well. I’m really looking forward to this race. That’s the first place where we should get a good idea of how we stack up against the competition and what we can expect for the rest of the season.”

Is there anything that really sticks out in your mind about California? Do you have any pet peeves about that race track?

“It’s fairly uneventful and fairly simple for a race track. Long runs are going to be a big part of the equation and green-flag pit stops are going to become an issue. Everyone has to be on top of their game. If everything happens right, we’ll be just fine.”