Alex Bowman, No. 99 SchoolTipline.com Toyota Camry, Texas Preview

This Week’s SchoolTipline.com Toyota … Bowman will pilot RAB Racing chassis No. 42 in Friday night’s NASCAR Nationwide Series race. This chassis last saw action at Auto Club Speedway two weeks ago, when Bowman piloted this Toyota Camry to a 12th-place finish.

Welcome Aboard… SchoolTipline.com joins RAB Racing as a primary sponsor of the No. 99 Toyota Camry. SchoolTipline.com was founded as a platform to give students, parents, and faculty alike an outlet to report bullying, weapon possession, drug use, etc. in schools. Completely anonymous, students can report bullying and other incidents via text messages. Administrators receiving the texts can respond, opening bridges of two-way communication. This system empowers students to make positive changes, so schools can return to a safe place of learning.

First Timer … Though Bowman has recorded laps at many of the tracks on the Nationwide Series circuit throughout his seasons in the K&N Pro Series and the ARCA Racing Series, he has not yet competed at Texas Motor Speedway. As he heads out on the 1.5-mile D-shaped oval for Nationwide Series practice this Thursday afternoon, his first laps will truly be his first laps here.

RAB Racing at Texas … RAB Racing has competed in eight Nationwide Series events at Texas Motor Speedway since their inaugural year of competition in 2009. RAB Racing has four top-20 finishes, including a best showing of 13th, with driver Kenny Wallace in 2011’s O’Reilly Auto Parts Challenge.

Rice at Texas … Crew chief of the No. 99 SchoolTipline.com Toyota Camry Chris Rice has sat atop the pit box at Texas Motor Speedway nine times in his Nationwide Series career, posting a best finish of eighth with driver Scott Wimmer in 2003’s O’Reilly 300.

Get to the Points …As we head into the sixth race of the 2013 NASCAR Nationwide Series season, Bowman currently occupies the tenth position in the drivers’ point standings, only 20 points out of the top five. A mere four points separates the drivers in seventh through tenth position. Owner Robby Benton holds down the 12th position in the Nationwide Series owners’ point standings.

Rookie Battle… Following his 12th-place finish at Auto Club Speedway, Bowman sits in the second position of the Rookie of the Year point standings, only four points behind of Kyle Larson.

Catch the Action … Friday night’s O’Reilly Auto Parts 300 at Texas Motor Speedway will be televised live Friday, April 12 beginning at 8:30 p.m. EST on ESPN2 and broadcast live on the Performance Racing Network.

Get Social … Don’t miss any updates from Bowman and RAB Racing. Follow them on Twitter @AlexBRacing and @RAB_Racing.

Alex Bowman Quotes:

“I’m extremely excited to finally get back on track after two weeks off, and go to Texas. So far this year, as a result of our alliance with TRD, RAB Racing’s speedway program has been really strong and a mile and a half track like Texas will be no exception.

“We’ve got a brand new sponsor in SchoolTipline.com, but more importantly we are starting a great new campaign in Drive Away Bullies. It was created to provide a safe haven and outlet for kids who are being bullied while providing a firm backdrop for suicide prevention.  Throughout the year I’ll be visiting local schools, and spreading this message and it will all start at Texas at Gene Price Middle School in Justin, Texas on Thursday, April 11th.”

Chris Rice Quotes:

“I’m really happy to be heading back to the racetrack after two weeks off. We are really prepared for Texas Motor Speedway, bringing chassis No. 42, same car we ran at California. Texas is really similar to Vegas, the bumps are getting more pronounced and you really have to work on your shock package. Aero is pretty big at the 1.5-mile tracks too; you have to really work aero versus shocks so the car can ride over the bumps smoothly but stay tight enough to be able to race with others. Though Alex has never ran here before, I think his 1.5-mile experience will serve him well.”