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

Alex Bowman
No. 99 SchoolTipline.com Toyota Camry
Event Preview Fact Sheet

Event/Date:            VFW Sport Clips Help a Hero 200 – May 10, 2012
Venue:                    Darlington Raceway

News & Notes:

This Week’s Toyota … Alex Bowman will pilot RAB Racing Chassis No. 44 in Friday’s VFW Sport Clips Help a Hero 200 at Darlington Raceway. This chassis last saw action at Richmond International Raceway two weeks ago, when Wallace qualified this Toyota Camry in the fifth position.

Welcome Back …SchoolTipline.com returns as 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.

Bowman Appearances … Bowman will be speaking to students at Darlington Middle School in Darlington, SC Thursday afternoon at 2PM in continuance of SchoolTipline.com’s “Drive Away Bullying Campaign.”

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 Darlington Raceway. As he heads out on the 1.366-mile oval for Nationwide Series practice this Friday morning, these will truly be his first laps here.

RAB Racing at Darlington … RAB Racing with Brack Maggard has competed in four Nationwide Series events at Darlington Raceway since their inaugural year of competition in 2009. RAB Racing has accumulated two top-20 finishes, including a best showing of 11th, which came with driver Kenny Wallace in 2011.

Rice at Darlington … Crew chief of the No. 99 Toyota Camry, Chris Rice, has sat atop the pit box at Darlington Raceway six times in his Nationwide Series career, amassing one top-10 and four top-20 finishes with drivers Stacy Compton, Wallace, and Scott Wimmer.

Toyota Triumph… Toyota Camrys have dominated the last three years of Nationwide Series racing at Darlington Raceway. A Toyota driver has won the last three Nationwide Series events here, dating back to May of 2010.

Get to the Points … As we head into the ninth race of the 2013 NASCAR Nationwide Series season, Bowman currently occupies the ninth position in the drivers’ point standings, only 27 points out of the top five and 74 points behind leader Regan Smith. Owner Robby Benton climbed one position, moving into the 13th position in the Nationwide Series owners’ point standings.

Rookie Battle… Following his 13th place finish at Talladega Superspeedway, Bowman gained the lead in the Rookie of the Year point standings, 21 points ahead of Kyle Larson.

Catch the Action … Friday’s VFW Sport Clips Help a Hero 200 at Darlington Raceway will be televised live Friday, May 10 beginning at 7:30 p.m. EST on ESPN2 and broadcast live on the Motor 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:

“Now this is a track I’ve always wanted to go to and had circled for a long time. The pure speed of Darlington and the way you have to run right up to the wall will really suit my driving style coming from a dirt open wheel background and trying to find the absolute edge at those tracks. Coupled with all the NASCAR history that this place has, I’m really excited about making my first trip to this track and jumping right into practice and feeling the place out.  With all the help from TRD and the tools they give us to succeed we will be fast right off the trailer, just like our speedway package has been all season long.”

Chris Rice Quotes:  “I’m really happy to be going to Darlington because its grassroots racing, you’ve got tire management, you’ve got to race the race track all day because it’s too tough to tame. For us teams the aero package has to be good, because you can’t get loose on entry there, and you’ve got to turn really good in the center of the corner, you’ll be right up against the wall all day so you’ve got to be careful not to hit it all day. With Alex Bowman as good as he is, and even though he’s never seen the place before, he’s going to be really fast once we get the car dialed in.”