CLINT BOWYER
No. 15 RK Motors Toyota
Darlington Raceway
CORNELIUS, N.C. — CORNELIUS, N.C. — No. 15 RK Motors Toyota driver Clint Bowyer, his mother Jana and the Bowyer family are going to celebrate Mother’s Day this weekend the way they’ve always celebrated holidays over the years – racing.
Jana Bowyer will accompany her middle son across the stage at driver introductions Saturday night at Darlington Raceway then join other mothers in giving the command to start the NASCAR Sprint Cup race. Clint will spend the next 500 miles on the 1.366-mile, egg-shaped track in South Carolina doing his best to drive the Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota to victory lane. Upon Bowyer’s winners circle arrival, father Chris along with brothers Casey and Andy along with girlfriends, wives, nieces and his nephew will likely join the Bowyer family celebration in Darlington.
The 33-year-old Bowyer might own eight career victories and a second-place finish in the 2012 “Chase for the Sprint Cup”, but he’ll never leave his Emporia, Kan. roots that centered on racing and family.
QUOTES
MOTHER’S DAY AT DARLINGTON: “It’s always neat to have Mom there. She’s there about every weekend with me. Truthfully Mother’s Day is just a great day to give appreciation to good ol’ Mom. She’s always there and Darlington is a race she looks forward to going to every year. She loves going up there and they give her flowers. She gets on the stage and has a good time. It’s just great to be able to celebrate that weekend with her and have her at the racetrack.”
ON JANA “MOM” BOYWER: “When you live with four guys you’ve got to be tough. She’s a tough ol’ farm gal and she’d lay you out in a heartbeat if you needed it. She was every bit that girl. You didn’t cross Mom. (laughs). She’d bust you in the mouth.”
WHAT DID YOU DO WITH YOUR MOM FOR FUN GROWING UP: “We raced. That’s what we do for fun – that’s what we’ve always done for fun. We raced together as a family and that’s our vacation.”
ON DARLINGTON: “I like the uniqueness of the racetrack. I’ve struggled to have good finishes there, but we’ve always raced well. We just can’t seem to seal the deal at the end. Something always goes haywire at the end, but I’m looking forward to overcoming that and having a good weekend. I remember going there for the first time – I actually sat won the pole there the first time I was ever there. Truth be told it scared the daylights out of me.”
ADDITIONAL NOTES OF INTEREST
· Darlington: Bowyer will make his eighth NSCS start at Darlington Raceway on May 11. In seven previous starts, Bowyer has one top-10 (ninth in 2007). He won the pole in 2007 in only his second start at the track. It is one of two career NSCS pole awards that Bowyer has won – the other came at Loudon in 2007. Bowyer’s average starting position is 20th and finish of 23rd. He led 16 laps in 2007.
· RK Motors: RK Motors Charlotte is the country’s leading retailer of investment-grade classic and collector cars. Founded in 2010 by Robert Kauffman, co-owner of Michael Waltrip Racing, and Joseph M. Carroll, founder of Best of Show Automotive, RK Motors Charlotte’s 80,000 sq./ft. facility features a 200-vehicle, state-of-the-art showroom complete with digital media studio, full restoration / customization shop and a full service area. Additional information is available at www.RKMotorsCharlotte.com.
· TRUCK DRIVERS: Freightliner held the second round of the Freightliner Run Smart Hauler Challenge in Talladega. Now it’s time to vote the eliminated drivers back into the competition for the third round. MWR has three drivers needing votes: Al Nelson, John Murphy and Stump Lewis. Vote daily at http://freightlinerhaulerchallenge.com/site/vote Voting ends May 20.
