Ford Performance Notes and Quotes
Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series (MENCS)
Friday, June 7, 2019
EVENT: FireKeepers Casino 400 Media Availability
Clint Bowyer Media Availability
CLINT BOWYER, No. 14 Haas Automation/ITsavvy Ford Mustang — WERE YOU AT THE FORD DINNER LAST NIGHT? “Yeah, I think we all were, as we should have been. What a treat. There are certain things in life, and I guess it all depends on how you grew up but there are certain things that just hit you. Those surreal moments. I was texting my father and a guy that means a lot to me and is really close to him and has been around hot rods and drag racing all my life, my whole upbringing. I was like, ‘You are never going to believe this. I am at Henry Ford’s estate with his great-grandson Edsel as a host at dinner.’ Did you hear what I just said? I am from a little town in Kansas and here I am at Henry Ford’s estate looking at a power plant that he built off the river that charged his estate with the help of Edison. Edison, yes, that guy. It is unbelievable. It was just, my gosh. The pride that Edsel has in his family’s history. it was super cool to sit across the table from Edsel and hear him speak about the history and impact it has made in his life and in our country, it really is a surreal moment that hit me in a big way and I very much appreciated it. It was a very cool night.”
DID EDSEL OFFER ANY EXTRA INCENTIVE TO GET TO VICTORY LANE ON SUNDAY? “There is always an incentive. it goes without saying. When a guy does something like that it shows his appreciation not only of his drivers but our sport of NASCAR and their dedication to the commitment in our sport, to our teams with Stewart-Haas, Penske and Roush and everything they do for us in the Ford camp. It makes you want to go out after that dinner and take care of business like we did last year at home.”
HOW DO YOU THINK YOUR SONOMA STRATEGY WILL CHANGE WITH THE ADDITION OF THE CAROUSEL? “I don’t know. I honestly don’t know. I think everybody has been working hard on it and I have been making laps trying to figure out the carousel. It is going to be a game changer, no question. I don’t’ know what to think about it. For the last several years, I have looked at that track to be the go-to track. Since the car of tomorrow it really woke up certain tracks and Sonoma and these road courses have been some of our best products of racing. I think that is a fact. It is an opinion but it is pretty damn close to factual information. It has been a great product out there, a destination race. Will the carousel change that one way or another? I don’t know. Time will tell. It has changed though for sure.”
DO YOU HAVE PLANS FOR THE OFF-WEEK? “Lake time. Lake time is one of my most favorite things to do. Flooding is affecting everything. These people are getting beat up in the midwest bad. Whether it is tornadoes or flooding, whatever the case may be. It is literally a text or phone call every single day of people that you know. Farmer friends that got their crop in the ground and then it flooded out. My dad sent me a picture yesterday of one of my buddies freight trucks buried, I mean buried in the mud right in the middle of the field. It is sad what everybody is going through. Lakeside Speedway, I saw a picture of that and it is back under water for the second time this year. Hopefully they get some relief and some sunlight and hopefully we will be enjoying the lake. Everything is backed up. The lakes, the retention, literally everything is backed up big time and they need relief in a big way.”
WHAT WOULD THE AVERAGE WEEKEND LOOK LIKE FOR YOU IF YOU HAD A NORMAL 9-TO-5 JOB? “I have always looked to the weekend, since I was a little kid. That is the difference between some of us. I did have a 9-to-5 job but it was 7:30 until whenever the job was done. Let me tell you something about a 9-to-5 job. Racing isn’t a 9-to-5 job. There is no time card. it is whatever it takes to get the job done. You have a partner call and the answer is yes. They need you in Dallas, Texas. They need you in Las Vegas at a show. they need you in Miami, I don’t give a damn where it is at. The answer is yes in today’s day in age. You are on call, 24 hours a day. If someone needs you at the shop to answer a question, it is always a non-stop rotation of whatever the case may be. All week long we have been trying to go over the next month of my life and it is like, God almighty, it is just always chaotic but that is what is fun. You asked what the weekend looked like but since I was a little kid we always looked to the weekend. We have been pulling out with the race trailer and motorhome with my two brothers and dad and going motorcycle racing. Loading that thing Friday at noon while you are on lunch break so you can leave as soon as work is over to go to Lakeside. Pack the old back and it is like, ‘Let’s get it.’ Always looking to the weekend.”
WHAT WOULD IT MEAN TO YOU TO PUT MUSTANG IN VICTORY LANE FOR THE FIRST TIME AT MICHIGAN IN THE CUP SERIES ON SUNDAY? “Mustang means a lot to me. It just made sense to me growing up as a car guy that these OEMs have their hot rods on the race track. They are hot rods. Listen to those things out there. That is a hot rod. When you look at a stable like Ford it is a shame Mustang wasn’t always on the race track. It wasn’t their doings, there were political reasons it had to happen but that has changed now. The Mustang is on the race track and what does it mean to have Mustang on the track? For me it is where it belongs and it belongs in victory lane just like we did last year. Going back to the dinner and the commitment and the investment our manufacturers have in us, in particular Stewart-Haas Racing and me and that 14 car. Yes, I want to put it in victory lane because it is huge bragging rights for the manufacturer and huge bragging rights as individuals to be the one to do that.”
