Clint Bowyer

Clinton Aaron Bowyer (born May 30, 1979) is an American semi-retired professional stock car racing driver and commentator for NASCAR on Fox.

He competed in the NASCAR Cup Series from 2005 to 2020, driving for Richard Childress Racing for eight years, Michael Waltrip Racing for four years, HScott Motorsports for one year, and Stewart–Haas Racing for four years. Bowyer won the 2008 Nationwide Series championship driving for RCR. Following the 2020 season, Bowyer retired from full-time racing and became an analyst for Fox Sports' NASCAR coverage.

Early career Bowyer began racing at the age of five in motocross. He went on to capture over two hundred wins and numerous championships over the next eight years. In 1996, he began racing street stocks at Thunderhill Speedway in Mayetta, Kansas, and there won the Modified championship in 2000. Bowyer racked up eighteen wins and 32 top-five finishes on his way to capturing the 2001 Modified championships at Lakeside Speedway in Kansas City, Kansas, and Heartland Park Topeka. In 2002, he began racing in the NASCAR Weekly Racing Series, posting nine poles, twelve wins, and 32 top-five finishes en route to a second-place finish in the NASCAR Weekly Racing Series national point standings. He was also crowned the 2002 NASCAR Weekly Racing Series Midwest Champion after another Modified championship at Lakeside Speedway and a Late Model championship at the famed I-70 Speedway in Odessa, Missouri, his first attempt at racing on asphalt.

In 2003, Bowyer raced a full season in the NASCAR AutoZone Elite Division Midwest Series, scoring one top-ten finish in eleven starts. He also would make his first ARCA starts in 2003 and caught the eye of legendary car owner Richard Childress after leading 47 laps and finishing second in his debut at Nashville Superspeedway, driving for Scott Traylor out of Kansas City.

After the second-place finish, Childress called Bowyer by phone and offered him a job. A flabbergasted Bowyer thought he was joking and hung up on him. Childress called back soon afterward and with a not-too-happy tone he still offered the job to Bowyer.

NASCAR career

2004 In 2004, Bowyer began by finishing eighth in the ARCA Re/Max Series race at Daytona in the No. 7 Chevrolet for Scott Traylor. In 2004, Bowyer began running in the Busch Series for Childress, sharing seat time in the No. 21 Reese's -sponsored Chevrolet with veteran Kevin Harvick. He drove in half of the 34 Busch Series races that year, winning one pole at Talladega and seven top-tens, attaining a season-high third place finish in the Federated Auto Parts 300 at Nashville Superspeedway in June. He also ran three races for Kevin Harvick Incorporated with help from Andy Petree Racing driving the No. 33 Chevrolet sponsored by Monaco Coaches and Snap-on. Bowyer made two starts for Bill McAnally Racing in the Camping World West Series in the No. 20 Chevrolet. In his two starts at Phoenix and Auto Club Speedway, he won one pole and had a best finish of second.

2005–2006

Bowyer's first full Busch season was in 2005, replacing Ron Hornaday in the No. 2 ACDelco-sponsored Chevrolet. He won two poles and two races en route to a second-place finish to repeat as champion Martin Truex Jr., losing by only 68 points. He also made his Nextel Cup debut in the No. 33 Sylvania-sponsored Chevy on April 23, 2005, during the Subway Fresh 500 at Phoenix International Raceway. He finished 22nd as the first car one lap down. Richard Childress Racing announced on October 15, 2005, that Bowyer would race the No. 07 Jack Daniel's-sponsored Chevrolet full-time in the Nextel Cup series, replacing Dave Blaney for the 2006 season.

Bowyer began his rookie Cup season with three top-five finishes and had a total of eleven top-tens that season, with his best finish being a third at California Speedway. He finished 68 points behind Denny Hamlin for NASCAR Rookie of the Year honors. Bowyer also continued to drive the No. 2 in the Busch Series full-time, winning once and finishing third in points. Bowyer won his first Craftsman Truck Series race in the No. 46 Chevrolet Silverado fielded by Morgan-Dollar Motorsports at Texas Motor Speedway on November 3, 2006, in his third career Truck start, making his first CTS start that year at Martinsville for Green Light Racing.

2007

After dramatically starting the 2007 season with a last-lap crash at Daytona (crossing the finish line upside down and on fire as teammate Kevin Harvick won), Bowyer won the Budweiser Pole position for the Dodge Avenger 500 at Darlington Raceway. He finished the regular season ninth in points but was seeded twelfth for the playoff since race wins determine playoff seeding. Bowyer won his second pole at the Sylvania 300 at Loudon, and two days later went on to win his first Nextel Cup race in his 64th start. The win made Bowyer the fifteenth driver to win at least one race in all three of NASCAR's top series.

For the 2007 Busch season, Bowyer ran a partial Busch Series schedule in the RCR No. 2 car. On April 20, 2007, he won the Busch Series Bashas' Supermarkets 200 at Phoenix International Raceway. He followed that up with another Busch Series win on May 4, 2007, in the Circuit City 250 at Richmond International Raceway. Bowyer also ran select races for Kevin Harvick in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.

2008

In 2008, Bowyer continued to drive in the Cup and Nationwide Series full-time. Bowyer dominated the late stages of the Daytona 500 but was spun out by Juan Pablo Montoya with seventeen laps remaining. On May 3, 2008, Bowyer earned his second Sprint Cup victory, winning the Crown Royal Presents the Dan Lowry 400 at Richmond International Speedway. Bowyer led only two laps, going to the front after Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Kyle Busch got together with less than four laps remaining in the race.

On August 23, 2008, Bowyer was announced as the driver of the No. 33 Chevrolet Impala SS for RCR. Casey Mears from Hendrick Motorsports replaced Bowyer in the Jack Daniel's-sponsored car. This move was necessitated by a sponsor's request, as General Mills did not want Mears, who had been driving in the 2008 season for rival cereal maker Kellogg's, representing them, so Childress sponsors General Mills and Brown-Forman Corporation (parent company to Jack Daniel's) agreed to the swap so Bowyer, who drove for Brown-Forman, would drive for General Mills, and Mears could drive for Brown-Forman, as they had no problems with Mears representing the company.

On November 15, 2008, Bowyer clinched the NASCAR Nationwide Series Championship at Homestead-Miami Speedway with a narrow margin of victory over Carl Edwards of 21 points. Edwards won the race with Bowyer finishing 5th.

2009: No. 33 car Bowyer concentrated primarily on the Sprint Cup Series in 2009 and drove the No. 33 Chevrolet Impala to 15th place in the season standings. Bowyer trimmed his participation in the Nationwide Series to twelve races but performed well, winning at Daytona (July 3) and Dover (September 26), finishing in the top-five in six of the twelve races, and notching eight top-tens.

Bowyer started the Cup season in strong fashion, finishing fourth in the Daytona 500 and second at Las Vegas in the third race of the year. With a sixth in Atlanta and a fifth in Martinsville, Bowyer was second in the overall standings after six races.

A tough stretch in races seven through twelve dropped Bowyer down to seventeenth overall, 109 points behind Mark Martin in 12th place. After a much more consistent run in races 13-23 (3rd at Pocono in the No. 33 Hartford Racing paint out, eighth at Sonoma, eighth at Michigan), Bowyer had climbed up to fourteenth overall, within 58 points of twelfth place. Finishing in the top fifteen in eight of eleven races helped him make up 51 points on the 12th-place position.

A 21st-place finish the following week (race 24) at Bristol really hurt Bowyer's chance at the Chase, dropping him 112 points behind Matt Kenseth in twelfth with just two races prior to the Chase. It was the 25th race (Pep Boys 500 at Atlanta) that sealed Bowyer's fate, as a spin on lap 309 cost him two laps and the chance to compete in the Chase.

While his chances at the Chase were over, Bowyer finished the season as he started it, with five top-tens and nine top-fifteens in the last eleven races. His top finish was the sixth-place run at Charlotte in the Scary Fast Count Chocula paintout. Overall, Bowyer finished the 2009 Sprint Cup Series in fifteenth place.

2010

True to form, Bowyer performed well early in 2010, finishing fourth in Daytona, seventh at Martinsville, and ninth at Phoenix to stand sixth after seven races. However, at Texas in the Samsung Mobile 500 (race 8), Bowyer got caught in a major crash on lap 317 that wiped out eight other drivers and caused a 19-minute red flag race stoppage. The resulting 36th-place finish dropped Bowyer to 14th position overall, only one point behind 12th-place Joey Logano. Seventh- and twelfth place finishes at Talladega and Richmond put Bowyer back into twelfth place after ten races.

The 11th race run at Darlington promised to be special. Bowyer ran the new The Hartford Racing paint out as part of The Hartford's 200th anniversary celebration. As part of Fox's coverage, Bowyer was one of four cars with an in-car camera for the race. However, 101 laps into the race, Bowyer went to the pits and ultimately the garage, with brake issues. After a second long stop to correct, Bowyer finished in 32nd position, 36 laps down.

Bowyer ran well again in races 12 through 14, like seventeenth, seventh, and ninth place finishes allowed him to move back up into 12th-place overall. In race 13 (Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte), Bowyer led lap 217 following a caution for debris. Kurt Busch passed Bowyer on the following lap and went on to win the race.

In races 15–17, Bowyer finished 22nd at Michigan, 31st at Sonoma, and seventh at Loudon, NH. Despite the poor finish, Bowyer was very competitive at Sonoma. He led lap eighty (of 110) and was in seventh place with eleven laps to go. But on lap 100, Elliott Sadler got bumped by Jeff Gordon and spun Bowyer, dropping him all the way back to 34th place.

Bowyer had one of his strongest runs of the year in the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona, leading seventeen of the final 21 laps. Unfortunately, on the final Green-White restart, Bowyer got split by Jeff Gordon, lost the lead, fell back in the pack, and ultimately spun. In finishing seventeenth, Bowyer fell 49 points behind twelfth place Carl Edwards.

In race 19 at Chicagoland, Bowyer ran well all night, finishing fourth and moving up into twelfth place in the overall standings. He started 15th but moved up quickly, running in the top ten for the first half and then in the top five for most of the latter half of the race, battling Jeff Gordon for the lead with less than forty laps to go.

In the Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Bowyer started second and led the most laps before fading back into the Top 5. Taking the white flag in the second position, he suddenly witnessed then-leader Tony Stewart run out of fuel, giving Bowyer the third win of his Sprint Cup career and vaulting him to second in the Chase standings behind Denny Hamlin. However, this was negated during post-race inspection at NASCAR's R&D center. Reports surfaced that Bowyer's car, used at Richmond, had come close to failing inspection. NASCAR announced on September 22 that it had issued fines and penalties to the No. 33 team after failing a secondary inspection. Most critically, crew chief Shane Wilson was suspended for the next 6 races, and both Bowyer and car owner Richard Childress faced $150,000 in fines and the loss of 150 championship points. The penalty dropped Bowyer back to 12th in points, 185 points behind Denny Hamlin. Childress appealed the decision, which reduced the suspensions to four races and $100,000, but the 150-point deduction was upheld.

During the Pepsi Max 400 weekend at Fontana, Bowyer and fellow Childress driver Austin Dillon taped an episode of The Price Is Right that was scheduled to feature NASCAR-themed Showcases (a practice that occurs during a Fontana race, host Drew Carey was the Grand Marshal of the August 2008 race) and aired on November 15, 2010. Bowyer finished second to Tony Stewart in the race.

Bowyer barely edged teammate Kevin Harvick for the victory in the fall Talladega race, the AMP Energy Juice 500. The race ended with the leaders in turn one when a caution was displayed for a large wreck on the front straightaway on the final lap.

Bowyer finished tenth in the final Chase standings, earning him a spot on stage at the season-ending Awards Banquet.

2011: Final season at RCR

Bowyer started off the 2011 season strong in the Budweiser shootout practice sessions, and he and his teammates regularly sat on top of the pylon. In the race, he and Jeff Burton led many laps but faded to tenth at the end (9th due to Denny Hamlin being penalized for going below the yellow line).

Bowyer qualified fifth for the Daytona 500 and finished 2nd to teammate Jeff Burton in the second Gatorade duel by 0.005 seconds. They together dominated that race. In the Daytona 500, Bowyer teamed up with many drivers throughout the day, including Jeff Burton, Paul Menard (his new RCR teammate), Dale Earnhardt Jr., and Kyle Busch. After Burton's engine let go, Bowyer found himself getting a push from Kyle Busch. With four laps to go, Kurt Busch got into the back of Regan Smith, which turned him up in front of Bowyer. Ryan Newman was also involved. Bowyer was able to salvage a seventeenth-place finish out of it, mainly because of the big pileups earlier in the race. He had led 31 laps.

In the next race at Phoenix, Bowyer was taken out early in a multi-car crash on the backstretch. The Helping Hands (his pit crew) were able to repair the car fairly quickly, and he was able to finish 27th.

In the 2011 Aaron's 499 at Talladega, Bowyer led the most laps with 38 and was being pushed by Kevin Harvick on the last lap, dueling with Hendrick drivers Jeff Gordon and Mark Martin. Approaching the tri-oval, Jimmie Johnson and Dale Earnhardt Jr. squeezed to the far inside, and Johnson beat Bowyer to the line by 0.002 seconds (less than a foot) in a four-wide finish, tied with the finish of Ricky Craven over Kurt Busch in the 2003 Carolina Dodge Dealers 400 for closest finish in Sprint Cup history.

At Dover, in the Nationwide series, Bowyer was involved in a major crash on the last lap, with Bowyer going on his side. He and no one else were injured. Running third at the time, Bowyer was collected by Joey Logano (who was revealed through replays to have gotten loose on his own and overcorrected into the outside wall with no help from race winner Carl Edwards), after which he was then hit by a few other cars behind him.

At New Hampshire, Bowyer led 49 of the last 51 laps and seemed to be on the road to victory, but with two laps to go, in a bizarre twist of fate, Tony Stewart passed him to win in a role reversal from the 2010 race.

On October 7, 2011, Bowyer signed a three-year contract to race the No. 15 Toyota for Michael Waltrip Racing, starting in 2012.

Bowyer did not make the Chase, but he won the Chase race at Talladega for the 2nd consecutive year, pulling a slingshot on Burton out of turn 4 on the final lap of the race. The margin of victory was 0.018 seconds. It was his last win with Richard Childress Racing.

2012: First season at MWR

The 2012 season marked a new beginning for Bowyer as he moved from Richard Childress Racing to Michael Waltrip Racing, signing a three-year deal. Improvements at Michael Waltrip Racing with the addition of former RCR director of competition Scott Miller and veteran driver Mark Martin as a teammate translated into Bowyer's best season statistically in the Sprint Cup Series.

Bowyer's 2012 season began sourly, as his Daytona 500 qualifying time was disallowed, and he also ran out of fuel under green when he missed pit road during the 500. In March, he ended up starting a year-long rivalry with Jeff Gordon at the Martinsville race. Gordon's team, Hendrick Motorsports, was going for its two-hundredth victory at the team's statistically best track. On a late green-white-checkered restart with two laps to go, Gordon was running first with Hendrick teammate Jimmie Johnson in second and Bowyer third. Bowyer dove to the low side and made it three wide going into turn one, sending all three spinning around and giving the win to Ryan Newman. Bowyer apologized for the contact, but later incidents at other 2012 races led to a heated rivalry.

In June, at the Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma, California, Bowyer dominated the race, scoring his first road course victory as well as his first MWR win by holding off Tony Stewart and Kurt Busch. At the AdvoCare 500 at Atlanta, Bowyer suffered battery issues but still managed to clinch a Chase berth with a 27th-place finish. He rebounded the following week at the Federated Auto Parts 400 at Richmond, winning the race using fuel strategy despite being spun by Juan Pablo Montoya mid-race.

Bowyer's two wins positioned him sixth at the start of the Chase for the Sprint Cup. In the Chase, he won at Charlotte after Brad Keselowski made a late-race pit stop.

Coming to the white flag at the AdvoCare 500 (Phoenix) on November 11, 2012, Bowyer's rivalry with Jeff Gordon came to a head. Earlier in the race, Bowyer accidentally put Gordon into the wall. Gordon was then black-flagged for a failed attempt to cut Bowyer's tire. On the next-to-last lap, Gordon decided enough was enough and responded by intentionally wrecking Bowyer in turn three, collecting Joey Logano and Aric Almirola. After Gordon's car was parked behind his team's hauler, a member of Bowyer's team shoved Gordon from behind, and both teams scuffled. After Bowyer entered the pit area with his damaged car and noticed his team was not in his pit stall, he sprinted towards Gordon's hauler, attempting to enter it before being restrained by a single NASCAR official. The incident knocked Bowyer down to fourth place in the points standings and mathematically ended Bowyer's chance of winning the Championship. Bowyer was not penalized for his involvement in the fight, but his crew chief, Brian Pattie, was fined $35,000 after he expressed his displeasure with Gordon by using profanity on national television, forcing ESPN to apologize to viewers.

The following week, Bowyer rebounded, finished second at Homestead (ironically behind Gordon), and completed the season with a career-best second-place finish in the final points, passing Jimmie Johnson by one point, who was eliminated with a drive train malfunction. In victory lane at the race, Jeff Gordon apologized for his behavior at Phoenix and moved on from the incident.

2013 Bowyer started out 2013 by participating in the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona, driving a Ferrari 458 with AF Corse/Michael Waltrip Racing. The team finished 16th overall and 7th in class.

At Richmond International Raceway on September 7, 2013, Bowyer became the subject of controversy as, late in the race, his No. 15 Toyota spun; accusations were made that the spin was intentional, as part of an effort by MWR to ensure that Martin Truex Jr. qualified for the Chase for the Sprint Cup. NASCAR president Mike Helton stated the following morning that scoring officials on the scene did not believe the spin was intentional, but that NASCAR was reviewing the incident. The following Monday evening, NASCAR docked all three MWR teams, including Bowyer, fifty driver/owner points. MWR was also fined $300,000. Despite the large penalty, Bowyer retained enough points to remain in the Chase. He had already clinched a spot in the Chase at the Irwin Tools Night Race.

2014

Bowyer did not participate in the Sprint Unlimited as he did not win a pole during the 2013 season. His season started on a wild note when Bowyer was involved in a last-lap crash of the second race in the Budweiser Duels, with Bowyer's car being sent airborne and performing a barrel roll before landing on its wheels.

At Darlington, Bowyer was the center of controversy when he got some contact with Kurt Busch. While racing Busch for a top-ten spot, Bowyer drove into the back of Kurt Busch, who spun out and wrecked. Busch replied by waving his hands in frustration at Bowyer under yellow. In a post-race interview, Bowyer apologized, stating, "You never want to wreck anybody. It was quite clear I got into the back of him and wrecked him."

Two weeks later at Richmond, Bowyer tried to move to the lead on lap one but tapped pole-sitter Kyle Larson, which forced Larson to drive from 43rd for a recovery. Later, his car caught fire on pit road during a pit stop.

After an Atlanta engine blowup, Bowyer's hopes to make the Chase by consistency were dashed, and the next week, Bowyer missed the Chase by a slim three points. He would finish 19th in points

In the Texas Nationwide race, Bowyer replaced Elliott Sadler on lap seven due to a stomach illness; Bowyer qualified for Sadler for the race.

2015: Final season at MWR

Bowyer started off the season with a top-ten at Daytona. Despite having a few top tens throughout the year, on August 19, 2015, it was announced that Bowyer and MWR would part ways after the season ended, with MWR not fielding full-time teams in 2016. On September 30, 2015, it was announced that Tony Stewart (Stewart–Haas Racing) would retire from the NASCAR Sprint Cup series after the 2016 season and negotiated a contract which will allow Bowyer to drive the No. 14 car in the 2017 season. On October 2, 2015, it was announced that Bowyer would move to HScott Motorsports for the 2016 season, replacing Justin Allgaier before making his transition to Stewart–Haas Racing the following season. On December 15, 2015, a leaked photo on Twitter showed that Bowyer would bring over his No. 15 and 5-Hour-Energy sponsorship from Michael Waltrip Racing to HScott Motorsports for his lone season with them. Bowyer made the Chase due to having enough points to qualify, but his Chase was hit heavily by a 25-driver and owner points penalty, a $75,000 fine, and the suspension of crew chief Billy Scott for three races. Bowyer appealed the penalties, but they were upheld by the appeals panel. With the penalty, Bowyer didn't advance to the second round of the Chase.

In his last season with MWR, Bowyer was winless, scored just twelve top-tens, and finished sixteenth in the championship.

2016

Bowyer started the season on a low note, finishing 33rd after a loose wheel at Daytona. Bowyer struggled at Atlanta with his car down a cylinder, finishing 35th. Bowyer had some poor finishes, including a 38th-place finish at Texas, where he left the garage after the car was repairable. Bowyer later had his first top-ten finish this season, coming at Bristol with an eighth-place finish. Two weeks later, Bowyer finished a season-best seventh-place finish after avoiding massive crashes at Talladega. Coming back to Daytona, Bowyer would avoid crashes to finish ninth. Bowyer ended the season winless and with no top-fives, with only three top-tens and finishing 27th in the point standings.

Bowyer returned to the Nationwide Series, now known as the Xfinity Series, at Chicagoland, driving the No. 88 for JR Motorsports. He ended up starting the race in seventh and finishing the race in sixth.

2017: First season at Stewart–Haas Racing

With Tony Stewart's retirement, Bowyer moved from the No. 15 HSM Chevy to the No. 14 Stewart–Haas Racing Ford Fusion. Bowyer started the season with a second-place finish in the second Can-Am Duel. Bowyer got his first top-ten at Las Vegas with a tenth-place finish. Bowyer had a significantly better race at Auto Club, finishing third and second at Bristol several races later. After no top fives, seven races later, he finished second at Sonoma behind teammate Kevin Harvick, giving Stewart–Haas Racing its second-ever 1-2 finish for the first time since 2011. Bowyer finished second again at the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona the following week. Deja vu happened as a mechanical issue in the Southern 500 at Darlington put Bowyer in a must-win situation at Richmond (just like in 2014) to make the Playoffs. He finished 24th after contact with Matt Kenseth as Kenseth avoided an ambulance at the entry of pit road while under caution and eighteenth in the final points standings.

2018

Bowyer got off to a strong start in 2018, posting top-fifteen finishes in four of the first five events, including a third-place finish at the Atlanta race. On March 26, 2018, he broke a 190-race winless streak with a victory at the spring Martinsville race, which gave him his first Playoff run since 2015. Bowyer then scored his second win of the season at the rain-shortened June Michigan race. Despite bad finishes at Las Vegas and Dover, he has stayed consistent in the Playoffs, advancing to the Round of 8 before a crash at Phoenix eliminated him from the Playoffs. Bowyer finished the season twelfth in points.

2019 At the conclusion of the 2019 Monster Energy NASCAR All-Star Race, Bowyer chopped Ryan Newman's nose, which sent Bowyer into the wall during the cool-down lap. Following the race, Bowyer attacked Newman on pit road. Both drivers were called to the NASCAR hauler, but neither was penalized for the incident. During an autograph session at a Bass Pro Shops store on May 23, 2019, a fan brought a pair of boxing gloves for both drivers to sign. Despite a string of inconsistent finishes and no wins during the season, Bowyer managed to make the 2019 playoffs after finishing fifth at Indianapolis. On September 14, 2019, Bowyer won the pole at Las Vegas, his first pole since 2007. He finished fourth at the Charlotte Roval to advance to the Round of 12. Bowyer was eliminated in the Round of 12 after the Kansas race. He finished ninth in the final points standings despite not reaching victory lane as he did the season prior, his first top ten points finish since 2013. On December 4, 2019, Stewart–Haas Racing announced that Johnny Klausmeier would replace Mike Bugarewicz as the crew chief of the No. 14 team in 2020.

2020: Final full-time season In March, Bowyer edged out Jimmie Johnson to win the pole for the Auto Club 400, the fourth of his career. He finished the race in 23rd place, one lap down. After accumulating seven top-ten finishes, including a runner-up finish at the spring Bristol race (his 82nd and final top-five), Bowyer qualified for the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs. On October 8, 2020, Bowyer revealed that he would be joining the Fox Sports broadcast booth for the 2021 season, stepping from the driver's seat. Bowyer was eliminated from the playoffs after the round of 12. Bowyer scored his 226th and final top-ten at Martinsville and finished 14th at the season finale at Phoenix in his final race the following week. He finished twelfth in the points standings in his final season. Bowyer also co-hosted a podcast, Rubbin is Racing, with Dave Portnoy on Barstool Sports.

2024: Return to racing On May 29, 2024, it was announced that Bowyer would drive the No. 7 Spire Motorsports truck at Nashville after an eight-year hiatus from the truck series.

Clint Bowyer Racing Bowyer started his own Dirt Late Model team, Clint Bowyer Racing, in 2008. Well-established veteran Shannon Babb of Mowequa, IL, was behind the wheel of Clint's Rocket Chassis, and had a very solid season. Babb left to form his own team at the end of 2008, due to wanting to run more of an "outlaw" type schedule, and wanting to race closer to home to be with his family. For the 2009 season, the 2005 World 100 Champion Dale McDowell (who ironically inherited the win via Babb being light at the scales) took over the seat, and the number was changed to Dale's signature No. 17M Jared Landers also drives for the team in the No. 5 late model.

The team elected to run the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series full-time in 2009, choosing to run Warrior Racecars, with help from Warrior's owner, Sanford Goddard. Winning two races and finishing fourth in the points standings, it was a decent season. Since then, the 17M has become a staple of the Lucas Oil Series, continuing on the 2010 tour. Clint Bowyer Racing also has fielded cars in Tony Stewart's Prelude to the Dream in 2008 (Bowyer, second and Jimmie Johnson, tenth) and 2010 (Johnson won, Bowyer second). Both years, these were also Warrior Racecars.

Clint Bowyer Racing fielded a car for Clint in 2011 for the UNOH DIRTcar Nationals. A victory in a feature night race helped Clint secure the overall modified championship in the event. In 2014, Clint Bowyer Racing won its first Lucas Oil Dirt Late Model Championship with Don O'Neal driving the No. 5 Peak Performance car.

In 2016, after Clint Bowyer's lowest-ranking season with HScott Motorsports, Clint Bowyer and Clint Bowyer Racing filed a lawsuit against Harry Scott, Jr., charging him with breach of contract and fraud. The team charged that Bowyer brought some former MWR sponsors to the team and that HScott missed monthly payments for Bowyer's driving services in October and November 2016. Bowyer also alleged that the team was using money owed to him to pay off their creditors. Upon filing the suit, Bowyer received a temporary court order against HScott Motorsports, ordering them to hold onto at least 2.2 million pending the lawsuit. The lawsuit was quickly settled out of court, less than a week later, in a "mutual, amicable, confidential settlement."

Personal life In April 2014, Bowyer married Lorra, and the couple has two children. He is an avid fan of the Kansas City Royals of MLB, the Kansas City Chiefs of the NFL, and the University of Kansas Jayhawks of the NCAA.

2022 car accident Bowyer was absent from Fox's final Cup Series broadcast of the season at Sonoma on June 12, 2022. Larry McReynolds had replaced him in the booth for practice/qualifying and the race. Jordan Bianchi from The Athletic reported that Bowyer was "handling a personal matter" and would miss the race weekend. On June 16, 2022, WDAF-TV reported that on June 5, 2022, at 9:00 p.m. Bowyer had hit a woman when driving home from the Cup Series race at Gateway earlier in the day. The incident took place on an exit ramp near Osage Beach, Missouri. The woman was pronounced dead and presumed to be under the influence. An investigation revealed that the woman was walking along the exit ramp against the flow of traffic when she was struck by Bowyer's car. Furthermore, police found a bag of a crystalline substance among her personal items. A man questioned at a nearby campground said he and the woman used meth and alcohol earlier that day.

Charity work On May 6, 2008, Clint Bowyer attended and hosted the first annual Clint Bowyer Charity Golf Event in his hometown of Emporia, Kansas. It raised $160,000 for the Emporia Community Foundation to "make Emporia a better place."

While Bowyer was in Emporia for one of his golf tournaments for charity, he had the idea to raise money for and build a community center. Bowyer dedicated the building on March 12, 2012. Bowyer says he envisions the building being used for anything from business meetings to weddings to concerts, and he was constructed with flexibility in mind. The new Bowyer Community Building is located at the Lyon County Fairgrounds, which is on Highway 50 in Emporia.

TV appearances Bowyer made a guest appearance on an episode of A&E's Duck Dynasty in 2012 on an episode titled "Drag Me To Glory". Bowyer was featured in the episode using his customized camouflage limousine in a race with the show's star, Willie Robertson, who was using a similar limousine. In 2015, he co-hosted an episode of Diners, Drive-ins and Dives with Guy Fieri where they went around Charlotte to find the best food spots.

In June 2019, Bowyer was a color commentator for the Fox NASCAR broadcast of the Xfinity race at Pocono. Part of a Cup drivers-only coverage, he worked alongside Kevin Harvick and Joey Logano in the broadcast booth.

On October 8, 2020, Bowyer revealed that he would be joining the Fox Sports broadcast booth full-time for the 2021 season, stepping away from the driver's seat.

Motorsports career results

NASCAR (key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)

Cup Series NASCAR Cup Series results Year Team No. Make 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 Pts Ref 2005 Richard Childress Racing 33 Chevy DAY CAL LVS ATL BRI MAR TEX PHO22 TAL DAR RCH CLT DOV POC MCH SON DAY CHI NHA POC IND GLN MCH BRI CAL RCH NHA DOV TAL KAN CLT MAR ATL TEX PHO HOM 69th 97 2006 07 DAY6 CAL14 LVS15 ATL27 BRI29 MAR22 TEX19 PHO5 TAL40 RCH10 DAR23 CLT19 DOV17 POC21 MCH39 SON16 DAY10 CHI9 NHA27 POC41 IND4 GLN14 MCH33 BRI38 CAL3 RCH12 NHA24 DOV8 KAN9 TAL35 CLT23 MAR23 ATL25 TEX5 PHO33 HOM10 17th 3833 2007 DAY18 CAL6 LVS36 ATL6 BRI8 MAR11 TEX16 PHO22 TAL35 RCH9 DAR9 CLT29 DOV8 POC10 MCH16 SON4 NHA37 DAY7* CHI10 IND13 POC8 GLN16 MCH17 BRI3 CAL20 RCH12 NHA1* DOV12 KAN2 TAL11 CLT2 MAR9 ATL6 TEX19 PHO11 HOM39 3rd 6377 2008 DAY24 CAL19 LVS28 ATL6 BRI3 MAR10 TEX10 PHO2 TAL9 RCH1 DAR15 CLT25 DOV36 POC39 MCH26 SON4 NHA22 DAY9 CHI22 IND19 POC6 GLN23 MCH20 BRI7 CAL10 RCH12 NHA12 DOV8 KAN12 TAL5 CLT12 MAR9 ATL20 TEX4 PHO12 HOM5 5th 6381 2009 33 DAY4 CAL19 LVS2 ATL6 BRI13 MAR5 TEX22 PHO26 TAL39 RCH18 DAR37 CLT36 DOV11 POC12 MCH10 SON8 NHA20 DAY29 CHI9 IND18 POC3 GLN9 MCH8 BRI21 ATL29 RCH6 NHA10 DOV15 KAN21 CAL9 CLT6 MAR19 TAL12 TEX7 PHO7 HOM11 15th 4359 2010 DAY4 CAL8 LVS8 ATL23 BRI40 MAR7 PHO9 TEX36 TAL7 RCH12 DAR32 DOV17 CLT7 POC9 MCH22 SON31 NHA7 DAY17 CHI4 IND4 POC15 GLN32 MCH13 BRI4 ATL7 RCH6 NHA1* DOV25 KAN15 CAL2 CLT17 MAR38 TAL1 TEX7 PHO21 HOM12 10th 6155 2011 DAY17 PHO27 LVS15 BRI35 CAL7 MAR9 TEX2 TAL2* RCH6 DAR31 DOV6 CLT15 KAN18 POC16 MCH8 SON4 DAY36 KEN35 NHA17 IND13 POC18 GLN11 MCH8 BRI26 ATL36 RCH22 CHI7 NHA26 DOV8 KAN7 CLT24 TAL1 MAR19 TEX9 PHO10 HOM6 13th 1047 2012 Michael Waltrip Racing 15 Toyota DAY11 PHO30 LVS6 BRI4 CAL13 MAR10 TEX17 KAN36 RCH7 TAL6 DAR11 CLT14 DOV6 POC7 MCH8 SON1* KEN16 DAY29 NHA3 IND15 POC8 GLN4 MCH7 BRI7 ATL27 RCH1 CHI10 NHA4 DOV9 TAL23 CLT1 KAN6 MAR5 TEX6 PHO28 HOM2 2nd 2361 2013 DAY11 PHO6 LVS27 BRI5 CAL35 MAR2 TEX15 KAN5 RCH2 TAL18 DAR11 CLT8 DOV6 POC15 MCH7 SON5 KEN3 DAY4 NHA13 IND20 POC14 GLN6 MCH5 BRI14 ATL39 RCH25 CHI9 NHA17 DOV10 KAN14 CLT11 TAL10 MAR3 TEX10 PHO20 HOM5 7th 2336 2014 DAY42 PHO13 LVS23 BRI15 CAL16 MAR9 TEX8 DAR12 RCH43 TAL3 KAN23 CLT17 DOV4 POC11 MCH10 SON10 KEN23 DAY9 NHA6 IND16 POC4 GLN27 MCH6 BRI17 ATL38 RCH3 CHI39 NHA14 DOV9 KAN19 CLT43 TAL3 MAR7 TEX28 PHO40 HOM8 19th 979 2015 DAY7 ATL24 LVS21 PHO24 CAL30 MAR13 TEX22 BRI12 RCH9 TAL30 KAN21 CLT20 DOV9 POC22 MCH10 SON3 DAY10 KEN19 NHA34 IND6 POC8 GLN6 MCH41 BRI5 DAR17 RCH10 CHI19 NHA26 DOV14 CLT11 KAN40 TAL8 MAR43 TEX15 PHO23 HOM43 16th 2175 2016 HScott Motorsports Chevy DAY33 ATL35 LVS22 PHO31 CAL18 MAR25 TEX38 BRI8 RCH33 TAL7 KAN19 DOV12 CLT23 POC18 MCH23 SON40 DAY9 KEN23 NHA24 IND21 POC26 GLN18 BRI31 MCH40 DAR22 RCH22 CHI22 NHA22 DOV24 CLT17 KAN26 TAL18 MAR28 TEX25 PHO24 HOM23 27th 628 2017 Stewart–Haas Racing 14 Ford DAY32 ATL11 LVS10 PHO13 CAL3 MAR7 TEX11 BRI2 RCH15 TAL14 KAN9 CLT14 DOV31 POC17 MCH26 SON2 DAY2 KEN13 NHA7 IND30 POC6 GLN5 MCH23 BRI19 DAR40 RCH24 CHI13 NHA7 DOV6 CLT27 TAL35 KAN19 MAR3 TEX36 PHO13 HOM12 18th 871 2018 DAY15 ATL3 LVS18 PHO6 CAL11 MAR1* TEX9 BRI8 RCH9 TAL31 DOV2 KAN15 CLT12 POC20 MCH1 SON3 CHI5 DAY22 KEN12 NHA35 POC11 GLN11 MCH12 BRI6 DAR36 IND5* LVS23 RCH10 ROV3 DOV35 TAL2 KAN13 MAR21 TEX26 PHO35 HOM8 12th 2272 2019 DAY20 ATL5 LVS14 PHO11 CAL38 MAR7 TEX2 BRI7 RCH3 TAL29 DOV9 KAN5 CLT24 POC5 MCH35 SON11 CHI37 DAY34 KEN6 NHA20 POC11 GLN20 MCH37 BRI7 DAR6 IND5 LVS25 RCH8 ROV4 DOV10 TAL23 KAN8 MAR35 TEX11 PHO8 HOM6 9th 2290 2020 DAY6 LVS12 CAL23 PHO5 DAR17 DAR22* CLT39 CLT16 BRI2 ATL20 MAR17 HOM11 TAL25 POC7 POC8 IND16 KEN14 TEX11 KAN14 NHA18 MCH19 MCH14 DRC6 DOV6 DOV16 DAY19 DAR10 RCH10 BRI6 LVS12 TAL33 ROV10 KAN26 TEX17 MAR8 PHO14 12th 2254

Daytona 500 Year Team Manufacturer Start Finish 2006 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 37 6 2007 11 18 2008 31 24 2009 22 4 2010 9 4 2011 6 17 2012 Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 30 11 2013 10 11 2014 20 42 2015 9 7 2016 HScott Motorsports Chevrolet 31 33 2017 Stewart–Haas Racing Ford 6 32 2018 10 15 2019 6 20 2020 29 6

Xfinity Series NASCAR Xfinity Series results Year Team No. Make 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 Pts Ref 2004 Richard Childress Racing 21 Chevy DAY CAR LVS DAR BRI TEX36 NSH4 TAL22 CAL GTW12 RCH NZH18 CLT DOV NSH3 KEN10 MLW10 DAY PPR4 IRP17 MCH BRI CAL RCH DOV KAN32 MEM4 ATL20 PHO HOM39 29th 1933 Andy Petree Racing 33 Chevy CHI42 NHA Kevin Harvick Incorporated Chevy CLT10 DAR15 2005 Richard Childress Racing 2 Chevy DAY12 CAL4 MXC7 LVS9 ATL21 NSH5 BRI13 TEX6 PHO13 TAL19 DAR10 RCH9 CLT32 DOV19 NSH1 KEN3 MLW10 DAY5 CHI6 NHA16 PPR2 GTW8 IRP2 GLN15 MCH30 BRI4 CAL3 RCH11 DOV2 KAN16 CLT33 MEM1* TEX7 PHO2 HOM8 2nd 4869 2006 DAY3 CAL16 MXC16 LVS9 ATL14 BRI12 TEX18 NSH2 PHO21 TAL5 RCH7 DAR17 CLT36 DOV4 NSH2 KEN12 MLW18 DAY6 CHI7 NHA5 MAR2 GTW2 IRP40 GLN17 MCH12 BRI23 CAL13 RCH37 DOV1 KAN5 CLT7 MEM2 TEX17 PHO4 HOM11 3rd 4683 2007 DAY4 CAL MXC LVS41 ATL6 BRI5 NSH TEX PHO1* TAL13 RCH1 DAR5 CLT3 DOV NSH2 KEN MLW NHA6 DAY5 CHI4 GTW IRP CGV GLN MCH10 BRI8 RCH33 DOV KAN4 CLT8 MEM TEX4 PHO3 HOM9 12th 3269 21 CAL5 2008 2 DAY25 CAL9 LVS3 ATL19 BRI1* NSH2 TEX3 PHO8 MXC6 TAL25 RCH9 DAR2 CLT6 DOV9 NSH4 KEN9 MLW3 NHA9 DAY4 CHI7 GTW8 IRP18 CGV9 GLN23 MCH10 BRI2 CAL7 RCH3 DOV10 KAN2 CLT4 MEM16 TEX6 PHO4 HOM5 1st 5132 2009 29 DAY3 CAL LVS BRI3 TEX NSH PHO TAL31 RCH DAR CLT DOV3 NSH KEN MLW NHA14 DAY1 CHI GTW IRP IOW GLN MCH BRI7 CGV ATL RCH11 DOV1 KAN9 CAL26 CLT MEM TEX PHO4 HOM 29th 1750 2010 21 DAY CAL LVS BRI NSH PHO11 TEX35 TAL6 RCH23 DAR39 DOV25 CLT10 NSH KEN ROA NHA DAY6 CHI GTW IRP IOW GLN MCH BRI7 CGV ATL14 RCH7 DOV KAN CAL CLT5 GTW TEX30 PHO HOM 32nd 1506 2011 Kevin Harvick Incorporated 33 Chevy DAY2 PHO LVS BRI CAL TEX TAL22 NSH RCH DAR6 DOV14 IOW CLT CHI MCH ROA DAY34 KEN NHA NSH IRP IOW GLN CGV BRI3 ATL RCH CHI DOV3 KAN CLT TEX4 PHO7 HOM4 100th 01 2012 Joe Gibbs Racing 20 Toyota DAY PHO LVS BRI CAL TEX RCH TAL DAR IOW CLT DOV MCH ROA KEN DAY26 NHA CHI IND IOW GLN CGV BRI ATL RCH CHI KEN DOV CLT KAN TEX PHO HOM 137th 01 2014 Joe Gibbs Racing 11 Toyota DAY PHO LVS BRI CAL TEX DAR RCH TAL IOW CLT DOV MCH ROA KEN DAY NHA CHI IND IOW GLN MOH BRI ATL RCH CHI KEN DOV KAN CLT TEXQL† PHO HOM N/A – 2016 JR Motorsports 88 Chevy DAY ATL LVS PHO CAL TEX BRI RCH TAL DOV CLT POC MCH IOW DAY KEN NHA IND IOW GLN MOH BRI ROA DAR RCH CHI6 KEN DOV CLT KAN TEX PHO HOM 104th 01 † – Qualified for Elliott Sadler

Craftsman Truck Series NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series results Year Team No. Make 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 Pts Ref 2006 SS-Green Light Racing 07 Chevy DAY CAL ATL MAR7 GTW CLT MFD DOV TEX MCH MLW KAN KEN MEM IRP NSH BRI 42nd 434 Morgan-Dollar Motorsports 46 Chevy NHA25 LVS TAL MAR ATL TEX1* PHO HOM 2007 Kevin Harvick, Inc. 2 Chevy DAY CAL ATL5 MAR KAN CLT MFD DOV34 TEX MCH MLW MEM KEN IRP NSH BRI GTW NHA35 LVS TAL MAR17 ATL TEX PHO HOM 53rd 391 2010 Kevin Harvick, Inc. 2 Chevy DAY ATL MAR NSH KAN DOV CLT TEX MCH IOW GTW IRP POC NSH DAR BRI CHI KEN NHA LVS MAR TAL TEX PHO1* HOM 75th 195 2011 DAY PHO2 DAR MAR NSH DOV CLT2* KAN1* TEX KEN IOW NSH IRP POC MCH BRI ATL2* CHI NHA KEN LVS TAL MAR TEX HOM 82nd 01 2014 Athenian Motorsports 05 Toyota DAY MAR KAN CLT DOV TEX GTW KEN IOW ELD POC4 MCH BRI MSP CHI NHA LVS TAL MAR TEX PHO HOM 94th 01 2016 GMS Racing 24 Chevy DAY ATL MAR KAN5 DOV CLT TEX IOW GTW KEN ELD POC BRI MCH MSP CHI NHA LVS TAL MAR TEX PHO HOM 84th 01 2024 Spire Motorsports 7 Chevy DAY ATL LVS BRI COA MAR TEX KAN DAR NWS CLT GTW NSH17 POC IRP RCH MLW BRI KAN TAL HOM MAR PHO 53rd 22 2026 Kaulig Racing 25 Ram DAY ATL STP DAR CAR BRI TEX GLN DOV29 CLT NSH MCH COR LRP NWS IRP RCH NHA BRI KAN CLT PHO TAL MAR HOM -* -*

Season still in progress Ineligible for series points

ARCA Re/Max Series (key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.) ARCA Re/Max Series results Year Team No. Make 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 Pts Ref 2003 Scott Traylor Motorsports 5 Pontiac DAY ATL NSH SLM TOL KEN CLT BLN KAN MCH LER POC POC NSH2 ISF WIN DSF CHI SLM TAL CLT20 SBO 74th 350 2004 7 Chevy DAY8 NSH SLM KEN TOL CLT KAN POC MCH SBO BLN KEN GTW POC LER NSH ISF TOL DSF CHI SLM TAL 114th 195

West Series NASCAR West Series results Year Team No. Make 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Pts Ref 2004 Bill McAnally Racing 20 Chevy PHO8 MMR CAL2* S99 EVG IRW S99 RMR DCS PHO CNS MMR IRW 32nd 322

24 Hours of Daytona (key) 24 Hours of Daytona results Year Class No Team Car Co-drivers Laps Position Class Pos. 2013 GT 56 AF Waltrip Ferrari 458 Rui Águas Rob Kauffman Michael Waltrip 677 16 8

Superstar Racing Experience (key) * – Most laps led. 1 – Heat 1 winner. 2 – Heat 2 winner. Superstar Racing Experience results Year No. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Pts 2023 07 STA3 STA II MMS22 BER ELD LOS5 11th 01