Clint Bowyer no longer feels like the odd man out in the NASCAR Nextel Cup Chase for the Championship field.
That’s because the Emporia native finally had the breakout race he had been waiting nearly two years for, dominating the field at the Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway Sunday to win his first Nextel Cup Series race in nearly two seasons on the circuit.
“I’m so happy — to finally achieve everything you’ve worked your whole life for,” Bowyer said by phone Sunday evening. “To come into victory lane after racing against the best of the best in the lead division in all of motorsports is something pretty special.”
The victory was big for Bowyer in more ways than one.
Not only did it allow him to remove the distinction of being the only driver in the 12-driver Chase for the Cup without a victory, but the win rocketed him up the Chase standings from 12th to fourth — just 15 points back of co-leaders Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon — and raised his status from “long shot” to “contender” just one race into the 10-race Chase.
“Making the Chase, it’s a very prestigious thing to be a part of, but we really didn’t think our season would be complete without winning a race,” Bowyer said. “We’ve done that, and it’s so cool to be able to win and beat the best of the best — the best drivers in the world.”
And he did it in extraordinary fashion.
He’d never finished higher than third before, and had led just 196 laps in his entire Cup career, including just 84 this season. But on Sunday, Bowyer led 222 of 300 laps and beat Gordon by more than 6 seconds.
“It was by far the best Cup car I’ve ever had,” he said. “(Crew chief) Gil (Martin) and all the guys had been working on a setup that they’d been wanting to try but hadn’t used it going into this Chase because if it didn’t work, we could’ve knocked ourselves right out. But we definitely found something there.
“That’s what it’s all about. That’s what racing is all about. It’s working hard to find little things and find that advantage.”
In fact, Bowyer’s car was so good, he knew the only thing that could beat him was himself. It happened last week in Richmond, when he spun while trying to pass for the lead, and Bowyer spent the final 50 laps fretting on his radio. He worried about his car, grew frustrated with lapped traffic and the setting sun, which made it difficult for him to see at times.
But his crew chief, Martin, repeatedly told him to relax over his radio, and the 28-year-old made it to the finish unscathed, where he celebrated with a tremendous burnout that actually ended up damaging his motor.
Not that it mattered. Bowyer still had made it to victory lane, even if he had to walk there while his car was pushed from the track.
Gordon, the four-time series champion, finished second and was followed by two-time series champion Tony Stewart. Kyle Busch was fourth, followed by Martin Truex Jr., Johnson and Matt Kenseth, as Chase drivers took the top seven spots.
Casey Mears was eighth, followed by Ryan Newman and J.J. Yeley.
Bowyer said the victory changed his outlook for the rest of the Chase, saying he most likely would approach the final nine races — including the upcoming Kansas 400 at Kansas Speedway in two weeks — differently than he would have had he not won Sunday.
“You go into this thing, and you don’t know what to expect. You try your hardest, and you’re the underdog at best, and everybody had you counted out,” he said. “Now, you win the first race, and the roles change.
“Now, we’re the one with the attention and the exposure. People will be watching us.
“We just catapulted ourselves into that next group, and we’re without a doubt racing for a championship now.”
The Associated Press contributed to the story.