Tag: Clint Bowyer

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Flying High??

P1020710 

We are approaching the one quarter point of the 2009 season and some teams are flying high, and some are still in the holding pattern waiting for their approach clearance!! 

It is no surprise that two of Hendrick Motorsports teams are first and second in the standings.  The teams of Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson have performed up to their early season’s expectations.  The #24 Dupont Chevy finally broke their winless streak of 47 races by winning at Texas!  Even without that victory, Jeff Gordon has been finishing in the top 5 ,week in and week out, in the early part of the 2009 season.  The Lowe’s # 48 Chevy is just now starting to hit on all 8 cylinders, hey look out they are coming on strong!! 

The two Joe Gibbs Racing cars, #11 FedEx Toyota driven by Denny Hamlin and the #18 M&M’s Toyota driven by TLVW, aka ol Kylie Busch are steadily plotting their course pointing towards the front, as well.

Two of “The Roushcateers” are holding up their end for the Ford’s.  The #99 Scott’s Ford piloted by “Cousin” Carl Edwards has been very consitent in scoring top 10 finishes so far this season.  The #17 DeWalt Ford Fusion of Matt Kenseth also has been a force.  After Kenseth’s red-hot start of back-to-back victories, he has settled down into a steady performer.

There are a couple of suprises at this juncture of the season.  The #14 Stewart-Haas Chevy  driven by Tony Stewart, aka “THE SMOKER” is sitting in 5th place in the satndings!  Even though it is THE SMOKER  driving this car, it is a new team in essence!  This reporter didn’t figure this team “to be in hunt” at  all this season!

Additionally, there is great surprise that the Richard Childress Racing #33 General Mills Chevy driven by Clint Bowyer, is anywhere near the top of the standings!!  This team is truly a brand new, startup team!! 

Still another surprise, as compared to where he finished last year, is the Penske Racing #2 Miller Lite Dodge of Ears Laid Back, aka Kurt Busch.

The Michael Waltrip Racing #00 Aaron’s Dream Machine piloted by David Reutimann has come from nowhere to  land firmly in 11th place.  That is quite a leap from last years position of thirty-something!!

Missing from the top twelve is the most popular driver of NASCAR, none other than Dale Earnhardt, Jr.  What is happening to the Hendrick Motorsports #88 AMP/Natonal Guard Chevy???  What seems to be going on with that team?  Does anybody have a clue??

For those teams “flying high”, they really must stay focused knowing that they have a target drawn on their backs by the teams stuck in that holding pattern I alluded to in the beginning of this article.  For those teams still in the holding pattern, it is time to exit the holding pattern and make that perfect landing beginning at Phoenix this weekend!!  They can not afford to stall out now! 

As always it is time to tie the picture together with the article.  If you haven’t figured it out, the F-15 Eagle “is flying high”!  The picture was taken at the March race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.  For those of you who have never been to LVMS, the track is located about a mile to the northwest of Nellis AFB.  So while you are at LVMS, you get a great air show from all the fighters that transit through the air base.   Also, the USAF Thunderbirds precision demonstration team winters there, too.  So you also get a glimpse of the boys doing their practice show in preparation for their annul tour!! 

We live in fame and die in flame!!!   GO USAF!!!!

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#33 General Mills Team

2009 Daytona 500 118 

THIS FROM THE “WHERE DID HE COME FROM” CATEGORY????????? 

This off season Richard Childress Racing started up a fourth Cup team.  It was decided that Clint Bowyer would move over from the #07 Jack Daniels team to drive  for the new team.  Part of that transformation was at the behest of General Mills.  You see RCR had just signed young Casey Mears to be part of that new team, however having been sponsored by Kelloggs at Hendrick Motorsports, General Mills thought that Mears would be kind of a conflict of interest as a driver. 

 

So Richard Childress had the chore of assembling this new team in a short amount of time.  Fortunately with the economy failing and mergers in the NASCAR world leaving a few unemployed, Childress had the opportunity to hire some quality people to start this project off on the right foot!  So his first step was to find a good experienced crew chief to head up this #33 General Mills Chevy, fortunately Shane Wilson was available!  Shane has worked for several NASCAR teams over the past few years, most notable Petty Enterprises. 

 

Needless to say, Clint Bowyer was reluctant to buy into this new deal.  Afterall, he was just getting comfortable with the #07 Jack Daniels team, wininng a couple of races, and being a top 10 team in 2008.  Now he was being asked by his boss to leave the comforts of his present team and be a part of a start up team, not a warm and fuzzy feeling!!  But, nonetheless he agreed to become part of the #33 General Mills?Cheerios/Hambuarger Helper Chevy team.

 

So in eight weeks this teams is put together.  This year there was no preseason testing to try to get all the pieces of this team to gel together before Daytona.  So you would expect a brand new team to have some  “growing pains”.  But if you look at the standings, you will see just where this new team sits so far in 2009, no apparent growing pains with this team!!  That is right the #33 General Mills Chevy sits in the second place in the Cup standings after 6 races.  That is a really an accomplishment!!!!

 

So where did he come from so quickly???????????????????

REMEMBER, I LOOKERD IT UP SO THAT YOU WOULDN’T HAVE TO!!