Loudon, N.H. – Clint Bowyer was seeded last in the Chase for the championship field. With no Nextel Cup wins and hardly any laps led, he went off as a 30-to-1 longshot to win the series title.
One race into the Chase, Bowyer has turned into a legitimate contender.
He raced to the first victory of his Cup career on Sunday by embarrassing the field at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, where he started from the pole and led 222 of 300 laps while beating Jeff Gordon to the finish line by over six seconds. Tony Stewart was third.
“Once you get into the Chase, you’ve got to go for broke,” Bowyer said.
Bowyer started the Chase as the 12th seed, the only driver in the Chase field without a victory. He’d never finished higher than third before, and had led just 196 laps in his Cup career – 84 this season.
But NASCAR’s scoring system rewards consistency, and Bowyer earned his spot in the title hunt with 12 top-10 finishes. Now he’s got that coveted win, and it pushed him up eight spots in the standings to fourth.
He trails Gordon and Jimmie Johnson, who are tied for the lead, by just 15 points.
“This proves we earned a spot and we’re here for a reason and just so happy to be a part of the Chase,” Bowyer said. “It’s such a neat deal and, hey, this is the Nextel Cup, baby.”
