Around the Track: Indy

Nextel Cup rookie Clint Bowyer was driving in the top 10 two weeks ago at Pocono before being intentionally wrecked by Tony Stewart. He finished a season-worst 41st, dropping him three spots to 19th in points and all but out of the Chase for the Nextel Cup.

The incident that also took out Carl Edwards left Stewart making a public apology 24 hours later after a phone conversation with Bowyer, but that doesn't ease the frustration.

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Now Bowyer heads to Indianapolis Motor Speedway for his first trip around the famed Brickyard.

Bowyer: The best scenario for me this week at Indianapolis is to be running second with one lap to go with the No. 20 car in front of me.

What'll happen? You'll have to use your imagination.

Yes, Tony Stewart called me last week to talk about what happened at Pocono, but I don't think he ever apologizes. I don't think he ever does anything wrong in his mind, but he did call for whatever that's worth.

I've cooled off a little bit and trying to focus on how to get back the three spots in the points we lost.

That's the biggest thing. We had a good run and could have gone to 15th in points. Instead, because of something we had nothing to do with, it ended up costing us.

That was about as angry as I've been on the racetrack. I've never had anything that blatant happen -- ever. It was real frustrating. These guys work too hard on these cars to have them torn up absolutely for no reason and on purpose.

The funny thing is what he got out of the car and said about young drivers needing to learn patience is exactly what I was trying to do. I understand the concept of patience.

Inside the Numbers Bowyer's 2006 stats Track St. Fin. Laps Status Daytona 37 6 203 running Fontana 32 14 251 running Las Vegas 20 15 270 running Atlanta 16 27 324 running Bristol 27 29 495 running Martinsville 42 22 496 running Texas 12 19 333 running Phoenix 8 5 312 running Talladega 15 40 16 crash Richmond 20 10 400 running Darlington 3 23 365 running Lowe's 15 19 399 running Dover 22 17 400 running Pocono 42 21 200 running Michigan 9 39 86 running Infineon 28 16 110 running Daytona 30 10 160 running Chicagoland 38 9 270 running Loudon 31 27 307 running Pocono 14 41 194 running

I've finished in the top 10 and the top five, and I know what got me there. It's patience and being in a fast racecar.

We had a very fast car. We started 15th and were running sixth on the first run. We got a bit greedy, over-adjusted and got a little too loose. No big deal. That race is super long. That's more than enough time as I learned in the first race to get back up there.

I let four cars go -- Kurt Busch, Jimmie Johnson and my two teammates, Jeff Burton and Kevin Harvick. I pulled over and they all went to the inside of me and life was good.

For whatever reason, when he caught me and I moved up he tried to pass me on the outside instead of going on the inside and got squeezed into the wall. It might have barely wiped the "H'' off the Home Depot. I guess he thought I was trying to race him. In reality, that's exactly what I was trying not to do.

I was trying to get out of his way and let him go and take the least amount of time to do that. He said he took it as me racing him, so he took the whole Jack Daniel's off the side of my car.

I guess the lesson is don't race Tony Stewart.

I told him in our conversation that wrecking me made me mad, but what he told the reporters afterwards about all the rookies being impatient is what pissed me off.

That was uncalled for. Obviously, the wreck was dumb. Then getting out and bad-mouthing me, that's the part that blew my mind.

He just started making up stuff. He showed his true colors. The people that know what's going on and know about racing, they know.

Yeah, I saw the written apology he put out. With Tony, that's about as good as you get, I guess.

RELATED HEADLINES •   Edwards, Bowyer furious with Stewart for bump at Pocono •   Stewart takes responsibility for early incident at Pocono

It's an unfortunate deal for me and my team trying to get back in the points race. It's unfortunate for him and his team trying to make the Chase and win a championship, because his list of enemies is getting longer and not shorter.

I don't know if anybody would take him out, but I know there are a lot of people that would just as soon not see him in the Chase.

I'm not one that gets in the tabloid and bad-mouths people. I learned a long time ago when you don't have anything nice to say don't say anything at all.

But it was a stupid thing that happened and it cost my team and Carl Edwards' team a heck of a lot more than his. That's flat-out not fair.

I'd never seen Carl that upset. That's how stupid of a thing it was. We had a long shot at making the Chase at best. Carl still had a chance. That pretty much wiped us both out.

I would never want to give up on my team for that hope, but we'd have to win a lot of races over the next six weeks and hope everybody else had a real bad day.

I'm not saying it's not possible, but it's going to take a miracle right now.

Hopefully, one day his temper will get the best out of him.

It was just one of those crazy weekends. On Saturday the track at Pocono was fogged in so everybody running in the Busch Series race in Martinsville, Va., tried to get out of there early.

Kevin called early in the morning and said we were leaving after the first practice. Neither one of us knew the weather conditions then. I finally got up and came over to the garage and saw the fog had settled in and the next thing you know my phone is ringing and Kevin's going, "We're leaving. Hurry up!''

I told him I needed to check with my crew chief to see if it was all right. By the time I got back to him in two-and-a-half minutes he had already left me, so I had to play catch-up.

I got in a Cadillac and made up about five minutes on him on the road to the airport. I caught him just in time to catch the plane. I won't say how fast I was going, but I should have gone to jail.

Rookie Standings Nextel Cup '06 (thru 20 races) Pos. Driver Behind 1. D. Hamlin -- 2. C. Bowyer -48 3. R. Sorenson -55 4. M. Truex Jr. -67 5. J.J. Yeley -70 6. D. Stremme -95 7. B. Sherman -182

Then in the race I was running second to him at the end and team owner Richard Childress told me not to pass if it meant bumping him as often is the case at that track.

I hope when the shoe's on the other foot he'd do the same for me. Our teamwork has been a key to getting RCR back on top. It would have been foolish to wreck him or take a chance at wrecking both of us.

But if it was a Cup race like this weekend at Indianapolis and I still hadn't won a race and I was told to hang back ... hmmm, sometimes I have selective hearing.

How much does it pay to win at Indy? Like $2 million? Richard wouldn't do that to me there.

I'm excited about running the Brickyard for the first time. It's a cool race and a unique track with flat corners. You carry a tremendous amount of speed and momentum through them.

I'm looking forward to going there and trying to get back some of those points we lost at Pocono.