Bowyer not backing down from the Chase challenge

MARTINSVILLE, Va. -- Denny Hamlin and Tony Raines might have had the fastest cars in Saturday's two Nextel Cup practice sessions at Martinsville Speedway, but Clint Bowyer, who has continued to be the revelation of the Chase for the Nextel Cup, made his latest statement.

So did Martinsville's archetypal "tough man" Ricky Rudd, who practiced 108 laps -- more than one-fifth of the race distance -- before declaring himself physically fit for Sunday's Subway 500 as he continues to recover from a separated left shoulder.

Hamlin led the first practice ahead of Jamie McMurray and championship leader and pole sitter Jeff Gordon. Raines, who was eighth in the first practice, led McMurray and Gordon in the second while Hamlin slipped to 10th.

McMurray and Raines were among the most consistent of the non-Chasers in practice, while Gordon, his Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jimmie Johnson (fifth and seventh in the two sessions) and Bowyer proved why they're leading this title race.

Bowyer, whom Gordon cited as the dark horse pick for the championship before its 12-man field of contenders was even established six weeks ago, was praying for rain Friday at Martinsville, and not just to relieve the Southeast's arid conditions.

Bowyer, who sits third in NASCAR's playoff Chase on the eve of the sixth of 10 races, figured his chances of qualifying well on the brutal, flat half-mile oval were minute, which would impair his chances of gaining points on Gordon, whom he trails by 78 points or second place Johnson, who's 10 points ahead of Bowyer.

At this track in the spring, Johnson won and Gordon was second, while Bowyer finished 11th.

It rained for half of Friday, but not enough to wipe out Bud Pole Qualifying; and in the end Bowyer's worst nightmare was realized via a 21st-place qualifying effort, which was also where he started in the spring.

But Saturday just how good his No. 07 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet could be in race trim came home, as Bowyer was sixth in the morning practice and fifth in the one-hour afternoon session.

"I darn sure expected to have a better race car than a qualifying car, but I just didn't hit my lap [in qualifying]," Bowyer said. "I think we've gained a lot and I'm real happy with the car. It turned under people and I was able to pass some cars, and that's what you want; so, so far, so good."

From the start of the Richmond Chase cutoff weekend, Gordon loudly sang Bowyer's praises, and six races later he hadn't abated much.

"He's definitely a legitimate contender -- he's proven that," Gordon said of Bowyer. "If you look at his background, it's no surprise. The guy is a true racer, a great driver in all aspects.

"For whatever reason, we just haven't seen that side of him up to the Chase. We've seen consistency but we haven't seen him really take it to the next level until the Chase started. But once that Chase started and he did then you've got to make him a legitimate contender [because] certainly since the Chase started he's been as strong as anybody."

Teammate Jeff Burton has been a championship contender for nearly a decade of his Cup career, and he knows what it takes to contend. He insists Bowyer has what it takes.

"If you think about it, Clint's never been a guy to get in a lot of trouble on the racetrack -- he's never been in the middle of a lot of stuff but I think that he even is moreso [able to avoid that] now because he understands the cars a little more, he understands the game a little more," Burton said.

"Clint has the driving ability to win championships and win races, there's no question about that. Matching that experience level with that talent is really important and I think that's where I see the biggest difference, is him just kind of understanding, seeing the big picture a little bit more."

For his part, Bowyer agrees his competition is more daunting than the number of points he has to make up in the next five races.

"It's definitely the fact that it's two proven race winners and champions," Bowyer said. It's not a backmarker that you're trying to chase down, it's Jeff Gordon, and it's not only Jeff Gordon of two years ago where he was a top-10 car, it's Jeff Gordon where he's a top-three car about every weekend, so we know we got to pick up our game.

"Even if we do that and win two or three more races this year it's still going to take some bad luck on their side. If you win they're going to finish second or third. They're just that good right now but we have to be that good, too and hopefully if they slip up and stub their toe or something, we have to be there for the taking and racing as hard as we can week in and week out. That's all we can do."

Bowyer did just that last weekend at Lowe's Motor Speedway, a track where his best previous finish was 19th. He finished second to Gordon last week, which marked the latest plateau he and his crew have been able to reach.

"Every week is a challenge and I look forward to it," Bowyer said. "It's so much fun just to be able to see how hard that we can push ourselves as a race team. It's only our second year. I don't want to push too hard and make mistakes but this is definitely our time to prove not only to ourselves but everybody else what we're made of."

The consistency of Bowyer and his crew, led by veteran crew chief Gil Martin, hasn't surprised either his teammates or many of his competitors; but many onlookers still expect the No. 07 to be the team currently at the front that's most apt to stumble.

Bowyer says bring it on.

"That's fuel for the fire -- that's all it is," Bowyer said. "You sit down in your motorhome, watch TV and the commercials come on: 'Come watch Tony Stewart chase down Jeff Gordon for the championship.' You're like, 'Man!'

"Then it wasn't any different when we were trying to make the Chase. Everybody said we were the team that backed into the Chase just because we hadn't won a race -- and we were ninth, not 12th -- there were three cars behind us.

"Like I said, that's just fuel for the fire. It makes you want to do good even more so I like it. Keep it up."

Rudd, who scored an exhilarating victory here in 1998 while suffering from heat exhaustion, spoke with the same intensity Saturday afternoon.

After running 70 laps in Happy Hour, Rudd gingerly exited his No. 88 Yates Racing Ford but then leisurely debriefed with crew chief Cully Barraclough, his engineers and teammate David Gilliland. He reconfirmed what he'd said after morning practice.

"It's sore, but I think it's gonna be all right, because it ain't like it got weaker and weaker -- it's just sore," Rudd said. "It hurts, really, to be honest with you, but I'm trying not to take any Advil or anything like that right now to see if I can deal with it.

"It's just sore, right now but it's not any worse walking around, so I think I'll be all right. When I'm in the car it's most sore working the wheel [but] I guess adrenaline takes over and you're not really paying attention to if it hurts or not, but then you stop and get out and say, 'Oh man, my shoulder is sore.'"