Clint Bowyer 2018 season recap

The 2018 season saw Clint Bowyer return to his winning ways and showcase the gregarious personality he has been known for on the NASCAR circuit. Recap his 2018 season that saw him make a deep postseason run.

Bowyer served early notice that he would be a driver to watch with a third-place finish in the second race of the season at Atlanta. It was Bowyer's best finish at a 1.5-mile track in nearly five seasons and was the opening salvo in a campaign that would be his best since 2013.

Bowyer broke a five-plus year winless drought that had lasted 190 races with a March victory at Martinsville Speedway. Bowyer dominated the final stage – leading 215 of the final 216 laps in the race. The win locked him into the playoffs and contributed to an organization-wide fast start for Stewart-Haas Racing as the four-car team won four of the season’s first six races.

Bowyer's celebration at Martinsville was epic. The fun-loving driver shared a beer in the stands with fans after his first win with SHR. And who can forget the image of Clint running towards his then-three-year-old son Cash? This was Bowyer's first win since he and his wife Lorra were married and had two kids, so it was an extra special family moment for their clan.

Bowyer continued his winning ways in the June Michigan race thanks to a strategy call by crew chief Mike Bugarewicz as he opted for the No. 14 Ford to take two tires after the end of Stage 2. Inclement weather was approaching and threatened to shorten the race. Bowyer took the lead on Lap 126 and the end of the race came just eight laps later due to rain.

The summer stretch of races saw Bowyer maintain a top-six position in the season standings but he went through a six-race stretch without a top 10. He snapped that at the Bristol night race where he led 120 laps. However, he lost the lead late to teammate Kurt Busch and ended up finishing in sixth.

Bowyer scored a stage win -- his only one of the season -- at Indianapolis. His fifth-place finish in the race led to Bowyer finishing seventh in the regular-season standings and his 15 playoff points positioned him to start the postseason in fifth -- one point ahead of eventual champion Joey Logano. Bowyer had previously missed making the playoffs the past two seasons.

Entering the Round of 16 elimination race at the Charlotte road course, Bowyer was on the outside looking in -- four points behind Ryan Blaney for the final transfer spot. Bowyer responded to the pressure with a third-place finish and that was enough for him to stave off elimination and advance on through.

Bowyer was very much in the mix during a dominant day for SHR in the middle race of the Round of 12 at Talladega. His second-place finish behind teammate Aric Almirola helped position the Kansas native to advance on to the Round of 8. In fact, all four SHR cars made it through to the Round of 8.

A troubling pattern emerged in the opening race of each round of the playoffs for Bowyer. He finished outside the top 20 in those races including a 21st-place finish at Martinsville to start the Round of 8. A spin off of Turn 3 with 43 laps to go derailed Bowyer's day and put him in tough hole with two races left in the Round of 8.

Bowyer's title dreams came to a crashing end in a Lap 134 accident at ISM Raceway. His 35th-place finish was one of five finishes outside the top 20 in playoff races. Still, reaching the Round of 8 was the deepest postseason run Bowyer has made in the elimination format. His 12th-place standings finish and nine top fives were his best since 2013, while his 490 laps led were a career-best for him.