RELATED: Full race results | Updated series standings | Chase Grid
BROOKLYN, Mich. -- Luck wasn't with Clint Bowyer's No. 15 Toyota at Sunday's Pure Michigan 400 at Michigan International Speedway -- at least not good luck.
"(Expletive.) Just about my luck," Bowyer said after the Michael Waltrip Racing driver got the worst of a snarled restart on Lap 126.
Carl Edwards spun his wheels, causing slowing on the restart after a debris caution. Part of the reaction to that was Ryan Newman's No. 31 Chevrolet making slight contact with the No. 15, sending Bowyer's speedy ride up into the outside wall then back across the track and hard backward into the pit road wall.
At that point, Bowyer had led a lap and was in the top five most of the day.
Told that Newman didn't mean to hit him, Bowyer responded, "I know. The 2 (of Brad Keselowski) came up loose and out of control; I had to move up. It wasn't (Newman's) fault. … (Expletive) stupid."
The rear suspension took a hard hit, sending the car to the garage, where the No. 15 team worked on bent control arms and a tough-to-repair right-side suspension.
"Man, I'm sorry guys. I couldn't save it. Good track for us," Bowyer radioed to his team as he kept coming back to pit road to try to fix a troublesome right front that was causing tire rubs.
Bowyer began the day 16th out of 16 drivers in the Chase Grid, 50 points ahead of Aric Almirola. That cushion quickly evaporated and shrunk to 23 when the race concluded with Bowyer in 41st place.
"We ain't quitting now. We have three races to go," Bowyer said after he was given the option to retire from the race at Lap 183 because the team had no opportunity to gain any more positions with just 17 laps to go.