MARTINSVILLE, Va. — The No. 14 team is out of postseason mulligans.
Clint Bowyer understands that to race for a title at Homestead-Miami Speedway, he can’t afford to dig another deep hole to start the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Round of 8.
MORE: Full Round of 8 standings | Entire Martinsville weekend schedule
As he drove up from his home in Mocksville, North Carolina, on Saturday morning, the Kansas native knew the opportunity awaiting him at Martinsville Speedway is his for the taking. Bowyer snapped a 190-race losing streak with a breakthrough victory at the half-mile Virginia track in the spring and has earned a top-10 finish there 15 times in 25 starts.
Statistically, Bowyer’s best shot to take a checkered flag in the Round of 8 is at Martinsville, but he doesn’t want to say that just because he earned a win there in the spring it guarantees he’ll pick up where he left off in Victory Lane.
“I don’t think it’s necessarily an absolute must-win,” Bowyer said. “You can’t put that pressure on yourself the first race of three races. If you do, you’re probably going to go out there desperate and make a mistake. We’re not in that situation. We’ve got to go out there and take care of business on a track that is typically good for me.
“That doesn’t mean anything. Doesn’t mean you’re going to go out there and dominate a stage or two stages or the race win, but you’ve got to go out there and take care of business. Be solid on the track that’s been good to you over the years and take advantage of the weekend. … You allow yourself to think, ‘If I win this thing this weekend I’m in the dance.’ That’s a cool thought and something to think about and extra incentive.”
The pedigree he has developed as one of the best at Martinsville wasn’t something that happened overnight. Looking back on his first few attempts around the ‘Paperclip,’ Bowyer had to adapt to the track and learn from his fellow drivers’ mistakes and accomplishments.
“Pretty much anyone when they get here is like a dart without feathers,” he explained. “I was no exception to that. You’re all over the place. The hardest thing about here is that just want to get in a place and ride and learn. Figure out the track. Figure your conditions out. Figure out what you need to do. Learn from your peers. You can’t do that here. … There is no one that shows up here and shows they’re dominant off the bat. It’s an acquired thing. You have to learn and know what prevails here.”
Bowyer also isn’t alone in the hunt for a Championship 4 berth — all four of the Stewart-Haas Racing teams made the Round of 8 cut with Kevin Harvick, Kurt Busch and Aric Almirola joining their teammate.
“We have half the battle,” he said. “I think because of the willingness to cooperate with one another on a driver’s stand point, the willingness to work with one another on crew chiefs, engineers and everything involved. … The teamwork is what makes the dream work.”
Despite the pressure of a Championship 4 spot lurking, Bowyer is embracing the chance to win another grandfather clock and lock down a spot for the No. 14 team.
“Hell yeah, you let yourself think that,” he shared. “Confidence is everything in sports. You have to be rolling up that highway here confident.”