Editor’s note: This story is part of our Fit Row series that focuses on the health and fitness aspects of racing and its superstar drivers. Presented by Lilly Diabetes, the exclusive diabetes health partner of NASCAR, the series will feature 10 themed stories.
Clint Bowyer’s fitness regimen might go light on structure, but it goes heavy on staying busy. Running a 650-acre farm tends to make that a requirement.
For Bowyer, one of the most animated drivers in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, his workouts often come naturally on his ranch in rural Davie County, North Carolina. When he’s not at the race track, that’s typically where you’ll find him.
“Believe it or not, there’s weeks where if I don’t have anything going on, you’ll be heading back to the track Friday and realize you haven’t been outside your driveway all week long,” says Bowyer, driver of the Stewart-Haas Racing No. 14 Ford. “Every day, it’s something. There’s always a project. When you have over 100 head of cows and they’re blowing through the fence and you’re rebuilding it, or mowing or anything in between, it’s literally from sun-up to sundown, you’re doing something.
“There’s no couch time, but there’s never been that with me. I’ve always been wide-open, here, there and everywhere. But the more I have going on, the happier I am.”
The lifestyle has brought Bowyer plenty of joy thus far, whether it’s caring for the livestock, moving hay or the seemingly never-ending maintenance. But it also has kept him trim, free from the rigors of more organized workout patterns.
While Bowyer hasn’t subscribed to a fierce routine of Crossfit, triathlons or the road cycling wave that’s captured the fancy of several drivers in recent months, the 38-year-old veteran still has the door open for more conventional workouts when the need arises.
“You know, I run from time to time. I’m no different than anybody else,” Bowyer says. “You start feeling a little lazy, a little fat, belt’s getting a little tight … you better get your butt out there and start running, hitting the pavement. That’s the way I am.”
Staying active — in whichever form it may take — has helped Bowyer stay sharp in his first year with SHR and his best season since 2014. It’s what also has led his friends to suggest some sort of attention-deficit malady mixed in with his boundless energy.
“I just like getting after it,” Bowyer says. “I like going. I like being on the go. I don’t think I’ve ever been in one place probably in the last 10 years more than 10 days ever, even in the wintertime. … I can’t sit still.”
