Driver Reports: Favorites tied; Gordon lurks

Posted on October 29, 2013 by Brad Norman

Championship race intensifies following Martinsville; who has the edge in Texas?

1. Matt Kenseth (No. 20)

Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota

Where he stands: Kenseth leads the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series standings with 2,294 points.
Last week: Jimmie Johnson may be the Martinsville maestro, but the five-time champion was no doubt singing a different tune following Kenseth’s runner-up finish Sunday. Kenseth completed perhaps his best run at the tricky 0.526-mile track, leading 202 (of 500) laps and earning 44 points on the day. He came to Virginia four points behind Johnson, and Martinsville is perhaps the best track on the circuit for the Hendrick Motorsports driver. Forget ceding the lead late to Jeff Gordon — leaving Martinsville tied at the top with Johnson is a perfect day for Kenseth.
What he said: "First of all, there is nothing to be disappointed about. Finishing second, but when you get the lead and you have it at the end and you don’t win, you’re always a little disappointed. I wish I could have done better. I just didn’t have enough to hold off Jeff (Gordon). He’s just too good."
Outlook: In 22 career starts at Texas Motor Speedway, Kenseth has two wins, 12 top-fives and 15 top-10s. In the past eight years at Texas, Kenseth ranks first out of 59 drivers with an average place of 9.3. He finished 12th in the first 2013 race at Texas.

2. Jimmie Johnson (No. 48)

Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet

Where he stands: Johnson is second in the standings with 2,294 points.
Last week: Heading into Texas, Johnson will attempt to turn the tables on Kenseth. The No. 20 team gained points at Johnson’s best track. Texas may not specifically be known Kenseth’s best track — as Martinsville is to Johnson — but the Joe Gibbs Racing driver ranks first in the past eight years there with an average finish of 6.6. Johnson and Kenseth are tied at the top with three races to go, and Kenseth owns the tiebreaker due to having seven wins this season. Johnson left Martinsville with a fifth-place showing.
What he said: "It’s been a great battle with the No. 20 car (of Kenseth) and the No. 24 (of Jeff Gordon) is really showing that he wants to be a part of this deal, as well; and there are some other guys back there kind of close. So, it’s going to be a dogfight to the end. The way that I would want to go racing for a championship, and I know that’s exactly what the fans want to see. We’ll keep digging hard."
Outlook: In 20 career starts at Texas Motor Speedway, Johnson has two wins, nine top-fives, 15 top-10s and one pole. In the past eight years at Texas, Johnson ranks third out of 59 drivers with an average place of 10.9. He finished sixth in the first 2013 race at Texas.

3. Jeff Gordon (No. 24)

Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet

Where he stands: Gordon is third in the standings with 2,267 points.
Last week: Gordon turned back time at Martinsville, earning his eighth grandfather clock at the oldest track on the circuit. It was also Gordon’s 88th win at NASCAR’s highest level, and his first of the season. What does all that mean? Well, with three races to go, Gordon — who was added to the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup as an unprecedented 13th driver — is just 27 points out of the lead. Watch his Victory Lane interview with NASCAR.com’s Alan Cavanna below.
What he said: "Oh, my gosh. This meant so much. I feel like we’ve worked so hard, and many weekends we’ve left the race track looking at one another going, ‘what do we have to do? ‘ We’ve had race cars, we’ve had pit stops, we’ve had strategy. I feel like I’ve had days where I’ve done my part but just couldn’t get it all lined up. But we came into this race with a lot of confidence."
Outlook: In 25 career starts at Texas Motor Speedway, Gordon has one win, eight top-fives, 11 top-10s and two poles. In the past eight years at Texas, Gordon ranks 10th out of 59 drivers with an average place of 13.3. He finished 38th in the first 2013 race at Texas.

4. Kevin Harvick (No. 29)

Richard Childress Racing, Chevrolet

Where he stands: Harvick is fourth in the standings with 2,266 points.
Last week: Harvick’s wild weekend at Martinsville ended with a respectable sixth-place finish. Truly, though, the driver of the No. 29 had a wacky three days in which he wrecked out of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race with Ty Dillon, then banged with Dillon under caution and then ripped the driver — and team owner, Richard Childress — in a post-race interview. Harvick apologized for his comments Sunday, and was likely glad to get back out on the track. In addition to nearly spinning Jimmie Johnson on a payback tap — Johnson would apologize to the No. 29 team over the radio for inadvertently cutting Harvick off — Harvick also got together with Ryan Newman, sending the Stewart-Haas Racing driver out of the race for a bit. See video of that incident below.
What he said: "It was interesting. We fought all day; got the nose banged up there and had a little leak in the radiator, so kind of nerve wracking there. They (Gil Martin, crew chief and pit crew) did a good job of adjusting the car to the little bang-up here. We came away for a solid day."
Outlook: In 21 career starts at Texas Motor Speedway, Harvick has three top-fives and 10 top-10s. In the past eight years at Texas, Harvick ranks 15th out of 59 drivers with an average place of 15.2. He finished 13th in the first 2013 race at Texas.

5. Kyle Busch (No. 18)

Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota

Where he stands: Busch is fifth in the standings with 2,258 points.
Last week: Busch dropped from third to fifth in the standings, and his championship hopes took a hit with his 15th-place showing at Martinsville. Busch started the day third and ran in the top 10 for the first 325 (of 500) laps. The many caution periods, though, led to some different strategies, and Busch pitted off-pace during one of those yellows. He was down to 20th through Lap 350, and although he chugged his way back up, his handling slipped enough for him to fall from eighth on Lap 400 to 15th on the checkered flag.
What he said: Busch was not available for comment.
Outlook: In 16 career starts at Texas Motor Speedway, Busch has one win, six top-fives, seven top-10s and one pole. In the past eight years at Texas, Busch ranks fourth out of 59 drivers with an average place of 11.2. He won the first 2013 race at Texas.

6. Clint Bowyer (No. 15)

Michael Waltrip Racing, Toyota

Where he stands: Bowyer is sixth in the standings with 2,239 points.
Last week: Bowyer had one of his best cars of the year Sunday. It didn’t lead to his first victory of the season, but it led to one of his top showings of 2013. Bowyer’s third-place effort at the paper-clip shaped track follows his runner-up showing in the spring race. The driver of the No. 15 Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota has clearly got this place figured out. In fact, Bowyer almost made it back up to second when he charged at eventual runner-up Matt Kenseth over the final two laps. Kenseth maintained his position coming across the stripe, though.
What he said: "We were good, but we weren’t good enough. This has been one of our best tracks. As good as we were in practice, we tried not to mess with it too much and we ended up too tight. I was just too bound up in the center of the corner. No excuses. We ran a good race, we worked hard — got my car way better at the end. Just wasn’t good enough."
Outlook: In 15 career starts at Texas Motor Speedway, Bowyer has three top-fives and eight top-10s. In the past eight years at Texas, Bowyer ranks ninth out of 59 drivers with an average place of 12.8. He finished 15th in the first 2013 race at Texas.

7. Dale Earnhardt Jr. (No. 88)

Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet

Where he stands: Earnhardt Jr. is seventh in the standings with 2,238 points.
Last week: Junior was dejected following his eighth-place finish, mainly because he liked his No. 88 Chevrolet and thought he — not Jeff Gordon, or perhaps Jimmie Johnson — could have been the Hendrick Motorsports driver to visit Victory Lane. He stayed in the action, though, and by the end of the race, the nose of his car was torn up good. Junior now has three races left to get his first win of the season.
What he said: "We worked really, really hard all day and just … we had a decent car and didn’t do everything exactly like we needed to. … I am really happy for my teammates when they do well, but right now we are just worried about ourselves. We have two or three races to go and we want to get as close as we can.”
Outlook: In 22 career starts at Texas Motor Speedway, Earnhardt Jr. has one win, three top-fives, 12 top-10s and two poles. In the past eight years at Texas, Earnhardt Jr. ranks sixth out of 59 drivers with an average place of 11.9. He finished 29th in the first 2013 race at Texas.

8. Greg Biffle (No. 16)

Roush Fenway Racing, Ford

Where he stands: Biffle is eighth in the standings with 2,236 points.
Last week: Biffle was angry despite his ninth-place showing at a track that doesn’t fit his style. He angrily confronted Jimmie Johnson on pit road, yanking the driver around by the collar, after the many bumps on the track between the two. Biffle was peeved about his destroyed bumper, which was actually damaged on a bump from Dale Earnhardt Jr. During a late caution, NASCAR sent Biffle’s No. 16 Ford into the pits to have the dangling bumper cover removed. The Biff came back out in 27th place with more than 100 laps remaining, and drove his way through the field. | Click here to read a roundup on the six members of the Coca-Cola Racing Family
What he said: "We had a great 3M Ford Fusion. I just wish that wouldn’t have happened (the rear bumper flapping forcing him to pit road). We had a top-five car here today, but that’s like our fourth or fifth top-10 in a row so I’m pretty happy."
Outlook: In 19 career starts at Texas Motor Speedway, Biffle has two wins, eight top-fives, 12 top-10s and one pole. In the past eight years at Texas, Biffle ranks seventh out of 59 drivers with an average place of 12.3. He finished fourth in the first 2013 race at Texas.

9. Kurt Busch (No. 78)

Furniture Row Racing, Chevrolet

Where he stands: Busch is ninth in the standings with 2,219 points.
Last week: A listen to Busch’s scanner during Sunday’s race provided all you need to know about his Martinsville history. The driver struggles here, and his conversations were laced with sarcasm. Finishing 18th — 11th out of 13 Chase drivers — leaves the Furniture Row Racing driver ninth in the standings. He didn’t leave with a clean car, either, as contact with Jamie McMurray led to the 78 looping itself around and getting drilled by Mark Martin in the 14. Video of that incident is below.
What he said: "We didn’t qualify well, didn’t practice well and obviously didn’t race well today. I don’t know what it is but there’s something about this track that doesn’t suit me. A very disappointing performance today. For a Chase team, we should have been much better."
Outlook: In 21 career starts at Texas Motor Speedway, Busch has one win, three top-fives and 12 top-10s. In the past eight years at Texas, Busch ranks 14th out of 59 drivers with an average place of 14.7. He finished 37th in the first 2013 race at Texas.

10. Carl Edwards (No. 99)

Roush Fenway Racing, Ford

Where he stands: Edwards is 10th in the standings with 2,218 points.
Last week: In a race with 17 cautions, Edwards brought out the first one just seven laps in when he nudged Jeff Burton’s No. 31 out of the way, causing a spin. Video of that incident is below. Edwards apologized to Burton’s team, and issued another apology when he spun out Travis Kvapil on Lap 88. Eventually, Edwards nursed his No. 99 Ford to a 12th-place finish, and he’s now one point behind ninth-place Kurt Busch.
What he said: "It was kind of wild because there were a lot of cautions, so that gave us the opportunity to get our laps back and things like that, but if you didn’t take tires when you needed to it was rough. There was just a lot of strategy to it. It was a really tough race. I caused the first two cautions when the car was real hard to drive on entry, so that was pretty frustrating. I felt bad about that."
Outlook: In 17 career starts at Texas Motor Speedway, Edwards has three wins, six top-fives and eight top-10s. In the past eight years at Texas, Edwards ranks fifth out of 59 drivers with an average place of 11.9. He finished third in the first 2013 race at Texas.

11. Joey Logano (No. 22)

Penske Racing, Ford

Where he stands: Logano is 11th in the standings with 2,209 points.
Last week: Logano’s name wasn’t mentioned much during Sunday’s race. The No. 22 Ford stayed out of trouble, but he didn’t exactly surge to the front, either. After qualifying sixth, Logano finished 14th. Ryan Newman’s poor showing enabled Logano to move up one spot in the standings. | Click here to read a roundup on the six members of the Coca-Cola Racing Family
What he said: "About halfway through the race we got off sequence with our pit stops and that really hurt us. We got stuck out on the track with older tires and never got the yellow flag that we thought would come. So we fell back and lost all of our track position and spent the rest of the day trying to get it back."
Outlook: In 10 career starts at Texas Motor Speedway, Logano has two top-fives and two top-10s. In the past eight years at Texas, Logano ranks 28th out of 59 drivers with an average place of 22.2. He finished fifth in the first 2013 race at Texas.

12. Ryan Newman (No. 39)

Stewart-Haas Racing, Chevrolet

Where he stands: Newman is 12th in the standings with 2,188 points.
Last week: Newman’s fall down the standings continued at Martinsville, although it was hardly his fault. The No. 39 Chevrolet was sent spinning after contact with Kevin Harvick, something for which Harvick would apologize. The damage was done though — literally — as Newman took his car behind the wall. He finished 38th and completed 432 of 500 laps. | Click here to read a roundup on the six members of the Coca-Cola Racing Family
What he said: "That was a pretty unfortunate end to our day. We didn’t start out the day too strong, but once we had track position, I felt like we had a chance to come out of it with a good finish. It’s unfortunate, but we can’t do anything about it now. We’ll go on to Texas next week and hopefully get a good finish there."
Outlook: In 20 career starts at Texas Motor Speedway, Newman has one win, three top-fives, four top-10s and two poles. In the past eight years at Texas, Newman ranks 22nd out of 59 drivers with an average place of 20.8. He finished 10th in the first 2013 race at Texas.

13. Kasey Kahne (No. 5)

Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet

Where he stands: Kahne is 13th in the standings with 2,170 points.
Last week: Kahne was involved in a wreck with Denny Hamlin, among others, that sent his No. 5 Chevrolet spinning into the grass. In a fitting bit of irony, Kahne’s car got stuck and needed a boost to get back out on the track. The same can be said for Kahne’s 2013 Chase races — he’s been going nowhere. He salvaged a 27th-place finish, but is now 18 points behind 12th-place Ryan Newman. Video of the wreck is below.
What he said: Kahne was unavailable for comment.
Outlook: In 18 career starts at Texas Motor Speedway, Kahne has one win, four top-fives, five top-10s and one pole. In the past eight years at Texas, Kahne ranks 16th out of 59 drivers with an average place of 15.4. He finished 11th in the first 2013 race at Texas.

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first win of 2013

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spins, collects Martin

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Newman at Martinsville

Posted on October 28, 2013 by

Hamlin finishes seventh, Biffle earns a top-10

Short-track racing can be a challenge, and the 500-lap Goody’s Headache Relief Shot 500 Powered by Kroger showed that. Drivers took to the 0.526-mile track at Martinsville Speedway knowing the racing was going to be in tight quarters.

In the seventh race of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, it was a non-Chaser who fared the best out of the Coca-Cola Racing Family. Denny Hamlin started on the Coors Light Pole and earned a seventh-place finish, his second in the past three races.

Greg Biffle fared the best out of the drivers in the Chase, scoring a ninth-place finish, but he still dropped a spot in the standings.

A roundup of the Coca-Cola Racing Family in order of how they finished at Martinsville:

Denny Hamlin (No. 11)

Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota

Recap: Hamlin started the race from the pole after setting a qualifying record on Friday. Hamlin ran most of the race in the top 10 and led for 14 laps. He was involved in an accident with Kasey Kahne and others that brought out a caution on Lap 183. He suffered heavy damage to his car, but his crew used black tape to fix the issue and got him back on the track. He rebounded from that for a seventh-place finish.
Quotable: "We really had about a 25th-place car. I took a pretty good shot to the wheel and the steering was off just a little bit, and here that’s usually a pretty big deal. … We had a lot of damage from that early wreck. I’m proud of this whole team for fixing it, and the pit crew did an awesome job. They kept picking me up spots on pit road."
His standing: Hamlin is 24th in the standings with 652 points.
Outlook: Hamlin holds two previous wins at Texas Motor Speedway that came consecutively in 2010. He has earning five top-fives and eight top-10s at the track during his Sprint Cup career, Hamlin knows what it takes to make an impact at the Fort Worth track.

Greg Biffle (No. 16)

Roush Fenway Racing, Ford

Recap: Biffle had an interesting race. He started 33rd at a track where he does not have a favorable history throughout his Cup career. The Biff methodically moved his way up through the field and by Lap 350, he was running sixth. Biffle did suffer damage to his bumper cover and some contact from Jimmie Johnson caused the cover to come loose again. He had to pit for his crew to remove the cover and restarted 27th with just over 100 laps to go. Biffle moved back through the field to score a ninth-place finish and later exchanged some heated words with Johnson. He later issued an apology to Johnson on Twitter. Despite the top-10 finish, Biffle lost a spot in the point standings.
Quotable: "We had a great 3M Ford Fusion. It was a good day for us. I just wish that wouldn’t have happened (the rear bumper flapping forcing him to pit road). We had a top-five car here today, finally to get in the top-five at Martinsville, but that’s like our fourth or fifth top-10 in a row so I’m pretty happy."
His standing: Biffle is eighth in the standings with 2,236 points.
Outlook: Biffle has two wins at Texas, with the most recent victory coming in 2012 when he started third in the field and managed to beat out current Chase co-leader Jimmie Johnson for the first-place finish. With eight top-five and 12 top-10 finishes, perhaps a return to this Fort Worth track will bring out another memorable finish for Biffle.

Joey Logano (No. 22)

Penske Racing, Ford

Recap: It was a tale of two races for Logano. For much of the first half of the race, he ran in the top 10, getting as high as fourth place on Lap 213. His crew chief, Todd Gordon, kept Logano out on the track, and a long green-flag run followed. Running on older tires, Logano slipped back to 24th on Lap 300. The rest of the race was a bit up and down for Logano, resulting in a 14th-place finish. He did move up one spot in the point standings to 11th place, though.
Quotable: "That was not the type of finish that we envisioned coming out of practice on Friday and Saturday. I felt like we had a car that was capable of winning or at least running up in the top five. We were looking good early. We got off a bit on our adjustments but we went back on them and the car was pretty good. Then about halfway through the race we got off sequence with our pit stops and that really hurt us. We got stuck out on the track with older tires and never got the yellow flag that we thought would come. So we fell back and lost all of our track position and spent the rest of the day trying to get it back."
His standing: Logano is 11th in the standings with 2,209 points.
Outlook: Compared to other Sprint Cup drivers, Logano is still relatively new to the series and has only raced 10 times at the Texas Motor Speedway. In those 10 events, Logano has not claimed a win, but he has earned a top-five finish twice, with the latest top-five run coming in the spring. Although Logano has no victories at the Fort Worth track, there’s always a first time for everything.

Danica Patrick (No. 10)

Stewart-Haas Racing, Chevrolet

Recap: The weekend started off badly as Patrick wrecked in practice on Friday and had to go to her back-up car for the rest of the weekend. Starting 41st, Patrick struggled to move up early on. She found herself a lap down by Lap 50 but was the beneficiary of the free pass when a caution came out on Lap 217. Patrick took advantage of that and spent some time in the top 10. She went on to finish 17th for the race.
Quotable: "I’m really proud of what our GoDaddy team accomplished today. For pulling out the backup car on Friday and having to start so far back in the field, it was a really good run. We started in the back and made our way through, and we didn’t have quite the car that we had here in the spring, but we got a similar result and that’s something I’m proud of."
Her standing: Patrick is 28th in the standings with 592 points.
Outlook: Patrick’s two previous runs at Texas Motor Speedway had her finishing in the 20s with her average start of 37th and average finish of 26th. In order for Patrick to better her finishing position, she needs to make an impact in her qualifying run to ensure she starts out on the right foot.

Ryan Newman (No. 39)

Stewart-Haas Racing, Chevrolet

Recap: Newman started 17th and struggled to gain ground early on. Newman pitted three times in the first 175 laps and had to return to pit road when a lug nut was left off of his left rear wheel. A penalty moved him to 24th place for the restart on Lap 180. From there, Newman made his move and was in third place on Lap 275. Newman was running well until Lap 319, when he was hit from behind by Kevin Harvick. Newman’s car underwent major repairs but he was able to return to the track. He finished 38th and ran 432 of the 500 laps. Newman also lost a spot in the point standings.
Quotable: "That was a pretty unfortunate end to our day. We were making progress with our State Water Heaters Chevrolet. We didn’t start out the day too strong, but once we had track position, I felt like we had a chance to come out of it with a good finish. I don’t know what happened there with the No. 29 car (Kevin Harvick). He got into us going off into the corner, and the next thing you know, I’m in the wall. The guys worked incredibly hard to get the car back out there so that we could salvage what we could of it. It’s unfortunate, but we can’t do anything about it now. We’ll go on to Texas next week and hopefully get a good finish there."
His standing: Newman is 12th in the standings with 2,188 points.
Outlook: In Newman’s 20 races at Texas Motor Speedway he’s seen Victory Lane once — in 2003. He has claimed three top-fives, four top-10s and two poles there. Based on his past experiences, his chances for finishing in the top 10 look good, but because this is the third to last race in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, Newman will have to keep his focus on the track to ensure that an opportunity to advance in the standings doesn’t pass him by.

Tony Stewart (No. 14)

Stewart-Haas Racing, Chevrolet

Recap: Stewart missed his 12th consecutive race this past weekend and watched Mark Martin pilot his No. 14 Chevrolet to a 36th-place finish after wrecking with Kurt Busch. Stewart is still nursing his broken leg and won’t return in 2013.
His standing: Stewart is 26th in the standings with 594 points.

Posted on October 28, 2013 by

Bowyer hoping to finish strong in the Chase

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Clint Bowyer is such a live wire that the air just about crackles when he walks into a room. Within seconds of sitting down for a question-and-answer session with fans at the NASCAR Hall of Fame, he’s off and running — about the days when his dad would load up a rental truck and go to Talladega, about winning drag races on back roads and stealing his opponent’s girlfriend, about seeing the seat in one of Dale Earnhardt’s old cars in the museum run by his former car owner Richard Childress.

"They’re running 200 mph, and this thing had like an ’84 Chevy van seat. He made it himself," Bowyer said. " … That’s just nuts. It was just this van seat going 200 mph. It bounced, it had the springs in it still. And those lunatics are out there running 200 mph? No thank you."

It was only the beginning. Soon he was on to hunting and going to the bathroom outside in 18-degree weather, racing on dirt, Toyota concept cars, road courses and his connection to the reality show "Duck Dynasty." It was 30 rollicking, unpredictable minutes of Bowyer at his short-attention-span best, veering from one subject to another like he was behind the wheel at Watkins Glen, without any mention of the one topic that’s come to dominate much of Bowyer’s life over the past eight weeks.

Well, there was one — and Bowyer brought it up himself.

"You learn from mistakes," he told the crowd Monday in the Hall of Fame’s theater. "Trust me, I’ve made a few this year."

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One would certainly be Richmond, and the spin of his No. 15 car that brought out the caution that changed everything. The ensuing domino effect altered the makeup of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, led to heavy penalties against his Michael Waltrip Racing team, and ultimately forced MWR to consolidate to just two full-time cars for next season. No question, the consequences of that night are still being felt. But if Monday was any indication, Bowyer is also getting back to being his old self once again.

In the immediate aftermath of Richmond, that wasn’t the case. A driver who’s typically very good with the media and extremely well-liked by fans went into something of a shell, prompted by questions he wouldn’t or couldn’t answer and unfamiliar jeers at the race track. He was asked about the spin, a lot. He was booed, a lot. As the race manipulation scandal deepened, a driver famous for his affable, homespun nature and throwback style disappeared. And as a result, the old Clint was replaced for a while by one who kept a relatively low profile.

"It was just out of respect and understanding of the magnitude of the situation," he said in a media session before his Q&A. "I never would have dreamed in a million years that that would have escalated into what it did. It was a bad deal. It was the hardest thing I’ve ever been through in this sport, but certainly not the hardest thing I’ve ever been through in my life."

Still, the barbs stung.

"I was listening to the radio and stuff, and these people are taking it to the point — I mean, really? Come on, get it in grip here. You’re taking this to way far extremes," he said. "When you start talking about somebody’s character and integrity, you better start talking about them personally. Not anything they do as a profession. That’s how I feel about those things. It was kind of tough for me to listen to those things for a while, because it’s not like me to just keep my mouth shut. I wanted to bite back. But certainly respected the situation, understood the situation, the magnitude of it, and knew that I was a part of it and didn’t want to be."

It all seemed surreal — in an instant, Bowyer went from one of NASCAR’s most relatable drivers to someone getting booed at driver introductions, or shouted at in the fan forum in Chicago that preceded the Chase opener.

"Hey, I understood," Bowyer said. "It doesn’t change the fact that it was real, and you understand that. It’s a bad thing, and I hated that my name had anything to do with it. But at the end of the day it did, and it was a life experience and you’ve got to go on."

And so, the old Clint can’t be kept down forever. Monday he was clearly back, joking with the media about his fondness for the Texas-based Babe’s Chicken Dinner House chain, calling fans "my man" and "big daddy," venting about highway drivers texting behind the wheel and taking shots at his own short attention span. "If I’m by myself, I’m dangerous," he said. No fans booed him, or asked him about Richmond, or called him a cheater. It came on the heels of Sunday’s third-place run at Martinsville, his best race since the whole furor exploded.

"Hey man, life’s tough. Ain’t gonna slow me down," Bowyer said. "I have a blast doing this, and it was fun to be at Martinsville, fun to be back in the action, fun to be back at those short tracks. Man, I live for that. The excitement, the intensity, the energy, the emotions, the fights, the hard racing — that’s what makes this sport."

Toward that end, he’s hoping to crack the top five in the standings — he’s sixth, 19 points behind Kyle Busch for fifth — in the final three races of the year. He believes that MWR as a two-car operation can better the sport’s traditional powers just like Penske Racing did last season. He looks at the race in two weeks at Phoenix, where his feud with Jeff Gordon erupted a year ago, and sees his rival now in a position similar to the one he was in last fall.

"It’s almost exactly the same, roles reversed," said Bowyer, who was third in points when Gordon took him out of the race, and by extension the championship hunt. Coming off his victory Sunday at Martinsville, Gordon is currently third in the standings heading to Texas. Should the four-time champion be worried?

"I would be if I were him," Bowyer said. "But I’m not him. Don’t make a story about it, but that’s a real thing. No different than what happened at Richmond. There’s consequences that happen with everything. And you can’t make a decision or a move that isn’t going to come back to haunt you. What happened in Richmond, trust me, is damn sure haunting us."

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