By Konnie McCollum
Staff Writer

(June 2008) – Richard Childress Racing’s driver Clint Bowyer will continue the fight for his first NASCAR Nationwide Series Championship when the series returns to the Kentucky Speedway on June 14 for the “Meijer 300 Presented by Oreo.” race.
The event is a 200-lap, 300-mile trip around the 1.5-mile tri-oval track in Sparta, Ky.
After 12 races, Bowyer led the points race in the series. His 2008 record includes a victory at the March 15 “Sharpie Mini 300” NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, Tenn. He also has five top-five finishes and nine top-10 finishes this season.

NASCAR photo Clint Bowyer will race in both the NASCAR Sprint Cup and NASCAR Nationwide series this season.

Bowyer, who drives the No. 2 BB&T-Camping World Chevrolet, finished 12th in series points last season, which included two wins and a pole. His last appearance at Kentucky Speedway was in 2006 during the NASCAR Busch Series Race, where he finished 12th. In November 2007, Nationwide Insurance became the title sponsor of the NASCAR Nationwide Series, replacing Anheuser-Busch’s Busch brand at the start of the 2008 season.
Born May 30, 1979, in Empora, Kan., Bowyer has been racing since he was 5 years old. His impressive career began with motocross, where he raced for nine years and captured more than 200 wins and numerous championships. In 2003, he caught Childress’ eye following an ARCA series race at Nashville, where he finished second. At that time, he was working in a body shop in his hometown when a call came from the team. Thinking the call was a joke, he nearly bypassed it.
During his rookie year in 2004, Bowyer finished 29th in series points. He split driving duties in the team’s No. 21 car with Kevin Harvick. Bowyer sat on the pole for the first time in his series career at Talladega that season. He has won at least one pole during each of his four NASCAR Nationwide Series seasons.
In 2005, he finished second in series points and captured two wins at Nashville and Memphis. He also won two poles, 12 top-fives and 22 top-10 finishes during his first season to drive the No. 2 Chevy full-time for Childress Racing.
In addition to competing in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, Bowyer also drives in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. In 2007, he finished third in that series. That performance included a win at New Hampshire.
During his 2006 rookie season in the premier NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, Bowyer finished 17th in series points and posted four top-five finishes and 11 top-10 finishes during that season. He also ran in three NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series races during 2006 and won from the pole at Texas. He finished in the top five in both of the other events.
Bowyer resides in Clemmons, N.C. In his spare time, he enjoys working with go-karts, hot rods and motorcycles. He is also an avid Elvis Presley fan. He was thrilled when he got the chance to meet the legendary singer’s daughter, Lisa Marie Presley, in Memphis, Tenn., during a NASCAR race weekend held there.