Clint Bowyer was merely a rookie last year. People merely knew him as the kid from the Busch Series. A tough competitor, he’s been racing for years. What some people don’t realize, even the people right here in Emporia, is the fact that Clint Bowyer brought racing to this community. Sure, there are plenty of people from here that race every weekend during racing season. What we didn’t have was a racer on the professional circuit.
Clint Bowyer was born on May 30, 1979. He currently resides in Clemmons, N.C.. However, his hometown is good ole’ Emporia, Kansas. He graduated from Emporia High School and attended Flint Hills Technical College. Bowyer started racing motocross, like his older brother. At age 16, he changed his passion to cars. He raced at dirt tracks such as Heartland Park, Thunderhill, and Lakeside Speedway for a few years. He then turned his head to asphalt racing. He took a seat in an ARCA racecar. At a race in Nashville, TN, Bowyer caught the attention of Richard Childress. Childress put him in the No. 2 AC Delco car for the Busch Series. His first Nextel Cup Series Race was in the No. 33 at Phoenix International Raceway on April 23, 2005. Then, making into the Nextel Cup Series, Bowyer was put into the No. 07 Jack Daniels Chevrolet.
Bowyer has won well over 250 races in his lifetime beginning at the age of five when he began racing dirt bikes. He has won the Modified Championships at Heartland Park Topeka, Thunderhill Speedway, and Lakeside Speedway. In 2002, he scored a NASCAR Weekly Racing Series (NWRS) Midwest Championship. In his third start of the season, Bowyer won his first pole in the Busch series on April 24, 2004 while racing at Talladega Superspeedway. In 2005, he racked up two poles, two wins, and 12 top five finishes. Not to mention his 22 top ten finishes and ended up landing second place for the NASCAR Busch Series for 2005.
Since making it in the “big time,” Bowyer has made the time for a girlfriend, as well as family. While he does reside in North Carolina, he makes it back down to Emporia for family visits. Towards the end of last year’s dirt track racing season, Bowyer had some fun at Heartland Park Topeka. He got back into a modified car to show his dirt buddies that he still has what it takes to race dirt.
Bowyer has got to be one of the hottest up and coming racers to hit NASCAR. Between him, and rookies Martin Truex Jr. who drives the No. 1 Bass Pro Shops car, and Denny Hamlin, who drives the No. 11 Fed-Ex car, the ballot is full of talent. It’s nice to know that the young guns up and coming in the ranks are full of talent.
Both the Busch and Nextel Cup Series open up at Daytona International Speedway on February 17th and 18th, respectively. Daytona is often thought of as the most competitive race of the season.
