Clint Bowyer 2010 Preview, Predictions & Odds

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Clint Bowyer 2009 Stats

Clint Bowyer 2009 Recap & Review

To understand Clint Bowyer’s travails in 2009, you have to go back to the middle of 2008. At the time, Bowyer was in his third full season in the Cup Series, had two wins under his belt, and was on his way to making the Chase for the second consecutive year. Then, team owner Richard Childress made a major announcement: He would be expanding the organization from three to four cars in 2009, bringing Casey Mears on board. But that wasn’t all. Mears was to be given Bowyer’s cars, sponsor and team, the product of an incoming sponsor (General Mills) willing to pony up bigger bucks to get the driver, in Bowyer, that it wanted.

Ultimately, the expansion plan did not pan out for any of the four cars in ’09, although Bowyer’s new team performed the best. In fact, the new No. 33 team started the season a surprise title contender, notching three top-5 and four top-10 finishes in its first six races to peak at second in points to Jeff Gordon in March. But the team struggled from that point forward, failing to win a race all year and scoring only one additional top 5 over the last 30 races. Sliding out of the top 12 by Mother’s Day, Bowyer missed the Chase and ended the season a disappointing 15th in points – the best of any of the Childress cars. He led only 41 laps in ’09 – far fewer than the 280-plus laps-led average of the two prior years – and his four top-5 finishes were the fewest since his rookie year of 2006.

Clint Bowyer 2010 Preview & Prediction

One of the most prevalent questions among fans and pundits in 2009 was: “What is wrong with Richard Childress Racing?” There’s one thing we know for sure after a tumultuous year: The answer is not Clint Bowyer. When RCR expanded from three to four cars, it was Bowyer who was thrown from his comfort zone, leaving his familiar No. 07 car for the newly formed No. 33 with crew chief Shane Wilson. But the duo responded well early, then reemerged late to become the best-performing car week in, week out within RCR while cementing Bowyer’s status as a potential star.

The problem is, best in class at RCR isn’t what it used to be. After consecutive Chase appearances — finishing third in 2007 and fifth in ’08 — Bowyer missed the playoffs last year, finishing 15th.

Bowyer has positive mental outlook on this season. While the rest of RCR’s fleet underwent major personnel shakeups, the Bowyer/Wilson duo was the only driver/crew chief partnership to make it unscathed, showcasing Childress’ faith in their developing chemistry.

Although Bowyer has only four full seasons in the Cup Series, he’s quickly made a name for himself as a steady and reliable driver. He’s recorded only one DNF in the past three seasons and came within one race of tying the all-time record (84) before a Darlington wreck last May. It’s easy to work on improving handling and chassis when you’re not busy building new cars each week, and Bowyer has copied RCR’s consistency mantra from Jeff Burton and Kevin Harvick to become a perennial Chase contender.

The question facing Bowyer and the rest of the RCR teams now is whether they’ll do enough during the offseason to find extra speed. The organization did finish ’09 on an upswing, with three of its four cars finishing in the top 11 at Homestead. But it’s difficult to say whether the improvements will carry over into 2010 and be sustainable against the caliber of competition that exists in the Cup Series.

While there are multiple problems at Childress, insiders claim the primary shortfalls within the program revolve around car geometry. If that’s the case, the organization may have hit on something at season’s end, debuting a handful of new chassis it can build on this offseason.

As for Bowyer, expect him to have more confidence with Wilson and his pit crew as they head into their second full season together, while primary sponsor General Mills returns, as well. Bowyer’s contract with RCR runs through 2011, providing an additional layer of stability for the 30-year-old Kansas native. But closing the gap on Hendrick won’t be easy, and with five playoff spots seemingly taken by the HMS/Stewart-Haas juggernaut, there’s little or no margin for error if the No. 33 wants to end up on the right side of the Chase bubble in 2010.

Clint Bowyer 2010 Predictions

We predict that Clint Bowyer will finish 13th in the 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.

Clint Bowyer Betting & Odds

Clint Bowyer NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship Odds: +1200

Clint Bowyer Betting Trends & Situations

• after finishing 6th to 10th, average finish is 13.5
• when racing in February, average finish is 12.2

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