Sunday, October 21, 2007
Sports columnist Aaron McFarling: Long shot remains in contention
Aaron McFarling
Recent columns
MARTINSVILLE -- Clint Bowyer does not belong here.
So say Las Vegas oddsmakers, who've pegged the driver as a 12-to-1 shot to win the Nextel Cup championship.
So say many in the media, who've been telling you all week that this Chase is a two-man race -- unless you count Tony Stewart.
So says the NASCAR marketing machine, which is in the business of selling established stars.
"That's fuel for the fire," Bowyer said with a smile. "That's all that is. You sit down in your motorhome to watch TV, and the commercials come on: 'Come watch Tony Stewart chase down Gordon for the championship!' It's like, 'Man.'"
Man.
Isn't Bowyer 120 points ahead of Stewart in the standings?
He is, but nobody seems to be buying it. We simply assume that Bowyer, the second-year surprise who's 78 points behind Jeff Gordon and 10 behind Jimmie Johnson, is going to falter.
We assumed it would happen last week, when Bowyer returned to Lowe's Motor Speedway, a place he'd finished no better than 19th in three previous starts. He led more laps than anybody and finished second.
We assumed it would happen the week before at Talladega, another track where he'd struggled in the past. He finished 11th.
In fact, in all five of the Chase races, Bowyer has posted a career-best finish at each track.
We call that clutch.
"I like the pressure," Bowyer said. "I like seeing what you're made of. It's so much fun to be in that situation, for not only yourself but everyone around you.
"There's probably nobody on my team anymore that's staying out late and having fun. I know my life's changed in the last month and a half. The fun's over."
Of course, he's referring only to off-the-track fun. On the track, this Kansas native couldn't be having a better time.
It started that first week of the Chase. Bowyer had finished in ninth place in the standings through the first 26 races, but because he was the only Chase driver not to have won a race, the bonus points bumped him to 12th.
For weeks, Bowyer and his crew had wanted to try some different things with the car but opted instead to be conservative.
They could not afford a disastrous finish, one that might keep them out of the Chase.
But once they were in, that burden was lifted. They decided to take some risks, starting Week 1 at New Hampshire.
And they won.
"It doesn't matter what sport it is, confidence is everything," Bowyer said.
"If you have confidence knowing that you're going to go to that track and kick their butt that week or go to that ballfield and whup their butt, you're going to go out there and do it.
"Getting that win was exactly what our team needed. I knew it ... There's that cocky side of you that you have to have in any kind of sport that we were missing."
Bowyer is exactly the type of story NASCAR's Chase format was designed to create. He's been consistent all year -- only he and Kevin Harvick have finished every race this season -- and he's gotten hot at the perfect time.
And now, as the series heads to Martinsville for today's Subway 500, he's one of only a handful of drivers who have a legitimate shot at the title.
"Now there's a lot of people you have to answer to," Bowyer said.
"The media, your sponsors, your car owner, your crew chief, your crew members. But I'm really enjoying our situation, where we're at. It's fun. I can't wait to get to the next race and see the next challenge ahead."
Clint Bowyer does belong here.
And he's eager to prove it again today.
