Clint Bowyer and the No. 33 took home four post-race contingency awards for their part in a hard charge to the checkered flag at Talladega Superspeedway that produced a tie for the closest margin of victory since the inception of electronic scoring. Bowyer finished second to Jimmie Johnson by a mere .002 seconds in Sunday’s Aaron’s 499.
Bowyer, who started tenth, led the most laps during the race (15 times for 38 laps) and also turned the fastest lap of the afternoon while leading (195.345 mph, Lap 185) to pick up the Goodyear Gatorback Belts Fastest Lap of the Race Award. Bowyer, who also racked up the Mobil 1 Oil Driver of the Race Award as the highest finishing eligible driver, earned his fourth consecutive top-10 finish of the 2011 season.
All awards are part of the NASCAR Prize Money and Decal Program, also referred to as the contingency program, which provides teams prize money and weekly awards based on performance in several categories.
“You know, the whole race was fun,” said Bowyer post-race. “The BB&T Chevrolet was fast all weekend, the same hot rod that we won with in the fall.”
Crew chief Shane Wilson won his first DIRECTV Crew Chief of the Race Award of the 2011 season, which is awarded to the crew chief of the driver who has demonstrated the best qualifying and race effort based on the average of finishing positions during the weekend.
A powerful engine under-the-hood of the No. 33 Chevrolet Impala chassis No. 294 earned engine builders at Earnhardt Childress Racing Engines its first MAHLE Clevite Engine Builder of the Race Award of the year based on points awarded for qualifying, laps led and finishing position.
“Proud of the guys and everybody at ECR Engines,” said Bowyer. “You can’t say enough about their efforts and the job they have done. We were up front — all six engines were up front pretty much all day long.”
With the strong run in his 189th NASCAR Sprint Cup Series career start, Bowyer gained two positions in the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series points standings. He currently sits tenth in the standings with 245 points, just 50 points behind points leader Carl Edwards heading into the Crown Royal Presents The Matthew & Daniel Hansen 400 on Sat., April 30th at Richmond International Raceway (7:30 p.m. EST, FOX).
Official winners of this week’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Prize Money & Decal Program special awards include:
v AMERICAN ETHANOL GREEN FLAG RESTART: Joey Logano
v COORS LIGHT POLE AWARD: Jeff Gordon (178.248mph,53.723 secs.)
v DIRECTV CREW CHIEF OF THE RACE AWARD: Shane Wilson (crew chief for Clint Bowyer)
v GOODYEAR GATORBACK BELTS FASTEST LAP AWARD: Clint Bowyer (195.345 mph, Lap 185)
v MAHLE CLEVITE ENGINE BUILDER OF THE RACE AWARD: Earnhardt Childress Racing Engines, No. 33,RCR
v MOBIL 1 OIL DRIVER OF THE RACE AWARD: Clint Bowyer
v MOOG CHASSIS PARTS PROBLEM SOLVER OF THE RACE AWARD: Peter Sospenzo(crew chief for David Gilliland, 0.230 secs.)
v O’REILLY AUTO PARTS POSITION IMPROVEMENT AWARD: Kevin Harvick (33 places)
v SUNOCO ROOKIE OF THE RACE AWARD: Andy Lally
NASCAR PR
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