One of NASCAR’s most engaging personalities and 16-year Cup Series veteran Clint Bowyer will pilot Spire Motorsports No. 7 Chevrolet Silverado in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series (NCTS) Rackley Roofing 200 at Nashville Superspeedway.
Bowyer, who retired from full-time NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) competition following the 2020 season finale at Phoenix Raceway, is currently an analyst for NASCAR on FOX. He is a 10-time NCS race winner who also boasts three NCTS checkered flags.
The 44-year-old will reconnect with crew chief Brian Pattie who guided Bowyer’s NCS efforts from 2012-2015. Pattie led the affable racer to three wins in 2012 and ultimately a runner-up finish in the NCS championship point standings when the potent duo was paired together at Michael Waltrip Racing (MWR).
“For me, it’s the tie between working with (Brian) Pattie and the good old days,” said Bowyer. “Putting the band back together, so to speak, and having some fun. Nashville is a cool racetrack that has meant a lot to me over the years. Separate from that, it’s about the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series. That’s a really fun series. It’s a fun vehicle to drive. There’s a lot of drag and you can drive them hard and get away with it. You can really hustle a truck. This race should be right in my wheelhouse.”
Bowyer made his second career NASCAR Xfinity Series start at the 1.33-mile oval in 2004 tallied nine total starts from 2004 – 2008. The Emporia, Kan., native has one win over those nine starts and parlayed those efforts into an uber-impressive 2.8 average finish on NASCAR’s junior circuit.
“Nashville means a lot to me. Fate is the only thing that I can attribute to this opportunity coming about,” Bowyer added. “My career in NASCAR happened because of Nashville. My first race win in NASCAR was at Nashville. It takes me back to my first ARCA race in 2003. I’ve always raced well there. Not to put pressure on myself, but I have. I’ve never finished outside the top five at Nashville Superspeedway, and I think I’ve got close to a second-place average finish. That doesn’t necessarily mean anything but what’s important is the opportunity to get back together and work with Brian Pattie. I had so much fun racing with him during the MWR days. We about won a championship together.”
In 14 NCTS starts from 2006 – 2016, Bowyer recorded two pole positions, three wins, nine top-five and 10 top-10 finishes. While he hasn’t competed in a NASCAR sanctioned event since dropping the window net for the final time in November 2020, Bowyer made three Superstar Racing Experience (SRX) starts last season and while winless, was a threat for the win in each outing.
“I’ll have one run on a set of tires to knock the rust off and then I’ll have to go qualify,” said Bowyer. “It’s going to be a pretty important lap to start up front and have a shot at winning. It has been so long, so I’ll have to get reacquainted with the track a little bit. I feel like I can get the fundamentals back pretty quickly. I ran those SRX races last year and I was pretty quick right off that bat. I actually surprised myself. I had a ton of fun and was competitive.
After 11 races, the No. 7 team sits fifth in the 2024 NCTS owner point standings after earning two wins and compiling five top-five and seven top-10 finishes. Kyle Busch earned the team’s first victory of 2024 at Atlanta Motor Speedway and led a race-high 112 laps in Busch’s most recent triumph in Texas. Last weekend, Connor Mosack started seventh and finished eighth at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Given their history and past success, it’s no wonder Pattie is looking forward to the reunion.
“Clint and I had a lot of success winning races and coming close to a Cup Series championship, so it’ll be a lot of fun to work with him again,” said Pattie. “We’ve been trying to get him in one of our trucks since early last year, so I’m excited to see it finally come together and I’m confident that we can go out and compete for the win.”
The Rackley Roofing 200 from Nashville Superspeedway will be televised live on FS2 Friday, June 28, beginning at 8 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time. The 13th of 23 NCTS races on the 2024 schedule will be broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.
“Having Clint Bowyer drive our No. 7 at Nashville Superspeedway just demonstrates how committed Spire Motorsports is to having a true all-star lineup in that truck,” said Spire Motorsports president Doug Duchardt. “Clint is part of an exclusive club of drivers who have won in the Truck Series, Xfinity Series and Cup Series. When you see his track record at Nashville, it almost makes you shake your head. It’s pretty incredible. He’s a great personality and, as Brian (Pattie) well knows, he’s a lot of fun. We’re grateful to have him and we think he gives us a great shot at winning the race.”
Spire Motorsports PR
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