Bowyer on winning: "I never think about how long it has been"

At least, that’s what Clint Bowyer says.

The 37-year-old driver, who epitomized the old racing adage of losing a race but finding the party, was the closest thing that NASCAR racing had seen to Curtis Turner — at least off the track — when he entered the sport.

Turner had a limited run of 184 races over 17 seasons with 17 premier wins. Bowyer has eight victories in 407 Cup starts. However, during the last four seasons, there hasn’t been much reason to celebrate. Bowyer’s last win occurred 159 races ago in the 2012 Charlotte Motor Speedway fall event.

Reaching Victory Lane

While the drought has been frustrating, Bowyer tries to put it out of his mind.

“You think about winning,” Bowyer said. “I never think about how long it has been. I think about how you are going to get it done. You have that thought process through the week as you are going through competition meetings starting Monday and your conversations with the crew chief all week long.

“The biggest thing is you are lined back up with an organization that is capable of doing that. That is item number one. You are with a manufacturer that is capable of doing that and is winning races and competing at the highest level. Each and every week you go to the race track knowing you have a chance to win the race. All the past that has happened is the furthest thing from my mind because you are back to sitting in equipment capable of winning these races and competing at the highest level.”

The proof is in Bowyer’s results. After the first 10 races of 2017, he has scored more top-five finishes than he had all of last year. Ditto top 10s. He’s led more laps (10) and is ninth in the standings — his best seating since 2013.

Still, Bowyer bristles when asked when his alter ego will return. He insists that, since joining Stewart-Haas Racing, he’s the life of the party once again.

“I have been having a hell of a good time,” Bowyer said. “I started in Daytona having a good time. You gotta get on the fun bus. That is where we are at. Yeah, last year sucked. It wasn’t fun. It wasn’t fun for anybody, especially me. It is by us. The good news is the bus picked us up and we jumped on the fun bus clear back in Daytona.

“I don’t know how you missed it. It is a big ass bus. You have clearly missed it. When I walked out of one building and got into the other one it was a fun time, trust me. it was overnight. I woke up one morning as a Stewart-Haas employee. That was a good time.”

And if he should win this weekend — in front of his hometown crowd — how would the Emporia, Kansan celebrate? Bowyer insists his victory party would overshadow Dale Earnhardt’s celebration significantly.

“What is he gonna have, a bike riding party? What has happened to this guy? I so hope that you write that and he reads that,” Bowyer said with a laugh. “No man, it is just all about cherishing that moment and reliving it. That is what it is all about. But yeah, we would have a large time.

“I know the hot-spots around here and he doesn’t. I think probably everybody would have an open invite. I have a sponsor with a hell of a product, a teammate with a hell of a product sponsor, so St. Louis (Anheuser Busch) isn’t very far away either. We will be fine.”