FanHouse

Clint Bowyer took home his first Nationwide Series victory of the 2008 season Saturday afternoon at Bristol Motor Speedway thanks to a persistent rain shower.

Saturday's 300-lapper started nearly two hours later after thunderstorms rumbled through the Tri-Cities of northeastern Tennessee just following Sprint Cup Series final practice. The race finally got underway just past 4:30pm/ET.

171 laps -- 21 past halfway -- were completed before more rain drenched the track. NASCAR wanted to restart the event, but the rain showers wouldn't stop.

The victory was Bowyer's sixth-career Nationwide Series win.

Kasey Kahne was visibly upset when the rain brought the cars to pit road on lap 171 saying that he "pretty much blew that." Kahne had been all over the rear bumper of Bowyer's No. 2 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet for many laps, but wanted to make the pass clean.

Denny Hamlin led early until a flat-tire forced him to pit road on lap 37 and Martin Truex Jr. got tapped by David Ragan off of turn 2, spun into turn 3, and was clipped by Kyle Busch very early in the event. Both Truex and Busch were knocked out of the race.

And yes, there apparently were some Nationwide Series regulars in the event, with Brad Keselowski finishing 4th.

Thankfully, NASCAR was able to get a majority of its schedule completed Saturday afternoon despite the heavy threat of rain. The forecast for Sunday's Food City 500 looks sunny and clear.