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'Best Race Car Doesn't Always Win'

BY JENNA FRYER,

Posted: 2008-03-16 00:05:02

Filed Under: NASCAR

BRISTOL, Tenn. (March 15) - Clint Bowyer outraced Kasey Kahne and the rain to win the Nationwide Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway when it was stopped just past halfway.

Rusty Jarrett, Getty Images for NASCAR

"It feels awesome," Bowyer said Saturday after a lengthy stoppage as NASCAR tried to resume the race. "I'll take it any way you can get it."

Rain delayed the start of the race by two hours, and when the field finally went green, all the drivers knew they were running against the weather. With dark clouds rolling in, the goal was simply to make it to the halfway point - when NASCAR considers a race official - and be out front whenever the rain resumed.

So Bowyer used strategy, he was one of a handful of cars not to pit when Mike Bliss spun to bring out the sixth caution 100 laps into the event. Knowing the race only needed to go another 51 laps to be considered official, Bowyer gambled that the cars who did pit wouldn't be able to catch him before the rain came.

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Kahne came close, weaving his way through traffic and moving right behind Bowyer as the skies darkened. He looked briefly inside for a pass for the lead, but didn't force the issue and was stuck in second when the race was stopped on lap 171 of 300.

As he sat in his car waiting for NASCAR to make a decision, Kahne lamented the lost opportunity.

"I should already be in the lead, I pretty much blew that," he said. "I should have pressed the issue a little bit and I'm disappointed I'm in second. I should be leading. He shouldn't be leading. I just let him have it."

Bowyer didn't have much sympathy for the competition.

"Kasey had the best car," he conceded, "but the best car doesn't always win."

It was Bowyer's first victory at Bristol in any series. Prior to this win, his highest finish was third in a Cup car last fall. His best Nationwide finish was fourth in 2005.

But he came to Bristol this weekend on team owner Richard Childress' helicopter, and was reminded of how badly he wanted a Bristol victory as they flew over the storied 0.533-mile bullring.

"I love this place," Bowyer said Friday. "We circled around the race track and you just want to win here, you know what I mean? It's a really, really cool place. It reminds me of the movie "Gladiator," you know, where the stud wins.

"So hopefully we can win here some day."

He got it with strategy and help from the rain, but didn't mind.

"This race track has always been special to me, and you've earned it whenever you get to Victory Lane," Bowyer said.

Kahne said he knew the rain was coming, but didn't want to wreck Bowyer or risk harming his car to grab the win.

"We all knew going into the race that the weather was coming, and there was sprinkles on the car about 25 laps before it actually got here, so I knew it was close," Kahne said. "That's when I was trying everything I could to get by him without running through him. There was plenty of opportunity to get by him if I wanted to force the issue."

David Reutimann was third and was followed by Brad Keselowski, Mike Bliss, Jason Leffler and Kevin Harvick. David Ragan, David Stremme and Mike Wallace rounded out the top 10.

The start of the race was marked by several accidents, including one that ended Kyle Busch's day early for the third straight week. He was hit when Martin Truex Jr. spun while racing Carl Edwards for position, and the contact ended his race just 14 laps in.

Busch seemed headed to victories in Las Vegas and Atlanta the past two races, but a blown tire and a broken shock caused him to crash out of both.

Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. All active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.

2008-03-15 23:01:34