Event: Geico 500 (Round 10 of 36)
Series: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
Location: Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway (2.66-mile oval)
Format: 188 laps, broken into three stages (55 laps/55 laps/78 laps)
Start/Finish: 17th/14th (Running, completed 191 of 191 laps)
Point Standing: 9th (289 points, 139 out of first)
Race Winner: Ricky Stenhouse Jr. of Roush Fenway Racing (Ford) in overtime
Stage 1 Recap (Ended at Lap 55):
- Started 17th, finished 13th.
- Climbed to seventh in opening laps before a fuel-only stop on lap 17 moved Bowyer to the lead.
- Led eight laps during segment, the first laps the No. 14 has led this season.
Stage 2 Recap (Ended at Lap 110):
- Started 11th, finished 28th.
- Lap-84 pit stop moved Bowyer to seventh.
- Bowyer led two laps in Stage 2 before he was shuffled out of the draft in closing laps to finish 28th.
Final Stage Recap (Ended at Lap 188):
- Started 35th after uncontrolled-tire penalty on pit stop before green flag.
- Restarted the race in 19th with 24 laps remaining after pitting for four tires and fuel under caution.
- Raced in the top-five in the closing laps, but tire damage forced a pit stop, dropping Bowyer to 23rd to begin overtime.
Notes:
- Avoided by inches a 16-car wreck with 19 to go.
- Bowyer has now led 2,348 laps in his career.
Clint Bowyer, driver of the No. 14 Haas Automation Ford Fusion for Stewart-Haas Racing:
“It was an up and down day for us. We had a really fast Ford Fusion, and I wish we could have had a chance to be up there racing with those guys in the end. But it was cool to lead some laps again.”
Next Up:
The next event on the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the Go Bowling 400 on Saturday, May 13 at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City. The race starts at 7:30 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by FS1.
