Event: Go Bowling 400 (Round 11 of 36)
Series: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
Location: Kansas Speedway in Kansas City (1.5-mile oval)
Format: 267 laps, broken into three stages (80 laps/80 laps/107 laps)
Start/Finish: 30th/9th (Running, completed 267 of 267 laps)
Point Standing: 10th (317 points, 158 out of first)
Race Winner: Martin Truex Jr. of Furniture Row Racing (Toyota)
Stage 1 Recap (Ended at Lap 80):
- Started 30th, finished 13th.
- Drove to front of the field while telling crew his Ford needed more rear grip.
- Crew made several adjustments during pit stops throughout stage to improve handling issues.
Stage 2 Recap (Ended at Lap 160):
- Started 10th, finished 20th.
- Rear grip issues still plagued No. 14, so Bowyer pitted on lap 104 for right-rear spring rubber and dropped to 26th.
- Took over first place at lap 140 after leaders pitted during caution.
- On restart the No. 14 fell back to 20th.
Final Stage Recap (Ended at Lap 267):
- Started 22nd, finished ninth.
- Continued to make handling changes during pit stops to improve rear grip throughout final stage.
- Raced in 16th with 20 laps remaining, then avoided several near wrecks in the final laps to post ninth-place finish.
Notes:
- Led once for three laps, increasing his season total to 13 and career total to 2,351 laps led.
- Finish marked Bowyer’s fifth top-10 of the season and sixth at Kansas Speedway.
Clint Bowyer, driver of the No. 14 Mobil 1 Annual Protection Ford Fusion for Stewart-Haas Racing:
“We had a lot of fun in Kansas this weekend, but I wish we could have run better. My guys worked hard all race tonight, but we just couldn’t find the rear grip we needed. A lot of us were fighting that all race long. We’ll take it and go on to Charlotte.”
Next Up:
The next event on the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the Monster Energy NASCAR All-Star Race Saturday, May 20 at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway. Coverage of the non-points-paying event begins at 8 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by FS1.
