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[h=2]Bowyer finding unexpected benefits in filling Stewart's seat[/h] By Kelly Crandall / Images by LAT

Admittedly, it's been just an OK start to the season for Clint Bowyer. But he does have one thing going for him: The love of the ladies.
Here's what happened: Bowyer inherited the steering wheel at Stewart-Haas Racing from three-time champion Tony Stewart when he retired after 18 seasons in NASCAR premier series. In doing so, longtime Stewart fans needed a driver to shift their support.
Now a month into the season as the new face of the 14, Bowyer admits there have been some interesting fan encounters.
"There's been a lot of ladies on Twitter and stuff like that, 'Thanks for running decent!'" Bowyer said with a laugh Saturday. "All them little old ladies love Tony (Stewart); I guess they love that attitude. It's been fun to have that following."
Of course, it's not just the ladies. Hosting a small group of media ahead of final Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice at Auto Club Speedway, Bowyer acknowledged he's filled the void for Stewart fans. But with it comes a sense of responsibility to make sure those fans made the right decision.
"It's that older fan," Bowyer said. "Tony was around for a long time, he was a big part of this sport for a long time, and a lot of those core fans, that's something that I've really noticed on social media or even at the racetrack, is they were looking for somebody, too. You gotta get out there and make them proud, or you're going to lose them."
The Auto Club 400 (Sunday, 3:30 p.m. ET, FOX) bookends the first five races of the season, as well as ending the West Coast swing. Bowyer and crew chief Mike Bugarewicz are building chemistry while looking for consistency. Three top-13 finishes in four races far exceeds much of Bowyer's performances in 2016, his gap year at HScott Motorsports.
However, being in championship contending-equipment at Stewart-Haas Racing brings higher expectations. Add in being out of the spotlight for so long, and Bowyer feels the pressure of having to prove himself all over again.
"You have to prove yourself every single weekend, but we're out looking for sponsorship (for the 14 car)," Bowyer said. "We have to do a good job on the racetrack; we have to do a good job off the racetrack. You have to be the total package for these companies, and a big part of that is getting out there and being known and being seen on that racetrack.
"Aside from that, yeah, it all comes down on you. There's nobody that wants this more than I do. This is what I do for a living, but this is also what I've done since I was little bitty."

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Clint Bowyer at 176 races since last win....




[h=2]INSIGHT: Bowyer at 176[/h] Monday, 18 September 2017


By Kelly Crandall / Images by Logan Whitton/LAT & Nigel Kinrade/LAT

















Five years. 176 races.
That's how long it's been since Clint Bowyer last pulled into a NASCAR Cup Series victory lane. Granted, in that time Bowyer has had close calls as well as big disappointments. He's been both a championship contender and completely fallen off the radar. But Bowyer, in his first year with Stewart-Haas Racing, expresses excitement and positivity about knowing he's going to win again.
"I was very frustrated we didn't make the Playoffs and quite honestly, caught off guard by it. But I'm telling you when you go into the race shop – I said it from the first day I walked into Stewart-Haas and they were getting cars moved over to Ford and going through all the changes and everything that we did this year – you like what you see," Bowyer told RACER.
"You like the work ethic. You like the army behind you that's getting those cars ready for the racetrack. A lot of things changed this year. Literally from the tech procedures and everything else, there's just been a lot of things change and [it] made all of us make some adjustments and work in a different direction."
Promoting the Liberty Mutual Insurance Highway Hero app – which revealed Bowyer was not as good a recreational driver as he thought – the 38-year-old also took time to open up about his on-track driving. The No. 14 team has been good, even great at a few times this year, but Bowyer admits they've also made too many mistakes and had other weird things bite them.
"We've got to get all that cleaned up and put together if we're going to run where we need to run to win races like you want to win," he said.
For the second straight year and third in the last four, Bowyer did not qualify for the Playoffs. But he admitted he didn't want to back his way into a spot either since the regular season finale at Richmond came down to a must-win. A lucky situation was not what Bowyer wanted to have happen.
"Because you're going to be the first one [eliminated] anyway," he said.
Expectations are bigger for Bowyer. Looking at the likes of Martin Truex Jr., Kyle Larson and other consistently running up front and leading laps, one must always be knocking on the door for wins. That is how Bowyer wants to race and more importantly, how he wants to win.
"Don't get me wrong, I wanted to be in the Playoffs more than anything," Bowyer said. "Goal number one when we started the season was to win a race. We've gotten close several times; we haven't gotten the job done. We've got to go out and win a race. Goal number two was go out and make the Playoffs and compete for a championship. ... My mind is still chasing goal number one."
Despite not making the Playoffs, this season has brought back fun and optimism for Bowyer – words hard to find in his vocabulary in recent years. A dismal 2016 season with HScott Motorsport will go down as the worst of Bowyer's career. Finishing 27th in points, Bowyer earned three top-10 finishes with just three laps led. Irrelevant and floundering at the bottom of the leaderboard was an unfamiliar and unfortunate position for him.
"I don't know that I've lost my confidence. I lost a little bit of the motivation of wanting to get to the racetrack, especially last year," Bowyer said of his career's ups and downs. "You just knew there wasn't going to be anything to get any better. And that's what I love about now – even first race off of missing the Playoffs I know we're going to get things corrected.
"I know the 14 car is going to win a race, and I know that because of the people, because of the ownership, the leadership at Stewart-Haas Racing, the manufacturer in Ford. There are too many people dedicated to winning for it not to happen."
Ironically, back when Bowyer signed his deal to join SHR in the fall of 2015, the organization was one of the most dominant in the series. Kevin Harvick racked up over 2,000 laps led in 2014 and '15 and from 2014 through 2016, Harvick won 12 races and a championship ('14). Yet in an ever-changing sport, Bowyer understands it's hard to stay on top.
SHR will get back there. Just as Bowyer feels he will, pointing to others around him who climbed out of their own holes. Even Truex, who Bowyer has raced against throughout his career, was once not a driver to put money on.
"It's all situational. It's all about the team around you. It's about the organization, the manufacturer and what you've got going on," Bowyer said. "I've got good things going on around me, good teammates, a good operation. A good organization with Stewart-Haas Racing. I know we'll get the job done."
Beyond that, Bowyer still has plenty left to accomplish once he gets the years and races since his last win back to zero.
"I still think the stars could align to win a championship. That's what I'm in it for," Bowyer said, although he cracked that if were to do that next season he'd turn around and quit. "I'm proud of winning that Xfinity championship back when (200 and it would definitely be what I would consider a cap on a career, being able to win in the Cup Series.
"But again, I want to win the next race. It's been a long time since we've won. We've gotten close this year with our equipment and everything. That's what would make me happy right now."