Kevin Harvick on his friendship with Bowyer: “We’ve drank a lot of beer together.”
Before Clint Bowyer got his shot in the NASCAR drivers seat, he was in the NASCAR garage. Bowyer was working in the fabrication shop for Richard Childress when he got his shot.
That opportunity came in 2004 where he piloted a part-time NASCAR Xfinity Series ride. Those rides came out of RCR and Kevin Harvick Incorporated. The following year he won his first two NASCAR Xfinity Series races and the gates were open.
“When Richard Childress called Clint Bowyer out of the body shop — Clint was running some ARCA races and running his little dirt modified car,” Kevin Harvick tells the story on Sirius XM NASAR Radio via his ‘Happy Hours’ radio show.
“I kinda got stuck with Clint. They said, ‘Well you go to all the tests with Clint and kinda teach him the ropes?’ I was like, ‘Sure!’ ”
“You know, obviously Clint’s a pretty fun person to be around. Through the years, Clint and I have — We’ve drank a lot of beer together. And had a lot of fun together. And been a lot of places together.”
“The racing on the track, it’s almost been beneficial to the both of us. We’ve crossed paths a couple times.”
“At Dover this weekend, I looked to Clint and the things that he did and does in the race car. To say, ‘Ok, what do I need to do to get around Dover better?’ ”
“Because I was terrible when I raced the cars at RCR. And Clint was winning races and running up front every time we went to Dover. It’s fun to be able to have a guy like Clint. We’re like brothers. At RCR, we’d argue, fight. Go drink beer and have a good time. Then, you’d start that whole cycle back over again.”
“I think as we’ve gone through life and come back this second time around, as teammates at SHR. He’s got 2 kids, I got 2 kids. We’ve both grown up. But, we know each other really well and respect each other.”
Clint Bowyer and Kevin Harvick have crossed paths in the silly season multiple times over. Bowyer got his start with RCR while Harvick drove for the team at the same time. Years later, Kevin Harvick moved over to Stewart-Haas Racing.
Around the same time, Bowyer moved to Michael Waltrip Racing as he picked up 3 wins with the team that debut year. However, the team folded following the 2016 season.
Clint Bowyer sat and waited for a seat to open at Stewart-Haas. He was signed to replace Tony Stewart. But, Stewart needed to climb from the cockpit for that to happen. In 2016, Bowyer ran a full season with H Scott Motorsports while he awaited his SHR job.
Last weekend, Bowyer was in contention to win his 2nd race of the 2018 season. Instead, Kevin Harvick snuck up and took the lead, cruising to his 4th win of the season.
“I did give him a lot of grief this weekend because I know this [Dover] is one of his favorite tracks. He expects to go up there and win. I told him in the competition meeting on Tuesday, ‘Just so you know, I am gonna bust your ass all weekend. I don’t think you’re gonna have a chance.’ ”
“After the first practice, I said, ‘Alright, I’m 1-0. I have beat you in the first practice.’ Then I out qualified him, I’m 2-0. 3-0 after the second practice. Then, in happy hour, he outdid me.”
“At the end of the little rain break there If I’m going to lose the race due to circumstances — I am perfectly fine with losing it to Clint.”
“He’s one of my good friends and I like to hear him succeed. It’s different as you get older in life. You’re so selfish when you’re mid-20’s – early 30’s. Now, it’s like at Martinsville, I enjoyed seeing Clint succeed.”
“Especially to see him competitive after everything that he’s gone through over the last few years. That was the price he was willing to pay to get into another quality ride at Stewart-Haas Racing. I’m glad it all worked out.”
Last year, Clint Bowyer struggled a bit to find footing with his new Stewart-Haas team. Technically, the entire team struggled until Harvick won their first race at Texas Motor Speedway, the third to last race of the season. This year, Stewart-Haas is firing on all cylinders with all four cars.
“That’s good for me. It keeps me and my team on our toes. To really look after the details. To make sure you’re pushing as hard as you can to try to beat the #14, the #41 and the #10. When all the teams are running well, it makes things more competitive.”
More
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Links
Kevin Harvick | Clint Bowyer | Stewart-Haas | RCR | Sirius XM NASCAR Radio | Dover | NASCAR
