This weekend the NASCAR Sprint Cup series is in Kansas for the fourth race of the 2011 Chase for the Sprint Cup.
On Friday, Clint Bowyer made it official after weeks of speculation and rumors that in 2012 he would be heading to Michael Waltrip Racing in hopes to get back in the Chase next season.
Bowyer once again this season was sitting in 13th when the Chase reset and the move was a matter of when and not if. Bowyer’s move moves him from the number three guy at Richard Childress Racing to the number one driver at MWR.
Owner Michael Waltrip said on Friday “We now believe we're structured exactly how we want to be," said Waltrip, whose stable of drivers now includes Bowyer, Reutimann, and Martin Truex Jr. "We have a guy in Scott Miller who's going to come on board, and has guided teams to the Chase and [had] chances to win championships. He is going to be a key part of our organization in 2012. Having drivers like Clint, David, and Martin ... we're poised. We're on the edge of being able to accomplish that."
5 hour Energy will be sponsoring a majority of the program and as Bowyer said on Friday, it was the sponsor who approached him.
"I've never been in that situation," Bowyer said. "I've never had a sponsor that came to me and said, 'We would like to have you. You're the asset. Where are we going to go to build a program?' So, not only was I looking out for myself, now I'm looking out for a sponsor, too. I've got to go to an organization to where I could continue to build their brand and make sure I could continue to bring that sponsor with me as I go on through the years. That was something that was new to me. Usually, you took care of number one and let them do their business, but I felt like I was obligated to help them make the right decision and be influential in their decision as well."
The organization is still searching for other sponsors to fill the races that 5 Hour Energy will not be on the car.
Bowyer in a contract year didn’t have many options in front of him. Richard Childress basically said a few weeks back that the two were unable to come to an agreement and he was free to look elsewhere.
With options limited this season Bowyer was facing only a few open seats in NSCS.
Red Bull Racing future isn’t looking any better as they have filed with the state of North Carolina a few weeks back notifying them of layoffs.
Brian Vickers is still searching for a ride for 2012 and Kasey Kahne is heading to Hendrick Motorsports.
The options were limited for Bowyer so the move to MWR which is a strong organization is the most logical.
MWR has struggled to find victory lane as an organization as a whole. Their last win was David Reutimann in Chicago last July.
Martin Truex, Jr. hasn’t win since 2007 and both drivers have seen their share of bad luck and poor runs.
No matter what the circumstances around Bowyers move to MWR for both the organization and the driver it’s a fresh start and chance to break out of the shadows.
Bowyer sees potential and that could lead to big things for him in 2012."This is a wonderful opportunity for me to prove myself to everybody.”
This new partnership could help bring this organization not only more wins but a shot at the Championship.
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