Clint Bowyer was none too happy Friday night. The Emporia Kansas native always comes to Kansas Speedway, his home track, hoping to pull into victory lane in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup series.
He’s visited victory lane at Kansas, but that was in a Truck in 2011. The Cup win has eluded him. The season however, Bowyer is in perhaps his best position to score his first career Cup win. After finding a resurgence with Stewart-Haas Racing, and winning at Martinsville earlier this season, Bowyer has been competitive nearly every week giving him hope that this visit could be the one, that Cup win that seems so elusive in year’s past.
That task was made tougher Friday. Bowyer was one of six cars to get mired in pre-qualifying inspection and who did not make it through in time to make a qualifying lap. Among those six was Matt Kenseth making his return with Roush-Fenway Racing.
Bowyer, who will start 33rd Saturday night was not his normal jovial self as the rest of field took part in the knockout qualifying session around him.
“I guess Matt Kenseth’s big debut being in the 6 car not getting out on the race track probably isn’t very good either, but me being at home that’s a pretty good story,” Bowyer lamented. “No, we’re stuck back there in jail. I don’t know. I have a pretty bad taste in my mouth right now.”
“It’s hard not to go off because it’s frustrating. I mean, you sit there and watch the guys. The body was off. They made some adjustments and went back through and then the chassis is off. I watched and they didn’t even jack it up. They didn’t even do anything. They just pushed it back in here and pushed it back over there, the body was good and then the chassis is off.”
“It’s just super-frustrating to be able to not get on the track. We were fifth-quick in practice and everybody’s got a job to do. NASCAR has a job to do and it’s hard. It’s difficult to regulate and govern, the sanctioning body, and everybody on a fair, level playing field, but I don’t think this is the answer either. This doesn’t look very good.”
Kenseth will start 35th
Greg is the author of "The Nuts and Bolts of NASCAR: The Definitive Viewers' Guide to Big-Time Stock Car Auto Racing" and has been published in major publications across the country including the Los Angeles Times, the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was also a contributor to Chicken Soup for the NASCAR Soul, published in 2010, and the Christmas edition in 2016. He wrote as the NASCAR, Formula 1, Auto Reviews and National Veterans Affairs Examiner for Examiner.com and has appeared on Fox News. He holds a BS degree in communications, a Masters degree in psychology and is currently a PhD candidate majoring in psychology. He is currently the weekend Motorsports Editor for Autoweek.
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