Stage 1 Recap (Ended at Lap 120):
● Bowyer started 17th and finished 14th.
● The No. 14 ITsavvy/Haas Automation Ford was tight throughout the first half of Stage 1.
● Bowyer pitted on lap 79 from the 15th position for tires, fuel and adjustments under green-flag conditions and returned to the track in 14th.
● Green-flag racing continued until the completion of the first stage on lap 120 with Bowyer taking 14th.
● Under caution, Bowyer reported the ITsavvy/Haas Automation Ford was tight early in the run but became loose toward the end of the stage.
Stage 2 Recap (Ended at Lap 240):
● Bowyer started 12th and finished 10th to earn one bonus point.
● The No. 14 ITsavvy/Haas Automation Ford team pitted for four tires and fuel before the start of Stage 2. Bowyer gained two spots on pit road to restart 12th.
● Bowyer radioed to the team on lap 173 that the ITsavvy/Haas Automation Ford was still loose but the condition was manageable.
● On lap 185, the ITsavvy/Haas Automation driver pitted under green for four tires and fuel and returned to the track in the 10th position.
● Bowyer maintained his top-10 position until the end of the second stage on lap 240.
● Under the caution, the No. 14 team pitted for four tires, fuel and an air pressure adjustment to address Bowyer’s report of being loose on entry. The ITsavvy/Haas Automation Ford team also made repairs to minor damage on the nose, and Bowyer restarted in 13th for the final stage.
Stage 3 Recap (Ended at Lap 400):
● Bowyer started 13th and finished 10th.
● On lap 305, while running in the 12th position, Bowyer told the ITsavvy/Haas Automation team that he had tightened up after the previous adjustments.
● Bowyer pitted under green on lap 315 for four tires, fuel and adjustments. Once stops cycled through he was scored in the 11th position.
● The ITsavvy/Haas Automation driver moved into the 10th spot with 34 laps remaining.
● Bowyer crossed the finish line in the 10th position.
Notes:
● Bowyer earned his 15th top-10 of the season and his 16th top-10 in 28 career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series starts at Dover.
● This is Bowyer’s second consecutive top-10 at Dover. He finished ninth in the series’ previous visit to the track in May.
● This is Bowyer’s third straight top-10. He finished fourth in the series’ last race at the Roval.
● Kyle Larson won the Dover 400to score his sixth career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series victory, his first of the season and his first at Dover. His margin of victory over second-place Martin Truex Jr. was 1.578 seconds.
● There were three caution periods for a total of 17 laps.
● Only eight of the 38 drivers in the Dover 400finished on the lead lap.
Playoff Standings (with two races to go before Round of 8):
1. Kyle Larson (3,063 points) 1 win
2. Martin Truex Jr. (3,095 points, +63)
3. Denny Hamlin (3,080 points, +48)
4. Kyle Busch (3,080 points, +48)
5. Kevin Harvick (3,074 points, +42)
6. Brad Keselowski (3,052 points, +20)
7. Alex Bowman (3,049 points, +17)
8. William Byron (3,032 points, +0)
9. Joey Logano (3,032 points, -0)
10. Clint Bowyer (3,028 points, -4)
11. Chase Elliott (3,025 points, -7)
12. Ryan Blaney (3,010 points, -22)
Clint Bowyer, driver of the No. 14 ITsavvy/Haas Automation Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing:
“The team did a great job adjusting on our ITsavvy/Haas Automation Ford all day, but it was nearly impossible for us to make a pass and get those spots we needed to come away with a better finish. Ultimately it was good day for us, we aren’t in a horrible place in points, and we’ve got two good chances coming up to make up the rest of those spots to advance to the next round.”
Next Up:
The next event on the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the 1000Bulbs.com 500 on Sunday, Oct. 13 at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway. It is the fifth race of the 10-race playoffs and the second race in the Round of 12. It starts at 2 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by NBC and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
TSC PR
