With Carl Edwards renewing his contract at Roush-Fenway Racing, Clint Bowyer is now the biggest free agent on the market. Bowyer and Richard Childress Racing have been trying to reach a new deal for weeks now, and both of them want to stay together, but it looks more and more like Clint Bowyer, the current driver of the No. 33 will have a new home after this season.
RCR is the team that gave Bowyer his big break in Nascar and it's the only team the Emporia, Kansas native has ever driven for in any series. But just like so many teams before, sponsorship may be what makes or breaks this relationship. General Mills, longtime Nascar sponsor and backer of Bowyer's No. 33 since 2009, is rumored to be shopping around for another team which leaves the No. 33 team in a sticky situation.
It is also rumored that Bowyer will be sponsored by 5-Hour Energy either at RCR or his new team. 5-Hour Energy is the current sponsor of Steve Wallace's Nationwide team. Their season has been less than stellar, and with the economy like it is, 5-Hour Energy would definitely get more bang for their buck by moving to Cup with Bowyer.
Bowyer has bee linked to several teams, Joe Gibbs Racing, Michael Waltrip Racing and Red Bull Racing to name a few. But now, he apparently has an offer on the table from Richard Petty Motorsports. He would be driving Roush-Fenway prepared Fords and with the way Marcos ambrose and AJ Allmendinger have been running in RPM equipment this season, this may not be all that bad of a deal for Bowyer.
ESPN has reported that the other big hang up with the Bowyer-Childress talks has been Bowyer's unwillingness to take a salary cut (as many other drivers have done this year). But while he is unhappy that Bowyer has looked at other teams, Childress still expects to have a deal done to keep Clint in the No. 33 Chevy next season. We will just have to wait and see where Clint lands when his roller coaster silly season stops.
Side note: This has nothing to do with Bowyer, but RCR may not be the only team looking for funding. It has also been reported that Home Depot, longtime sponsor of the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 20 car, may leave at season's end to take the place of Aflac on Carl Edwards' No. 99 Ford. The home improvement giant won two titles in 2002 and 2005 with Tony Stewart, but ever since Joey Logano took over the No. 20 from Stewart, Home Depot has been forced to watch arch rival Lowe's win the past five titles while Logano under performs and has yet to make the Chase in his career. Edwards is a consistent title contender and would definitely be able to challenge Jimmie Johnson and Lowe's for the championship.
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