If you had told me three years ago that Clint Bowyer would drive for Michael Waltrip Racing before his career ended, I would have called you insane. But today it became official. After weeks of speculation, the Kansas native inked a three-year contract this past Sunday that will put him in an MWR Toyota for the foreseeable future. Click here for some highlights from the press conference at Kansas Speedway.
Bowyer will drive the No. 15 Camry for Michael Waltrip Racing and be backed by Sprint Cup newcomer 5-Hour Energy for 24 of the 36 points races next year. They currently sponsor Steven Wallace in the Nationwide Series.
For those who haven't heard the audio before (you can find it here), Michael was wrecked by Casey Mears in the Bristol night race in 2008 when Mears' No. 5 slid in front of Waltrip's No. 55. This wreck also collected Bowyer, who said afterward on his radio that "Michael Waltrip is the worst driver in Nascar. Period." He later went on to express his amazement that Waltrip's sponsor NAPA had signed back on for the next season. The pair later had a run in at Talladega in a Nationwide race the next season (you can see that here. Fast forward to 0:45), where Michael called Clint out in his post wreck interview with ESPN.
Bowyer has also had a few run-ins with MWR driver David Reutimann in the past. The two first banged fenders in a Michigan Nationwide race in 2008 (see Reutimann's thoughts here) and found each other again racing at Richmond just five weeks ago (Part I and Part II). When it was apparent to everyone that Bowyer would drive for MWR next year, he still showed complete disregard for the guys who drive there and the guys who build their racecars by wrecking David.
But now, Reutimann and Bowyer will be teammates and they will drive for the man Bowyer badmouthed on his radio for all the world to hear. Both Bowyer and Waltrip held a press conference at Kansas Speedway, Bowyer's hometrack, and while Mikey is excited to have a third car, driver and sponsor to give his team more credibility, Bowyer seemed less than thrilled to sign on at MWR.
Bowyer described his future as bright and said he was joining Waltrip's organization at the right time because it is poised to peak very soon. Waltrip said that it was great to have a driver like Clint who will contend for the title and a new sponsor like 5-Hour Energy come on board because of MWR's great marketing department. They are now "poised" to make a Chase breakthrough next season. But neither of them seemed overly thrilled about the prospect of working together for the next three seasons. When ESPN2 went live to Kansas to cover the car being unveiled, Waltrip and Bowyer didn't make eye contact once during the whole five minute segment.
The choice of number was the capper for this whole unveiling. The No. 15 is considered to be Michael Waltrip's number by his true fans. It is the number he ran during his glory days at Dale Earnhardt, Inc and the number he drove to two Daytona 500 titles. Why he passed it on to someone like Bowyer is beyond me. MWR also owns the No. 55, which holds a lot less meaning to fans. That is the number Clint should have gotten. Not a number as special as the 15.
It is great that MWR is finally back to a three car team. After being predicted the first freshman Toyota team to fold after 2007, it will be the only one of the original three Toyota teams left come next season. And for good reason. Both Martin Truex, Jr and Reutimann are running up front and in contention for wins. They just need the luck and consistency to get to that next level.
But on the other hand, it is clear that neither party is happy about this pairing. To borrow a quote from Rush Limbaugh, "words mean things." Bowyer clearly meant what he said when he called Waltrip the worst driver in the sport because he never apologized. This wasn't just a heat-of-the-moment comment that a driver made over the radio. Michael just may have gotten over it and forgiven Bowyer for the betterment of his organization, but its clear Clint is not thrilled to be driving an MWR Camry next year. But Clint has proven himself a race winner and Chase contender. Only time will tell how this pairing will work out. Can't wait for Speedweeks 2012.
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