NASCAR Career: How Good Was Clint Bowyer as a Driver?

45-year-old Clint Bowyer serves as an analyst for Fox Sports’ NASCAR Cup Series coverage alongside Mike Joy and Kevin Harvick in 2024. Behind this former NASCAR personality who sparks fun and racing analysis into the television of millions is a driver whose achievements over 15 years are worthy enough to deem him one of the best to grace the sport. 

Bowyer’s journey in NASCAR began in the ARCA Menards Series. His performance there led him to land an opportunity in the Xfinity Series operation of Richard Childress Racing. He raced in the second tier full-time in 2005 and won two races before gaining promotion to the Cup Series the following year. His first Cup win came in 2007 at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

The maiden victory was just a showing of what was to come. He secured five top-5 results and 17 top-10 results in the same season and ultimately finished third in the standings. In 2008, he was crowned the Xfinity Series champion. His first multi-win Cup season was in 2010 when he won at New Hampshire and Talladega. The end of 2011 brought his time at Richard Childress Racing to a close.

He’d secured 13 wins for the outfit across the Cup Series and the Xfinity Series by then. His next stop was at Michael Waltrip Racing. The 2012 season presented a strong contention for the championship from him. Bowyer won three races and finished second in the standings. He followed that up with a promising run in 2013 but secured no wins and finished seventh.

The highlights of the latter half of Bowyer’s career

Bowyer left Michael Waltrip Racing in 2015 and joined HScott Motorsports before quitting a year later. He signed for Stewart-Haas Racing, where he would eventually end his career, in 2017. In the new team, he drove the iconic No. 14 car that Tony Stewart used to command. He used the chance to showcase his competitiveness, securing 13 top-10 finishes and three runner-ups.

He won at Michigan in 2018 to score 10 Cup Series victories over his career. He qualified for the playoffs in 2019 and finished the season in ninth place before deciding to call it quits at the end of the 2020 season.

A two-time winner at Talladega and three-time All-Star Race Open Winner, Bowyer is a bright NASCAR star. He also holds the distinction of having won races with all three engine makers: Toyota, Chevrolet, and Ford.