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NASCAR CUP SERIES: BASS PRO SHOPS NIGHT RACE

September 19, 2020

Clint Bowyer

Bristol, Tennessee

THE MODERATOR: Thank you for taking the time to join us. Congratulations on making it to the next round of the playoffs. We'll kick right into questions for Clint.

Q. Clint, once you heard that Byron was out and you were kind of racing cold, did that change your dynamic?
CLINT BOWYER: You know, not really. Obviously they told me that on the radio. I saw it. That's a shame for William. He had a good run going, and Chad has been doing a good job there with those guys.
But I mean, from thereâ€‘â€‘ it's short track racing. You don't have time to think about points and all that stuff. There's nothing you can do. You attack the racetrack, 100 percent every lap, especially at a placeâ€‘â€‘ bullring like this. Love these short tracks. Obviously was hoping to be a little bit better, but at the end of the day we did what we came here to do, and that's advance. Obviously you come here to win the race, but proud of Kevin Harvick and everybody at Stewartâ€‘Haas Racing for winning the race here and taking care of business with the 10 and the 14, and we'll move on and survive and live to see another round here in the playoffs.

Q. What's it like when you're running in the first stage and they tell you, well, just try to stay on the lead lap?
CLINT BOWYER: Yeah, I was struggling. Way too loose pretty much all night. The way the race played out there with the end of that last stage, we were able to stay out. It was a long kind of cycle on those tires, and that tightened me up a great bit. I think we overestimated how much that did because that was by far our best run, drove up through them and was really ripping the bottom good and making good lap times. But as soon as we put four tires back on it, it was right back to shaking the rear end loose and couldn't keep it underneath of me and unfortunately fell back to sixth.
You hate to give up those positions there at the end, but given the scenario and how loose I was, I mean, you're just right there using your head and doing the right things to make the next round.

Q. You had three topâ€‘10 finishes in this round. Did this stretch of races feel like a statement from the No.14 team a little, don't forget about us, we're here to stay, we're here to compete? Did that feel like a statement at all this stretch?
CLINT BOWYER: No, I mean, I just feel comfortable we're getting back to our consistency. I guess for a long time in my career I was kind of steady Eddie, and that's what it takes in these playoffs, to go the rounds, you can't make mistakes. I said that going into these playoffs. For our team, we've got to live up to our capabilities, and if we can do that and race to our capabilities and not make the mistakes we were making through the summer months, we can contend and move forward rounds in this playoff system, and that's what we're doing.

Q. How do you feel about continuing your race for champion next week at Las Vegas?
CLINT BOWYER: Yeah, looking forward to getting out to Sin City and having some fun out there. Hopefully we can double down, get some stage points and continue to march forward up through this playoff system and the points. We're definitely starting behind again, there's no question about that. We've got to get out there and swing for the fence. These are the playoffs; you don't base hit it. Steady Eddie got us through this round, but from here on you've got to get up to the plate and swing for the fence every time, and every decision, and that's in the car and out of the car, we've got to lay it on the line and go for it, and that's why these playoffs are fun.

Q. I know the Round of 12 is pretty unpredictable with Talladega and the Roval, but how do you feel like the round shapes up for your team?
CLINT BOWYER: I like it. I'm ready. Talladega is a crapshoot. Roval is a lot of fun. But again, things can happen. At the end of the day I've had a different approach to the whole thing this year. This whole damned year has been chaotic and everything else, and you've just got to go out there and do the best you can do and not worry about or panic about anything else. That's all you can do anyway. Just taking it race by race, and I'm looking forward to this round, too. These are some of my best finishes coming at these tracks right here. Vegas has been an upâ€‘andâ€‘down track for me to say the least, but I'm really looking forward to Talladega, believe it or not, and obviously the Roval.
THE MODERATOR: Clint, thank you so much for taking the time.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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