Irreverent style has Clint Bowyer poised for title run

• Clint Bowyer is back in title contention after his win at Charlotte
• Freewheeling style may be helping him endure pressure of 10-race Chase
• Kansas Speedway, his home track, could be another chance to gain on points leader

CONCORD, N.C. -- The most irreverent driver of the Chase for the Sprint Cup proved at Charlotte Motor Speedway that he definitely isn't the most irrelevant in the title hunt.

A victory in the Bank of America 500 catapulted Clint Bowyer into legitimate contention for a championship that had seemed a three-way battle among points leader Brad Keselowski, five-time champion Jimmie Johnson and perennial contender Denny Hamlin.

There are 15 points separating that trio at the midpoint of the 10-race title run, but Bowyer is in viable position (28 points behind) after a high-wire strategy gambit that followed a prerace stunt in which daredevil Nik Wallenda walked a 750-foot rope suspended 100 feet above the infield.

"Naturally, they played Tom Petty's 'Free Fallin" as the guy is risking his life for our entertainment," Bowyer said. "What a good song to play as he's 250 feet in the air."

The crack stoked uproarious laughter during a postrace news conference littered with side-splitting non-sequiturs, bizarre interjections and Days of Thunder references from his court jester of a car owner, Michael Waltrip.

Bowyer's goofy demeanor somehow both belies and elucidates the primary reason he seems destined to win a title in NASCAR's premier series.

Crew chief Brian Pattie has a knack for deftly plotting strategy while sacrificing just the right amount of speed. The finely tuned motors of Toyota and sleeker chassis of Michael Waltrip Racing have been integral to three victories — all of which ended with Bowyer's gas tank too dry to be driven into victory lane.

But a carefree attitude also explains why the Emporia, Kan., native has become the championship dark horse as the Chase lands at his home track of Kansas Speedway this weekend. It could be characterized as a lack of focus necessary for a championship — or it could be interpreted as the freewheeling spirit essential for neutralizing the incessant pressure.

As the 33-year-old said recently, "never have I ever went into the Chase concerned about anything. It's blue sky, full speed ahead. We've done all our goals (except) a championship, and everybody knows that everything has to line up perfectly to win that. But this could be the year."

Destiny and debauchery were dual themes at Charlotte for Bowyer.

Saturday night, he coaxed his No. 15 Camry farther than anyone on fuel to win at the 1.5-mile track he freely admitted is his worst on the circuit. Sunday morning, he posted on Twitter: "WTH happened last night. Woke up with a blue jacket, trophy, bottle of jack, a keg, a dog, a new watch a driveshaft, and a headache! Haha."

Bowyer, who proudly has proclaimed many times he's lost a lot of races but never a party, has exhibited few signs of stress since joining MWR this year.

Some of that might stem from his self-diagnosed attention-deficit disorder — midway through his final answer late Saturday night, as he compared a Kansas win with a Daytona 500 victory and spun a rambling anecdote about his beloved Jayhawks, Bowyer smiled, dropped the mic and said, "we've got to go."

Much of it, though, is simply because moving to a new team has coincided with the winningest season of his seven in Cup.

"It makes you almost giddy," Bowyer said. "It's so much fun to come to the racetrack knowing you've got cars that are capable of getting the job done, you've just got to figure out how to make it work."

There's still a steep climb to a title. With three 1.5-mile ovals left on the schedule, Bowyer's cars need to be faster, and the cautions probably won't continue to fall his way as at Charlotte and Richmond International Raceway, where he won virtually the same way on fuel mileage.

Still, he's got a shot. Last year Tony Stewart won the Chase from 24 points out of the lead through five races.

"Man, we're a hell of a lot better than we were leaving Talladega," Bowyer said referring to a 23rd last week that dropped him 40 points behind Keselowski. "A win definitely gave us new life and new hope."

Said Pattie: "Well, 28 points is achievable over the next five weeks. It's going to take a lot of work, a lot of help, and there are three guys you've got to pass.

"We'll go to Kansas and test like hell and try to pick up our program even more because we weren't the fastest car, we just had some strategy. It would be nice to win one of these and actually drive to victory lane."

Of course, Bowyer wouldn't mind walking — and laughing about it.

"I definitely hope to walk the next five weeks for sure," he said. "I need all the exercise I can get. I think that's my new trademark. I'll walk home if it means victory lane."