Clint Bowyer No. 15 AAA Insurance Richmond Preview

In 1969 the Virginia State Travel Service rolled out an ad campaign called “Virginia is for Lovers.” The     simple slogan was created as a way to attract travelers to the state. But more than 40 years later its simple message still resonates today.

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series travels to the state’s capital this weekend for some racing under the lights at Richmond International Raceway. Clint Bowyer is one driver who loves the .75-mile D-shaped oval as evidenced by his two wins in May 2008 and September 2012. He also earned three top-five and nine top-10 finishes in 16 starts. Most impressively, the Michael Waltrip Racing driver does not have a DNF (did not finish) and has completed 6,413 of 6,416 laps.

Sporting the colors for AAA Insurance, Bowyer knows his No. 15 Toyota will rate as a contender Saturday night. He also hopes that after 400 laps, he and the rest of the No. 15 team continue their love affair with the Virginia short track.

What does it take to get around Richmond?

“The same principles apply everywhere, but Richmond is unique in the fact that (turns) one and two are drastically different from three and four. There’s no really perfect setup. You can’t just focus on that first corner or just the handling in one and two because about the time you get your car turning really good down there then it’s too loose down in three and four. Forward bite is always an issue. Then loose in — you can continue to work on your car and get it turning in the center down there in one and two where it’s a tight radius. Never fight loose in all practice and you know darned well from your past experience every time the race starts for whatever reason you’ll fight loose in. There’s a handful of tracks in the sport that are that way. You have to have that in the back of your mind when you’re thinking about where your car needs to be for the race that, ‘Hey, I have to remember this thing is going to be loose in.’ Don’t even be even close to being neutral to free in the corner in practice because when you come back you’re going to have your hands full.”

MWR PR