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Grateful Clint Bowyer says Tony Stewart could have put ‘anybody’ in his old car

By Nick Tylwalk

KANNAPOLIS, NC - SEPTEMBER 30: Clint Bowyer speaks with the media as Tony Stewart, driver of the #14 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet and co-owner of Stewart-Haas Racing, looks on during a press conference announcing the retirement of Stewart on September 30, 2015 in Kannapolis, North Carolina. Stewart has decided his 18th year in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series will be his last. The three-time series champion will retire following the 2016 season, whereupon Clint Bowyer will take the wheel of the No. 14 machine beginning in 2017. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Stewart-Haas Racing via Getty Images)
KANNAPOLIS, NC - SEPTEMBER 30: Clint Bowyer speaks with the media as Tony Stewart, driver of the #14 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet and co-owner of Stewart-Haas Racing, looks on during a press conference announcing the retirement of Stewart on September 30, 2015 in Kannapolis, North Carolina. Stewart has decided his 18th year in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series will be his last. The three-time series champion will retire following the 2016 season, whereupon Clint Bowyer will take the wheel of the No. 14 machine beginning in 2017. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Stewart-Haas Racing via Getty Images) /
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Clint Bowyer gave more props to team owner Tony Stewart for picking him as his replacement in the No. 14 Ford when he could have given the ride to any number of candidates.

For Clint Bowyer, things needed to get worse before they got better when he was mired in the middle of his lengthy winless streak.

Bowyer spent the 2012 through 2015 NASCAR Cup Series seasons with Michael Waltrip Racing, but when that team came apart at the seems and folded up shop three years ago, he suddenly found himself in limbo. That led to a year that had to have tested the racer’s very soul, as he was behind the wheel of an HScott Motorsports Chevrolet that wasn’t able to record a single top-10 finish in the entire 2016 campaign.

The light at the end of the tunnel was that it was always a temporary sojourn, as Tony Stewart had already dubbed Bowyer his successor in the No. 14 car at Stewart-Haas Racing when he was ready to retire after the 2016 season. On Sunday, the faith both men showed in each other was rewarded in the best possible way, with Bowyer snapping his winless streak at 190 races by taking the checkered flag in the STP 500 at Martinsville Speedway.

It didn’t have to be Clint Bowyer who got that ride, but he’s certainly glad Stewart gave him the nod, something he reflected on after his victory this weekend.

"Tony Stewart, being able to get out of this car, retire and giving me the opportunity, of all people. He could have picked anybody. This was something that meant a lot to me, as I’ve learned a lot from him over the years."

He’s not wrong. While Stewart wasn’t exactly contending for championships during his last few seasons as a driver and SHR wasn’t quite the powerhouse it is right now, the 14 was a prime seat and good enough to win a race in Smoke’s retirement season. Stewart quite literally could have chosen anyone in need of a full-time ride going into 2017 or even snatched a driver away from another team.

Next: After Bowyer's win, which NASCAR drivers have the longest current winless streaks?

Instead, he took a chance on Bowyer, reasoning that with better equipment, he’d look more like the guy who twice has finished in the top three in the season-ending Cup Series standings and less like the one who had lost his way to Victory Lane. No one is saying he’s ready to run for a title just yet, but Martinsville was a very promising step in the right direction, and it’s nice to see him as grateful as Stewart undoubtedly is for handing his car over to Bowyer.

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