Clint Bowyer
It may be surprising to casual observers of racing to learn that the Dirt Late Model community and the NASCAR community are not always on the same page. Despite the fact that both forms of racing involve full bodied stock car machines, it might even be safe to say that at best each ignores the other and at worst they very much dislike each other. However, there are moments when the two actually come together in agreement. For example, the Camping World Truck Series event at Eldora Speedway often serves as a uniting force between the two as the ‘Prelude to the Dream’ race at that same track used to.
But in recent years, the divide has been getting more and more narrow as the crossover among the two forms of racing has become more commonplace. Tony Stewart, Kyle Larson, Kasey Kahne, Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., the Dillon brothers, Kenny Wallace and other NASCAR stars have invested in the dirt side of racing in either the form of track ownership, competition, or in the ownership of Late Model, Modified, or Sprint Car teams.
One of those NASCAR stars to make such an investment is Clint Bowyer. The Stewart-Haas Racing driver is the owner of the team that fields cars for championship winning standouts Don O’Neal and Darrell Lanigan as they compete regularly on the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series and other major Late Model events.
As has been well documented, Bowyer scored a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series victory this past Monday in the weather delayed STP 500 at the Martinsville Speedway. That effort ended as winless streak that dated all the way back to October of 2012 when he made his last visit to the winner’s circle at the Charlotte Motor Speedway.
The Martinsville triumph by Bowyer proved to be very well received among dirt racing enthusiasts. The driver’s Twitter account was showered with congratulatory messages from racers, fans, and many others involved in that form of the sport.
The Clint Bowyer owned Dirt Late Model of Darrell Lanigan
As is often the case, I called on my Twitter followers to respond to a poll question this past week to gauge the acceptance of Bowyer’s win in dirt racing circles.
The question read as follows:
“Let’s hear from you dirt racing fans!”
Were you glad to see @ClintBowyer get the #NASCAR win @MartinsvilleSwy?”
Overwhelming, the respondents voiced the approval of the Bowyer victory. 80% of the more than 350 who participated in the poll answered that yes, they were glad Bowyer had achieved a Cup Series victory. Only 3% took negative option while another 17% responded that they did not care either way.
Those are among the most one-sided results I have ever received on a Twitter poll question.
A number of people who labelled themselves as dirt racing fans also offered comments.
“Clint is awesome! As real as it gets and appreciates dirt racing and his roots. He enjoys any time he gets to spend at a dirt track. So happy for his victory on Monday,” offered @bribachman who identifies as Ohio Late Model Fan.
“Anyone who cut their teeth on dirt or still contributes to it in some form, gets respect from me. Hopeful someday to see Clint make a return to Lakeside, Thunder Hill or ANY dirt track for that matter,” declared @Bedgood93 who identifies as Allen Bedgood.
“Yeah, I’m glad he won! Hope he gets plenty more. Especially since he’s a dirt late model team owner,” said @LeeAdkisson who identifies as LA.
The Clint Bowyer owned Dirt Late Model of Don O’Neal
Although the worlds of dirt racing and NASCAR are not always turning in the same direction, it appears as if they were, for the most part, on Monday afternoon. Clint Bowyer’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series win was a very popular one in dirt racing circles. Perhaps his involvement with Dirt Late Models as well as the other NASCAR notables mentioned above is going a long way toward bridging the divide between the two forms of racing.
