NASCAR: Clint Bowyer talks Mobil 1, the year ahead, Chiefs Super Bowl

We recently had the opportunity to discuss Mobil 1, the upcoming NASCAR season and the Super Bowl with Cup Series driver and diehard Kansas City Chiefs fan Clint Bowyer.

Days before the green flag waves on another new NASCAR Cup Series season, we had the chance to discuss the upcoming year with Clint Bowyer, the driver of the #14 Ford for Stewart-Haas Racing.

Bowyer, who replaced team co-owner Tony Stewart after Stewart retired following the 2016 season and signed another one-year contract extension last October, snuck into last year’s playoffs and ended up advancing through the round of 16 and into the round of 12 before he was eliminated.

He still managed to finish in ninth place in the championship standings, his best result since his seventh place finish in 2013, but he did not visit victory lane after a 2018 season that saw him win his first two races since 2012 and advance to the round of 8.

In addition to discussing his and the team’s outlook for the 2020 season, including the new short track package, Bowyer also discussed his relationship with Mobil 1, which are slated to release a new advertisement featuring him and teammate Kevin Harvick ahead of the upcoming 36-race campaign.

The new Mobil 1 Rave advertisement is currently running on Hulu and Roku today, but not yet on TV screens; it is slated to appear on TV screens later in February.

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Finally, the 40-year-old Emporia, Kansas native, a diehard fan of the Super Bowl LIV champion Kansas City Chiefs, discussed his Super Bowl experience, which is something that many of his fellow competitors and many of his fans were keeping an eye on during the big game two Sundays ago.

Special thanks to Clint Bowyer and Mobil 1 for making this interview possible.

Beyond the Flag: Clint, thank you very much for your time today. I think we’ve all seen some of the goofy Mobil 1 commercials you’ve been involved with in recent years. How did your relationship with the company begin and what is it that makes that relationship so successful?

Clint Bowyer: Not only do Mobil 1 give us an advantage on the track but the technology they use in our cars eventually ends up in the cars every day drivers. The great thing about Mobil 1 synthetic motor oils is that they keep important engine parts in excellent condition for 250,000 miles.

BTF: In 2019, you had a solid year, finishing ninth in points, but it had to have been a bit disappointing to not win after a resurgent 2018 season. What do you need to do differently, if anything, to get back to victory lane in 2020, and what do you and the team need to do as a whole to bounce back after dropping from 12 wins to four as an organization a year ago?

Bowyer: I think we need to start strong and stay strong from Day 1. If I come out of the gates blazing, along with Kevin [Harvick], Aric [Almirola] and Cole [Custer], then I see our win totals looking a lot more like 2018 than 2019.

BTF: Do you think the changes to NASCAR‘s short track package will suit your style better and give you a better opportunity to win at those tracks?

Bowyer: To be honest, we won’t know until we put it together out on the track and get a feel for it during racing conditions. But given my style out there, I’m optimistic. Pretty exciting that the championship race will be down in Phoenix.

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BTF: Finally, I want to leave this as open-ended as possible for obvious reasons: tell me about your Super Bowl experience this past Sunday.

Bowyer: I mean, how do you think? I got to see the Kansas City Chiefs win the Super Bowl in person! We had fun, maybe too much, but what a team. It’s great for Kansas City, I’ll just have to bring another trophy home this year.

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