Bowyer and the No. 33 team slipped to sixth in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series point standings, 119 markers behind point leader Matt Kenseth but only two points behind Greg Biffle in fifth.

Bowyer posted a time of 39.749 in Friday’s qualifying session, placing him 21st on the starting grid. While the race took the green flag as scheduled, it did so under threatening rain clouds that would put the field under the caution flag for the first time at lap five. Bowyer reported in the early going that his Cheerios/Hamburger Helper Chevrolet Impala SS didn’t have much grip, and that he was struggling in the center of the turns. Crew chief Shane Wilson elected to bring Bowyer to pit road at lap seven to take on right-side tires, fuel and a wedge adjustment. The field finally resumed racing under green-flag conditions at lap 22, with the No. 33 showing in the 23rd position.

Bowyer continued to fight a tight condition in the center of the turns but, to complicate matters, began to develop a loose condition off the corners. As laps clicked off, he did what he could to preserve his track position and bide his time until the next round of pit stops. Unfortunately for him, a long green-flag run continued which resulted in race leader Jeff Gordon putting Bowyer a lap down at lap 119.

Bowyer soldiered on, making the most of his ill-handling Chevrolet. When rain began to fall once again at lap 141, he came down pit road to the attention of the Helping Hands pit crew to take on four tires, fuel and a track bar adjustment. Quick work allowed him to restart in the 19th-position, first among the lap-down drivers.

The Emporia, Kan., native engaged in a heavily contested battle with Travis Kvapil, Bobby Labonte and Sam Hornish, Jr. for the free pass position should the caution flag wave. Bowyer batted valiantly, but his efforts were thwarted when he found himself out of the position when rain began to fall again at lap 169. Wilson called the No. 33 RCR Chevy to pit road under the ensuing caution period to take on tires, fuel and a wedge adjustment.

The changes improved the handling but Bowyer lacked the track position needed to contend with the race leaders. Despite consistently turning lap times comparable to those of the race leaders, the two-time NSCS winner was forced to settle for what could have been as he finished the race in the 19th-position, one lap down to race winner Kenseth.

Bowyer’s Richard Childress Racing teammates Casey Mears, Jeff Burton and Kevin Harvick finished 24th, 32nd and 38th, respectively. Kenseth became the first driver to win the season’s first two races since Jeff Gordon accomplished the feat in 1997.

Next weekend, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series heads to the desert for the March 1 Shelby 427 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The race will be televised live on FOX beginning at 3:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. The Motor Racing and Sirius/XM Satellite Radio will also provide live lap-by-lap coverage. Qualifying for Round 3 of the 36-race Sprint Cup Series championship will be televised live on SPEED Fri., Feb. 27 at 6:30 p.m. EST.

CLINT BOWYER QUOTES

"We struggled with setup and track position all day. We made gains on it throughout the race, but we never could get it where we needed it. It was a great test for the Cheerios/Hamburger Helper team. We tried some different things that gave us useful information going forward. Shane and all of the guys did a good job. We’ll have another chance next weekend at Las Vegas.”