“I F***Ing Killed Him”- Kevin Harvick’s Partner’s Return to Racing Spirals Out of Control After Being Plagued by Trouble

When Kevin Harvick hung up his racing gloves for good and transitioned to FOX Sports as an analyst, one man’s presence made the move a little easier. After battling it out through many seasons with Clint Bowyer on the track, the pair were reunited in the broadcast booth as they continued their age-old friendship. That being said, this weekend at Nashville Superspeedway was rather nostalgic.

Instead of sharing the booth, Harvick watched on as Clint Bowyer returned to the NASCAR oval for the Rackley Roofing 200. With Kyle Larson stating that the 45-year-old veteran was his favorite for the win, all the stars were lining up for a glorious return to racing for the veteran. Unfortunately, Bowyer was also reminded of just how ruthless NASCAR racing can be.

Clint Bowyer falls victim to the accordion effect amidst ‘heel-toe’ issues

After practice had ended at the Nashville Superspeedway for the Truck Series race, a wave of excitement was felt throughout the stands and on social media. Those observing Clint Bowyer’s timing would have noted that the #7 Spire Motorsports truck looked rather pacey. Fast-forward to qualifying, and the veteran secured a solid 11th-place starting position for the race.

As the Rackley Roofing 200 kicked off, Bowyer was fairly competitive in the first few laps. With two cautions already out and just ten laps completed, the veteran had already gotten up to speed with the intensity of Truck Series racing. Soon enough, Bowyer had made it to seventh on track. That being said, what Lady Luck had in store would have frustrated even the regular-season frontrunners.

During another restart, Clint Bowyer lined up right behind Spire Motorsports teammate Chase Purdy. Christian Eckes was leading the restart and appeared to set off very late into the lap, according to many fans. This ended up backing up drivers into each other as the rear half of the field floored it while the front maintained pace with Eckes. Owing to the accordion effect, Bowyer became the victim of a chain reaction.

The #7 Spire Motorsports truck rear-ended into Purdy’s #77 truck, unwillingly committing the ultimate sin in motorsport; colliding with your teammate. Because of the incident, Bowyer sustained major damage to his front bumper, hampering his aero. The veteran frantically shared with his long-time spotter, Brian Pattie, “I f***ing killed him. … That’s bulls***. He sped up, then slowed down.”

After the collision, Bowyer had to pit but still came out on the lead lap. Still, the FOX commentator had fallen to 20th from 7th, a setback that Kyle Larson certainly didn’t expect. Our guess is that with all the positives he counted pre-race, neither did Bowyer.

Despite planning and Kyle Busch’s winning truck, Bowyer’s hopes were left high and dry

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Clint Bowyer might have been out of touch. However, his winning crew chief, Brian Pattie, was there to tell him that the kid who just walked by was Corey Heim. Therefore, Bowyer was confident he could bank upon Pattie in sizing up his competition. Considering their previous stellar results together, the two were confident in themselves as a team. However, the last Bowyer raced in Nashville was around twenty years ago. So besides his competition, he had a lot of other stuff to learn. He dashed to Spire Motorsports in North Carolina for a seat fitting, team meetings, and simulator time. A whirlwind prep session to get ready for the big race!

Barely touching on some of the challenges he came across because of all the new formats, Bowyer, in a pre-race interview with WCNC, shared, “we know as we’re covering this sport, I know, the ins and outs of that. I lived it a little bit on the tail end of my career, but nothing to the extent it is today. With 20 minutes of practice, I got to show up here and, you know, pick it up. It’s been 20 years since I’ve been out here on this racetrack. It was a good track for me, but it was 20 years ago. A lot of horsepower back then. A lot of things are different. Never a truck race. These trucks are quite a bit different than everything“.

Yet, there was another factor that kept his hopes high.

Kyle Busch might not be having the best of luck in the Cup Series, but he has visited the victory lane twice this season with Spire’s #7 truck. The same Chevrolet Silverado that Bowyer wielded in the Rackley Roofing 200. Naturally, he hoped the lady luck would again be a happy passenger in the truck during his run. “Expectations are to win. The truck is winning. Put Kyle Busch in it and it wins. It darn well better win with me in it. It’s a good track for me. I’ve won in the Truck Series before. I’ve won with Brian Pattie before,” he said via Speedway Media.

We all know that Lady Luck was probably having a sweet, deep sleep when Bowyer found himself in the chain reaction. However, this one outcome seems to not have pulled him down. As he said after the race, “I promise you there’s no way in hell I’m ending on that note”. And well, his crew chief assured his fans, saying, “Now he’s got the itch, so he’ll be back”. 

Clint Bowyer’s comeback story is far from over. The next chapter awaits, and fans cannot wait to see what’s in store. Which track would you like to see the veteran tackle next?