Clint Bowyer, along with his Stewart-Haas Racing teammates–Aric Almirola, Kurt Busch, and Kevin Harvick–will enter 2018 in their Fords, the second full season for the organization with that manufacturer. And with how much more competitive Harvick was at the end the last season, you have to think that’s going to trickle down to other teams as well. As far as the future, the organization is pretty set with Almirola and Harvick, but in addition to Kurt Busch’s uncertainty for 2019, Clint Bowyer’s contract also expires after this upcoming season. In other words, we could see a similar shift from Stewart-Haas next year, like the one we’re seeing with Hendrick this season.
Cup Series History
Entering his 13th full-time season in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, Clint Bowyer has always been considered one of those drivers that was almost at the next level. He’s only won 8 races in NASCAR’s top series, but you also can’t overlook the fact that, from 2007 to 2013, Bowyer finished 10th or better in the season points standings in five of the seven years. Unfortunately for him, in the four years since, Clint has been unable to muster a points finish better than 16th, and he also hasn’t gone to victory lane since 2012.
Predictions for the Upcoming Season
You really have to wonder how close Clint Bowyer is to retirement, and the fact that NASCAR is experiencing this youth movement with drivers, the good finishes from some of these old-timers are going to be replaced by the new kids on the block. Bowyer hasn’t really been ultra competitive in quite some time, and that’s not going to suddenly change this year.
Overall Expectations: Clint Bowyer has a few tracks that he’s a very good Fantasy NASCAR pick at–particularly Sonoma and Talladega–but, for the most part, he’s going to be one of those drivers that is going to be more disappointing than anything. Last year, Bowyer got back into decent equipment (he was with Phoenix Racing in 2016) and that bumped him back into his normal finishing numbers: six top 5s, thirteen top 10s, and an overall average finish of 15.5. For the 2018 year, I expect much of the same from Clint–maybe a little less–along with another goose egg in the win column.
Can Clint Bowyer win a Cup Series race in 2018? It’s not impossible, but the fact of the matter is that Clint Bowyer hasn’t won a race in NASCAR’s top series since the 2012 season. Also, he’s pushing on the door of 40 years old, so you have to wonder whether Bower is going to end his career with those eight total wins. He’s capable of getting to victory lane in 2018, but I just don’t see it happening.
Clint Bowyer as a Fantasy Option in 2018
DraftKings: Unfortunately for Clint Bowyer, he’s one of those drivers that gets over-priced in DraftKings because of his name, talent level, and equipment. Bowyer won’t be in the highest-priced tier in DraftKings this year, but he’ll be in that second tier for sure. And when you take into account the fact that Bowyer has led a total of 36 laps over the last three years, it’s highly unlikely he’s going to suddenly become a DFS dominator.
Season-Long Salary Cap Games: It’s a similar story for Clint Bowyer in season-long salary cap games as it is in DraftKings: he’s likely going to be very over-priced for the production you’re likely to get out of him. All things considered, Bowyer had a pretty good season last year, and that was only good enough for an average finish of 15.5. With that being said, Bowyer is a relatively safe Fantasy NASCAR option due to very few terrible finishes, but the limited “super high” finishes still don’t make him a great pick in these types of contests.
