Former NASCAR Cup Series driver Clint Bowyer recently made a return to his broadcasting duties with FOX. The former Stewart-Haas Racing driver, who was seen absent from the final race covered by FOX in the 2022 season, made his return to the booth in 2023 for a third consecutive year.
The reason behind Bowyer’s absence from the coverage of the Cup Series race at the World Wide Technology Raceway was due to an accident involving the 43-year-old. News broke about the Emporia, Kansas native being involved in a road accident that involved a pedestrian, later identified as Mary Jane Simmons.
After Simmons was pronounced dead on the spot, Bowyer showed zero signs of impairment and provided a roadside blood sample that came out clean, while the deceased’s autopsy revealed traces of methamphetamine.
Fast-forward his comeback on the network as an analyst recently, Clint Bowyer was greeted with the same level of enthusiasm from his colleagues at FOX. Over his time as a broadcaster, Bowyer has embraced being the butt of many jokes, and his return was no different.
The NASCAR Race Hub 2023 season preview show started its opening minutes with Jamie McMurray taking a shot at Bowyer:
“Anytime we get to the start of the year, I can’t help but think about which team has done the most homework. I know Clint [Bowyer sitting beside him] doesn’t enjoy homework, but some teams do homework.”
As Clint Bowyer smiled at the first jab, Larry McReynolds followed up with:
“He has notes. I saw them.”
To which McMurray replied:
“Yeah, in crayon and on a big-sheet notepad, that’s what Clint’s notes are on.”
Bowyer smiled throughout the conversation, letting his colleagues make up for the time lost last season.
Clint Bowyer’s NASCAR Cup Series career statistics
In a career that spanned over 16 years, Clint Bowyer managed to visit Victory Lane ten times out of his 541 starts, with 82 top-fives and 226 top-tens to his name as well.
The 43-year-old’s final victory in the sport came in 2018 before he went on to retire in 2020 after two winless seasons. The Kansas native also managed to win the Busch Light Pole Award four times during his long and storied career in the sport.
Clint Bowyer at Daytona in 2007.He finished 18th on his roof. https://t.co/6JAxBDc6Ug
Clint Bowyer analyzes the 2023 Cup Series season on FOX starting from the 65th Daytona 500 next month.