HScott Motorsports announces Clint Bowyer to join team for 2016
Clint Bowyer's temporary Sprint Cup Series home is now publicly known.
HScott Motorsports announced that Bowyer would drive for the team in 2016 before he moves to Stewart-Haas Racing to replace Tony Stewart in 2017. Stewart announced his retirement from the Sprint Cup Series on Wednesday.
HScott Motorsports has a technical alliance with Stewart-Haas Racing, which gets its equipment from Hendrick Motorsports. Yes, it's an alliance of an alliance. And the announcement isn't surprising in the slightest. HScott had been mentioned as Bowyer's likely one-year destination when rumors started to swirl that he would replace Stewart in 2017.
"I’ve got the best of the best when you talk about equipment," Bowyer said Friday. "We’ve got Hendrick engines; we’ve got ties to Stewart-Haas Racing. These are the guys that are winning the races. I now have that bond, that connection to this kind of equipment. So, for me as a racecar driver that is huge. I think there isn’t a downfall. When I look at next season I think it’s going to be a lot of fun. There is not any pressure. We are building…you know Harry has got a wonderful organization. Look he’s spread clear across this sport in so many ways, Xfinity, Cup, his K&N; he is spread so drastically across this sport it’s neat to be a part of that. I mean I want to do more racing. I’m a race fan if I can’t be a part of it I want to be helping his K&N guys, helping the Xfinity program and being a part of all that. I’m looking forward to it.”
It's not crazy to think Bowyer will be getting some added support from Stewart-Haas in 2016. HScott Motorsports currently fields cars for Justin Allgaier and Michael Annett. Both drivers are outside the top 25 in owners' points.
Team owner Harry Scott was non-committal when asked about his team's car count in 2016. He's previously said Annett is coming back in 2016. Allgaier could be the odd man out if the team stays at two cars. If the team expands to three, both Allgaier and Annett could stay.
"We really haven’t ruled out anything for 2016 or beyond," Scott said. "So I am not prepared to give you and answer on that because I simply don’t know at this point.”
Bowyer's current team, Michael Waltrip Racing, is shutting down at the end of the year. 5-Hour Energy, his sponsor since he arrived at MWR in 2012, is going to HScott Motorsports as well.
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Nick Bromberg is the editor of From The Marbles on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
