Forgotten man Bowyer believes he's still in hunt

FORT WORTH, Texas -- Clint Bowyer figures he's in an ideal position with three races left in NASCAR's Chase for the Nextel Cup championship.

All the attention heading into today's Dickies 500 at Texas Motor Speedway is focused on series leader Jeff Gordon and runner-up Jimmie Johnson, just nine points off the pace.

Virtually everyone has conceded the title to four-time champion Gordon or reigning champion Johnson. That's fine with the third-place Bowyer.

"Jimmie and Jeff, they deserve it," said Bowyer, almost an afterthought despite being within striking distance of the lead, 111 points behind Gordon after the first seven races of the Chase.

"You just go out and try and beat them," Bowyer said. "If you can, you can and if you can't, you can't. You can't wreck your race car trying to do something that is not there. You have got to take what it is going to give you and do the best you can, if it is meant to be, it is meant to be."

That attitude is what has allowed Bowyer, a second-year Cup regular, to turn into this season's biggest surprise.

He made it into the 12-man Chase, along with fellow Richard Childress Racing drivers Kevin Harvick and Jeff Burton and has outshone his better-known teammates, who are seventh and eighth in the points.

A lot has changed for the 28-year-old driver from Kansas since he began the stock car postseason as the only Chase driver without a win and with few expectations. That changed when he won the Chase opener at New Hampshire.

"Our expectations have changed a lot since the start of the Chase," Bowyer said. "You go from wondering if you can be a part of it, to winning your first race in the Chase, to wanting to go on and win the championship.

"Race car drivers are greedy ... and we are all guilty of it. It is funny. I didn't have a race win, was hoping I could (get) to the top 10 in the points so I could go to the (awards) banquet. Then we win the first race of the Chase and everything changed."

Gordon isn't counting Bowyer out.

"He and his team have done a great job and, as long as he is mathematically in it, we can't count him out," Gordon said. "Obviously, most of the attention is on our team and Jimmie's, but that doesn't mean Bowyer is out of it. At this point, none of us can afford a big mistake or a bad day."

Since the Chase format was adopted in 2004, the eventual champion has had at least one finish of 25th or worse during the last 10 races. So far this year, that has not happened.

Gordon's worst finish is 11th, Johnson has had two 14th-place finishes and Bowyer's worst Chase races have been an 11th and a 12th. The three contenders have distanced themselves from the rest of the field by combining to win five of the seven Chase events.

There's an old adage in auto racing that you have to lose a championship before you can win one, meaning experience counts.

"It's being in the right frame of mind and having the patience for the season and for the Chase; you only learn that from experience," said Johnson, who didn't win his title until his fifth full season in Cup racing. "That experience, including last year's Chase and championship, have just continued to make me smarter and stronger, and the same for the team.

"Experience is everything. You can talk to anyone in sports and they'll take experience over age regardless of the discipline."

But, for anyone waiting for Bowyer to fold, forget it. He's just enjoying being part of the title race -- even as the mostly forgotten man.

"I don't mind it a bit," he said. "Let the pressure get on those guys.

"For our second year, I think we are doing really good. Those are no slouches we are behind right there. We just have to race as hard as we can and try to be there for the taking if one or both of them slip up."