RaceBud

When he started the September 16 race, Clint Bowyer was a very likable guy who had never won a Cup race. He had a good enough season to make the last place in the Chase, but was not considered a viable championship contender. Vegas odds-makers had him finishing the season in 12^th place, last among the Chase contenders. And his fan base was definitely outside the top 12.

But he won the Loudon race. And four races later he is one of only three drivers still in the running for the series championship.

To be truthful, I wasn’t wearing my Clint Bowyer t-shirt that day.

Talk show hosts are now answering the phone to hear, “I’ve ALWAYS been a BIG FAN of Clint Bowyer’s…” And that’s not all. He has instantly become a star in the blogoshphere. There are many recent threads commenting about Clint on the Infield Parking Web site, though mostly from a brand new set of fans.

He has certainly enjoyed a tremendous rise in popularity. And he has earned it. He is a deserving fan favorite and a genuinely nice guy. While his star is rising fast, it hasn’t been shining all that long.

But he’s sure selling a lot of t-shirts now. One merchandise trailer at the big tracks won’t do the job anymore.

Bowyer is not the first driver this year to win his first Cup Series race. Casey Mears claimed his first win in the spring race at Charlotte. A week later, Martin Truex, Jr. got his at Dover. And Juan Pablo Montoya won his first at Sonoma. T-shirt sales for all three have skyrocketed.

We probably shouldn’t leave out Jeff Burton and Jamie McMurray. They have both had previous wins – a long, long time ago. But both had wins this season – and fans are lining up to wear their images.

Sometimes fan sentiments run the other way, too. Take Michael Waltrip and the great Daytona 500 Fuel Fiasco. Just in case anyone doesn’t recall, NASCAR busted Michael for putting a tiger in his tank in the form of something like jet fuel. At last mention, Waltrip still claims no knowledge of what happened. There have been no reported t-shirt burnings, but there is no wait at the merchandise stand, either.

It’s an interesting observation that so many race fans are chasing the likeness of the latest winner with a fist full of dollars. The late Dale Earnhardt was certainly right when he said, “Win on Sunday, sell on Monday.” He may have been speaking of sponsor and manufacturer products, but driver merchandise seems to be doing pretty well, too.

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