Realtree: Community: Bristol 2008 DTTO

Clint Bowyer, Paul Menard and Martin Truex Wheel Special Camo Painted Race Cars in Sharpie 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway to Kickoff of ‘Chevy Driven to the Outdoors’ NASCAR Themed Program

‘Chevy Driven to the Outdoors’ (DTTO) kicked off Saturday night under the lights of Bristol Motor Speedway with Clint Bowyer, No. 07 Jack Daniel’s Chevrolet, Paul Menard, No. 15 Menards Chevrolet, and Martin Truex, Jr., No. 1 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet all sporting special Realtree camouflage paint schemes in the Sharpie 500. Realtree, along with Chevy, Shell and Motorsports Authentics have partnered in the DTTO program to excite NASCAR fans with a passion for the great outdoors.

Clint Bowyer, driver of the No. 07 Jack Daniels/Driven to the Outdoors Chevrolet scored a top-10 finish at Bristol after starting in the 22nd position. The Richard Childress Racing (RCR) driver almost had a disastrous night after getting caught up in a multi-car accident that led to a red flag.

Bowyer who had been running in the top 10 prior to the incident made contact with another car trying to avoid the seven car melee but was able to continue. The No. 07 RCR team made repairs and got Bowyer back out on the track. The Blythe, California native was able to power his way back through the field and finished seventh for the evening. His solid finish also moved him back into the top-12 in points for the Chase and in the hunt for the 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) championship.

“That was a great night for the Jack Daniel's Chevrolet. We got caught up in someone else's mess and Gil (Martin, crew chief) and all the guys did an awesome job fixing the car so we could keep racing. It was a total team effort tonight. Our pit stops were awesome and the car was great.

"We had the cool camo highlight added to our paint scheme for the Chevy Driven to the Outdoors program on the car and wanted to have a great showing for them as well. We came out of Bristol with a top 10 and we're back inside the top 12. It was a really, really good night."

After posting a solid 12th-place qualifying run for Saturday night’s race, Truex had hoped to make a late surge into the 2008 Chase contention.

Unfortunately, a blown right-front tire on lap 96 caused extensive damage to Truex’s No. 1 Bass Pro Shops/RedHead/Driven to the Outdoors Chevrolet. The team pitted numerous times to make repairs and he re-entered the race for the final time on lap 216, 101 laps behind the leader.

Truex continued to make laps around the .533 mile track before finally ending his long night in the 35th position; 104 laps down.

“It really is a shame that we cut a tire that hurt our car,” said a disappointed Truex. “We had a great car and should have walked out of here with a top-5 finish. To make matters worse, a lot of the guys around us in the points had bad nights. We could’ve gained a couple of spots in the standings, but I guess it just was not meant to be. We were really hoping to kick of the Chevy Driven to the Outdoors program with a good run. We had the great paint scheme on our Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet and wanted to reward them with a great run."

The night for Menard yielded more positive results. The Wisconsin driver qualified his No. 15 Menards/Driven to the Outdoors Chevrolet in the 16th position for the 500-lap race.

From the drop of the green flag, Menard set a steady course for a solid run and never dropped lower in the running order than his 16th qualifying spot. His pit crew clicked off lightning fast pit stops to keep him running in the thick of the battle. At the drop of the checkered, Menard posted the 16th place finishing position.

"We had a very solid night at Bristol,” said Menard. “We qualified well and ran strong all night. It was great to have the Chevy Driven to the Outdoors special paint scheme on our Menard's Chevy. The program is going to be great fun for the fans and I am excited to be a part of it. We were hoping to have a good run and get a strong finish for them and we did just that."

Kevin Harvick will compete in the fourth and final Chevy Driven to the Outdoors paint scheme next month at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. The 2007 Daytona 500 Champion will be sporting the Realtree camouflage look on his No. 29 Shell-Pennzoil race car in the only true night race in the “Chase” on October 11th in the Bank of America 500. Harvick, who currently sits eighth in the overall point standings, also has the 2008 NSCS championship in his sights as well.

Just as electric as racing under the lights in Bristol is, there are many exciting factors for fans to enjoy in the DTTO program including the opportunity to collect merchandise and memorabilia unique to the program.

Beyond the highly sought-after clothing, collectibles and program-branded race cars, fans have an opportunity to win huge prizes in the DTTO sweepstakes. A special website, www.chevy.com/driven, features sweepstakes rules and a list of the great prizes up for grabs. Register today to win big and show your support of the great outdoors and Realtree.