AVONDALE, Ariz. (February 27, 2011) — Clint Bowyer and the No. 2 Kevin Harvick Inc. (KHI) team traveled west to the desert with one goal in mind: defend their November win at Phoenix International Raceway. Bowyer made his only NASCAR Camping World Truck Series start of 2010 in the second-to-last event of the year behind the wheel of the No. 2 KHI Chevrolet Silverado and after leading an impressive 97 of the 150 laps took the checkered flag for his first Truck Series victory since 2006.
The No. 2 KHI team demonstrated in qualifying that they would be a contender for the win again. The Emporia, Kan. native grabbed the pole for the Friday night showdown at Phoenix and with a lap of 26.876 seconds, 133.949 mph, broke the previous track record set by Austin Dillon last November.
As the sun began to set, Bowyer took the green flag and brought the 36-truck field to life. The driver kept the No. 2 Chevrolet Silverado in the lead position until the first caution of the night waved at lap 44. Crew chief Bruce Cook took the opportunity to bring the No. 2 KHI machine down pit road for four tires and fuel. The team opted for no changes to the truck as Bowyer indicated the truck was handling “pretty good.”
The No. 18 truck of Kyle Busch swiped the lead during the first caution segment leaving Bowyer to restart in the second position. As the race continued through a long green-flag run, the No. 2 Chevrolet worked to keep the leader in sight. With another caution period at lap 101, the No. 2 team opted for four fresh Goodyear tires and fuel as well as a slight air-pressure adjustment to alleviate the tight condition Bowyer had reported the truck started to develop.
Back under green-flag racing conditions and the race drawing to a close, the driver held a firm grip on the second position. With less than 20 of the 150 scheduled laps remaining, the field experienced several consecutive caution periods. Upon each restart, the No. 2 went side-by-side with the No. 18 in an attempt to make the pass for the lead. Bowyer fought hard to overtake Busch in the closing laps of the event but sailed across the finish line in second place.
The Truck Series returns to action on March 12 at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway. Watch the trucks battle “The Lady in Black” live on SPEED at 5:00 pm EST.