NASCAR Driver Clint Bowyer Visits KU
Aug. 24, 2010
LAWRENCE, Kan. –
NASCAR driver Clint Bowyer made a visit to the University of Kansas campus Tuesday to meet KU football head coach Turner Gill, men’s basketball coaches Barry Hinson and Danny Manning and women’s basketball head coach Bonnie Henrickson, tour the athletic facilities and promote his upcoming race at the Kansas Speedway in October.
Bowyer, a native of Emporia, Kan., is a six-year veteran of the NASCAR Sprint Cup series and is a lifelong Jayhawk fan. After the Kansas men’s basketball team won the 2008 National Championship, Bowyer sported a Jayhawk logo on his car for the rest of the NASCAR season.
He met with Gill outside of Memorial Stadium and exchanged helmets with the KU head coach. Gill received one of Bowyer’s racing helmets autographed, while Bowyer received a Kansas football helmet and a Jayhawk football jersey with the No. 33, which is the number on Bowyer’s car.
“It’s just a thrill for me to come out here and meet Coach Gill,” Bowyer said. “Everybody knows I’m a big KU fan. I take a lot of pride in rooting for the Jayhawks and wearing my Jayhawk stuff.”
“It’s great to meet another person that’s part of the KU family,” Gill said. “It’s exciting to see the passion that he shows for Kansas. He’s passionate about the University of Kansas and all of the athletic programs, and that’s a great thing for us. We really appreciate all of the things he does to support the Jayhawks.”
After a tour of the football facilities, Bowyer went to Allen Fieldhouse to meet Henrickson, Hinson and Manning and tour the basketball offices, locker rooms and the other facilities. He was also presented with a No. 33 basketball jersey by the basketball coaches and met with the entire men’s basketball team.
“It was great to meet him, I’ve been a fan for a while,” Henrickson said. “I got to attend a race at the Kansas Speedway last fall and it was really exciting. He’s great at what he does and I love the exposure that he provides KU with the representation on his car.”
Bowyer will return to Kansas on Oct. 3 for the Price Chopper 400 held at the Kansas Speedway. He currently sits in 12th place in the NASCAR Sprint Cup standings with two races remaining before the 2010 Chase for the Sprint Cup begins on Sept. 19 in New Hampshire.
