NEWTON, Iowa — Jason Bowles will face his stiffest competition of the season on Sunday (May 17), when he travels to Iowa Speedway for the lone NASCAR Camping World West Series and NASCAR Camping World East Series combination race. The Californian enters the Long John Silver’s 200 as one of the drivers to watch, thanks to a win, a runner-up finish and two pole positions in the previous three races of the 2009 campaign.
"I love this track (Iowa Speedway), it is as smooth as glass and provides some great racing for the fans."— Jason Bowles
Bowles, having been out of the driver’s seat of his No. 6 Sunrise Ford/Oakley/Joe Gibbs Racing Oil/GS 610/RPM 12/Justice Brothers/Bell/Ford for a few weeks, enters Round Five of the NASCAR Camping World West Series excited to resume his pursuit of the series title. Adding to the excitement, the current championship runner-up will not only battle the deep and talented NASCAR Camping World West field, but also be going head-to-head against the top drivers from NASCAR Camping World East Series, as well as NASCAR Sprint Cup standout Kyle Busch. While the 0.875-mile Iowa Speedway has not been kind to the former karting and formula car standout, finishing 22nd and 18th the past two years, Bowles is among the hottest drivers right now in series competition. The California has started from the pole position twice in the past three races, setting a new lap record at All American Speedway, and scoring his seventh career series win in Round Three at Phoenix international Raceway. This combined with a runner-up finish in Round Two and top-10 result in the most recent race, has vaulted Bowles into second in the championship fight.
“I am really looking forward to this weekend’s race in Iowa,” stated Bowles. “We are taking the same car that I won Phoenix with, so I think my chances of scoring a good finish are much better then they have been in the past. Even though last years results didn’t show it, our speed was decent for most the race until I bounced the car off the wall, so I am looking forward to a good run. I love this track, it is as smooth as glass and provides some great racing for the fans. The track does a great job promoting and has sold the place out the past two years. Racing with the east guys is also a good challenge and gives us an idea of where we stand. Hopefully we can put the Sunrise Ford Fusion in victory lane and close in on the points before coming back to the west coast.”
The fifth event on the NASCAR Camping World West Series calendar gets underway on Saturday (May 16) with one and a half hour practice session late in the afternoon. Race day commences one day later with a second hour-long morning practice session, followed by single-car qualifying just after noon. The green flag for 200-lap Long Silver’s 200 is scheduled to wave at 4:15 p.m. local time.
Additional information on Bowles 2009 season can be obtained from the series website @ localracing.nascar.com/series/8. For direct contact, please contact Jason Bowles @ bowlesjason@mac.com.
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About Jason Bowles:
A native of Ontario, Calif., Bowles began his motorsports career behind the wheel of a kart at the age of 11. Immediately showing talent, he promptly won several junior class races and championships, before moving up to the senior classes. Retaining his winning ways, the talented young race pilot became one of the drivers to beat in shifter kart competition. Following in the footsteps of established racing stars, Bowles began racing cars in 2004. Competing in the highly competitive Cooper Tires F2000 Championship he promptly won Rookie of the Year honors. While the Californian found continued success in the pro F2000 ranks and subsequently got the chance to test an Atlantic Championship car, funding prevented him from advancing up the open-wheel motorsports ladder. Thanks to some established relationships within motorsports his career aspirations were soon revived in the stock ranks. While Bowles was initially viewed as a road course specialist, he has since established himself as complete driver, winning on variety of courses. In 2009, Bowles will contest the entire 13-race NASCAR Camping World West Series schedule behind the wheel of a Sunrise Ford/Oakley/Joe Gibbs Racing Oil/GS 610/RPM 12/Justice Brothers Ford entry.
