By Thomas Zuck
Friday, May 25, 2007
Name: Carl Bowser
Age: 20, in his third season
Hometown: Sarver
Car: #10 Sprint Car
Chassis: Maxim
Engine: Don Ott
Highlights: Was the 2005 Lernerville Rookie of the Year after he finished seventh in points with two heat wins and three top-five and seven top-10 finishes. Last year Bowser was third in points with one victory, Aug. 18, and seven top-five and nine-top-10 finishes.
Even if it isn't fair, the ultimate measuring stick for a Sprint Car driver is how you do when the World of Outlaws come to town. It doesn't matter if you are Lernerville's all-time leading Sprint Car driver Ed Lynch Jr. or relative newcomer Carl Bowser.
In 64 World of Outlaws races at Lernerville only two have been won by drivers not on the tour. The first was Fred Rahmer in May 1998 and the second was Lynch in 2002. And that is what the 20-year old Bowser, now in his third season at the wheel, has to deal with.
"I don't know how to compare it for people," Bowser said of racing against the WoO. "Maybe if it was another sport it would be walking out on to the field with the Steelers; getting to play pro ball. It could be the same thing as the jocks versus average joes show because these guys do this for a living, for a pay check, and we are out here stumbling around."
Against the WoO last season, Bowser made it to the B-Main but he missed a transfer spot to the main event by two positions. This season the results were similar. Bowser qualified 35th out of 46 cars with a time of 13.464 seconds. Jason Meyers set fastest time with a 12.959. It may not seem like a big difference but it is, and qualifying is tough for drivers who don't have to do it on a weekly basis.
"For us it's just not knowing how to set the car up for qualifying," Bowser said. "These guys do it every night and know just what to do. I think in qualifying it is always heavy and they know just how much to loosen the car so you are not too loose. That's why they are on the World of Outlaws tour and we are still working on our cars trying to get them just right."
Bowser finished eighth in his heat, which put him back in the same position as last year: the C-Main, once he managed to transfer with a second-place finish. In the B-Main he finished 13th and his night was over.
"I want to learn as much as we can in a night like this," Bowser said before qualifying for the WoO show. "Making the race would be great, if we could do that, everything else is just extra. If you do well on a night like this I think you can take a lot from it. Maybe not in just what you did to the car but with momentum."
"I can remember my first World of Outlaws and when I was getting pushed out for qualifying I was so nervous I was shaking," Bowser said. "Last year for the second Outlaws show everything was a little bit more routine. But when you are parked next to a 53-foot trailer with every bell and whistle on the car it can be pretty intimidating."
Bowser and the rest of Lernerville, and local Sprint Car drivers, will get another shot at the WoO on July 17 for the Don Martin Memorial Silver Cup race. Or they can head to Sharon Speedway on June 1 where the WoO will open its Midwest swing.
So while Bowser did not get into the feature race against the World of Outlaws he is still confident in what he can accomplish this season.
"I think I am a lot better than I was two years ago," Bowser said. "I think I can read the track better. And really I think I was too cautious when I started. I am pretty confident this year. Last year I wanted one thing and the crew chief wanted another thing. So that really didn't work. This year I have more confidence in myself and the car."
Equipment in racing is paramount. You could have A.J. Foyt behind the wheel and if the car is not up to snuff it won't matter. A big part of Bowser's development as a driver comes from the fact that his father, Terry, also a Sprint Car driver, has made sure the racing equipment has been top-shelf.
"We have some good stuff," Bowser said. "Dad owns it all and he makes sure we have good equipment. I don't have a 900-horsepower motor and we may be down about 50 horsepower to these guys but I would rather have one good thing rather than three or four not-so-good things.
"Once a week, Dad and I sit in the garage and I ask him how he thinks he is running," Bowser said. "It is strange but I try to explain to him some different lines. This year his car has been better and he has a better motor finally, because he always wanted to make sure I had good equipment. I just try to help him. When I try to explain things it is pretty funny because sometimes his views are completely different from mine."
Bowser has a new crew chief this season and he attributes his slow start this season to that situation.
"We got one win here and that came late last year," Bowser said. "This year we got off to a slow start because my crew chief Mike (Shick) was in school and he just got back last Friday. So far it has just been me and Dad getting things ready and it's not progressed as quickly as I would have liked.
"It has not been like me and Mike working together," Bowser said. "It's different than just trying to feel it and then make adjustments by myself. Now we can both look at it and see what we think needs done. Mike wasn't crew chief last year but he was on the crew and he used to work with Charlie Holben."
Bowser is not afraid to ask other more experienced drivers like Rod George and Lynch for advice if he is searching for answers.
"I have learned a lot from the experienced guys," Bowser said. "We park next to Rod and sometimes I will go over and ask him or his crew chief something. I will tell them what I am thinking of doing and I ask them if they think it's the right thing. Both Ed and Rod are headed in the right direction and they don't want to see anyone go out there and do badly."
Even though Bowser does not feel he has had a good start to the season, he is still fifth in points and he has been in the top-10 in all six features. His top finish was this past week when he finished second behind George.
We finished third in points last year and I would certainly like to stay at least in the top-three," Bowser said. "I would like to get more wins. I got that one last year and I think we are capable of winning five races this year. So far we have just been at Lernerville but now that my crew chief is back I think we will try to run two nights per week, mostly Sharon (Speedway) and a few times at Mercer (Raceway Park)."