Bowyer To Drive Stewart’s No. 14 In 2017

Clint Bowyer

One driver’s loss is another’s gain.

As Tony Stewart announced he will retire from the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series following next season, he and Stewart-Haas Racing co-owner Gene Haas announced series veteran and former dirt track racer Clint Bowyer will replace Stewart in the No. 14 Chevrolet beginning in 2017.

Bowyer, who started his NASCAR Sprint Cup Series career with Richard Childress Racing, has raced for Michael Waltrip Racing since 2012, but was released from his multi-year contract earlier this year when it became clear the team would not field a full-time entry next season after its co-owner, Rob Kauffman, announced plans to purchase a stake in Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates.

“What an unbelievable opportunity," Bowyer said. “To think how my year started, you thought you were set, you thought you were good and then all of a sudden you’re not. Then all of a sudden that led to a door opening at one of the biggest powerhouses in the sport. To me that is what this world is all about is opportunities.

“The unfortunate thing is you lose one of the boys, one of the guys I’ve always had a lot of fun with," Bowyer said. “Whether it was racing alongside of him or beating and banging on him and bickering about it afterwards, I always enjoyed the fact that Tony Stewart’s character was on that race track.

“That being said, damn I’m glad you decided to retire and open this seat up for me," Bowyer said with a big laugh.

While he has his plans for 2017 ironed out, Bowyer would not reveal his plans to race next year, though, multiple published reports have him landing at HScott Motorsports for a single season.