Kansan Clint Bowyer has a national NASCAR title under his belt after being named NASCAR Nationwide Series Champion Saturday night. Bowyer and Missouri native Carl Edwards battled all season for the championship.

 

Edwards actually won the race this past Saturday night, but Bowyer managed to finish in fifth place. He won the championship by 21 points overall, making it the fourth closest championship points margin in series history.

 

“We’ve raced a long time, we’re both from the Midwest and he’s a good competitor,” Bowyer said of Edwards. “He’s last year’s champion and it feels really good to beat him.”

 

Growing up, the two drivers crossed paths often at local dirt tracks. Bowyer, from Emporia, Kan., grew up a Jayhawk rooting for KU. Edwards, from Columbia, Mo., is also incredibly loyal to his hometown college, MU. Now they can take their college rivalry on-track, meeting at Kansas Speedway, what they mutually refer to as their “hometown” track.

 

See Edwards and Bowyer battle it out at the border with a Kansas Speedway Ticket Package in 2009. Call 866.460.RACE or visit kansasspeedway.com for tickets or more information. Kansas Speedway's Ticket Package includes the IndyCar Series Road Runner Turbo 300, NASCAR Camping World Truck Series O’Reilly Auto Parts 250, NASCAR Nationwide Series Kansas Lottery 300 and NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Kansas 400, the third race in the Chase for the Sprint Cup.