Clint Bowyer Gets New Spotter In Time For NASCAR's Chase

NASCAR spotter Brett Griffin tweeted some good news on Tuesday: After parting ways with Richard Childress Racing, where he served as spotter for Jeff Burton, Griffin already had a new gig: Spotting for Chase driver Clint Bowyer.

The timing was unusual, because Bowyer was not only about to start the 10-race playoffs, but he'd just won the Richmond race three days earlier. And now Griffin was replacing spotter Ty Norris?

"@brett_griff: Just signed on with @clintbowyer and @mw55. Looking forward to the Chase!" WTF? Why haven't I heard about any of this???

— Clint Bowyer (@ClintBowyer) September 11, 2012

Uh oh! Did Michael Waltrip Racing pull a spotter change on Bowyer without even informing the driver?

If you know Bowyer at all, you probably realized it was a joke; the driver was fully involved in the decision to change spotters heading into the Chase.

"I was just screwing with Brett," Bowyer said with a grin on Wednesday.

Here's what happened: Griffin, who is also Elliott Sadler's business manager, lost his job as Burton's spotter when it became clear Sadler was leaving RCR at the end of the season.

Suddenly, one of NASCAR's top spotters was a free agent.

"I talked to Jeff Burton about him, and he was like, 'Hire him. Hire him in the morning. Hire him right now,'" Bowyer said. "I've just got a lot of confidence in him. I don't think it'll be a transition at all because we know each other so well and he does such a good job. I've listened to him a lot and most of the things I ask for, he does."

Bowyer has worked with Griffin before – kind of. When the tandem drafting was all the rage last year at Talladega, Bowyer and Burton drafted together and used Griffin as their common spotter on the radio.

But more than that, Bowyer and Griffin are friends off the track and have a good relationship. That's part of the reason why Bowyer felt comfortable teasing the news via Twitter.

"He announced it, and I was like, 'What?'" Bowyer said with a chuckle. "But that's the relationship we have. That's why I don't think there will be any transition period."

Before making the hire, Bowyer had to make sure Norris – MWR's general manager – was comfortable stepping aside. Bowyer was going to change spotters next season, but Griffin's availability moved the timetable forward.

"I wanted to make sure Ty was OK with it, because first and foremost, Ty helped me get to where I'm at in so many different levels," Bowyer said. "So I didn't want to take anything from him if he wanted to be a part of that. ... Ty kind of wanted to focus on his job and make sure all three cars are running well. I think it'll just be a good thing."

Griffin, who has 12,000 Twitter followers and has earned a reputation for being outspoken, will make quite the combination when paired with the wide-open Bowyer.

"It'll be fun," Bowyer said. "It'll be something to listen to, I promise you that."