“Carl has been a long-time friend from those days, and I think it's a true testament to the stepping stones of NASCAR. We both came from the weekly racing series, went through the regional touring series and he went to the Truck series. Luckily I got the right 'phone call and went to the Nationwide series. It's fun to be able to come back here what, five, six years later and be able to race each other for championships. It really is fun.”

As to what the future holds for Clint Bowyer, the former motocross racer was adamant that even if he had now achieved title glory, he will certainly be coming back for more.

“This has been a long time coming,” he underlined. “We worked well together last year, had an incredible, consistent year, and it showed me that that's what it took to win a championship this year, and indeed that's what it was.

“I love this series. I love what Nationwide has done for this series. I appreciate them coming in and stepping up to the plate. They really did. I mean, times are tough, and this series is on top, and it's a lot of fun to be able to participate in this series. I want to be a part of it as long as I can.”