SONOMA, Calif. (MCT) — The magnitude of his accomplishment Sunday in winning the Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma wasn’t lost on Clint Bowyer.

“To have this dirt (track) boy from Kansas in Victory Lane at this road course is big, trust me,” Bowyer said after holding off Tony Stewart and Kurt Busch for his first win driving for Michael Waltrip Racing this year.

Last winter, Bowyer was looking for a ride, his time at Richard Childress Racing over and he found a spot driving Toyotas for Waltrip. Nothing particularly spectacular had happened for the team this year but it changed on a sun-splashed Sunday when Bowyer demonstrated he could handle the unique demands of driving an 11-turn road course.