Alex Bowman talks about breaking 80-race winless streak at Chicago in 2024

Alex Bowman talks about breaking his 80-race winless streak at the Chicago Street Course in July 2024.

[autotag]Alex Bowman[/autotag] entered the Chicago Street Course on the playoff cut-line, and with new winners piling up, he needed a good run. However, no one could have expected what was to come outside of the No. 48 team. Bowman was able to get track position by staying out on rain tires and held off a hard-charging Tyler Reddick on slick tires.

It was Bowman’s first win in NASCAR since 2022 and the first since his back injury and concussion. Following the event, Bowman climbed out of his car and talked about the journey of returning to victory lane.

“Man, I broke my back, had a brain injury, and we’ve kind of sucked ever since, and I didn’t — you start to second-guess if you’re ever going to get a chance to win a race again,” Bowman said. “Last one we won, we didn’t really get to celebrate. We’re going to drink so much damn bourbon tonight, it’s going to be a bad deal. I’m probably going to wake up naked on the bathroom floor again. That’s just part of this deal sometimes.”

“Just thanks to Ally and everybody at Hendrick Motorsports, everybody that makes this deal go round, [Rick Hendrick] and [Jeff Gordon], and shout-out to Chloe at home. She’s at home with the pups. It’s like the only race she’s missed all year. I’m sure she’s pissed off at me for that one, but she’s sitting at home with Huck, and yeah, excited to get home. It’s going to be a good night.”

Now, Bowman doesn’t need to worry about missing the NASCAR playoffs for a second straight season. The No. 48 team can focus on maximizing the next six races of the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series regular season and build more momentum. Bowman needed this victory and the hope is that it doesn’t take another 80 races for the next one.

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Bowman ends drought in wet, time-certain battle in Chicago

On a wet-and-dry day on the streets of Chicago, crew chief Blake Harris made the right call, and driver Alex Bowman promised to wet his whistle after ending an 80-race drought. “The last time we won, we didn’t really get to celebrate-we’re going to …

On a wet-and-dry day on the streets of Chicago, crew chief Blake Harris made the right call, and driver Alex Bowman promised to wet his whistle after ending an 80-race drought.

“The last time we won, we didn’t really get to celebrate—we’re going to drink so much…bourbon tonight,” said Bowman, who clinched a spot in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs with his victory in Sunday’s Grant Park 165 at the Chicago Street Race.

“It’s going to be a bad deal. I’m probably going to wake up naked on the bathroom floor again. That’s just part of this deal sometimes.”

Driving the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, Bowman claimed the eighth victory of his career with a pass of sports car ace Joey Hand on lap 51—moments before Josh Berry plowed into the tire barrier in Turn 2 of the 2.2-mile, 12-turn course to cause the fifth and final caution.

 

At that point, the race was on the clock, thanks to a heavy rain that had caused a lengthy stoppage after lap 25. Facing a deadline of 8:20 p.m., with two laps to follow that point in the race, Bowman held off runner-up Tyler Reddick to win an event shortened from 75 to 58 laps because of the delay.

Harris got his first win as a crew chief by keeping Bowman out on older wet tires after the final caution. Neither Christopher Bell, who arguably had the best car in the race, nor Reddick could catch Bowman over the closing laps.

Bell’s charge to the front was blunted by a five-car melee, and Reddick nicked the wall and lost momentum on the final lap.

“We were catching Alex by a large margin there, and, I don’t know, that puzzles me,” said Reddick, who finished second for the second straight week. “I clearly just screwed up. Trying to stay in the dry groove, and I had more than enough of dry groove… I cut the wheel a little too hard.”

Bowman crossed the finish line with a 3.447s edge over Reddick to score his first win since March 6, 2022 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

“Man, I broke my back (in a sprint car accident), had a brain injury, and we’ve kind of sucked ever since,” Bowman said. “I didn’t… you start to second-guess if you’re ever going to get a chance to win a race again.”

Enhancing Bowman’s opportunity on Sunday was the ill fortune that befell the top two contenders.

Halfway through the restart lap for Stage 2 (lap 25), the complexion of the race changed dramatically. Chase Briscoe, out of control in his No. 14 Ford, slid toward the tire barrier in Turn 6 and clipped the rear of the Chevrolet of defending winner Shane van Gisbergen.

The impact propelled van Gisbergen’s Camaro nose-first into the outside wall at the exit from the corner, and the car came to rest, unable to continue. Van Gisbergen’s exit suddenly raised the stakes for the drivers who trailed him to the finish line in Stage 1.

After leaving the infield care center, van Gisbergen watched a replay of the incident.

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“Just sort of turned in, looked pretty good and then just got smashed by someone (Briscoe),” the New Zealander said. “Just gutting. The car was really good. We were in the lead for a lot of that race and, you know, felt good taking off in the rain. That sucks—an unfortunate mistake by him, but I’m sure he didn’t mean it.

“But, yeah, when he just clipped me, there was nothing I could do. Of course I’m disappointed. We had a pretty amazing Camaro there… I felt like I was driving well within myself. It’s a shame to be out so early and a shame we couldn’t have a proper crack at it at the end.”

By the time Briscoe delivered the coup de grace to the No. 16 Chevy, Gibbs had wrested the lead from Zane Smith, who stayed out on older wet tires, and Bell, who was first off pit road during the stage break.

The field didn’t complete lap 25 before NASCAR called the second caution of the race for heavy rain. After a red-flag period of 1h43m, the race resumed and went green on lap 31, with Bell retaking the lead from Gibbs before completion of that circuit.

On lap 34, pole winner Kyle Larson, in pursuit of Gibbs, hydroplaned into the Turn 6 tire barrier, damaging his No. 5 Chevrolet beyond repair.

In a race where late strategic calls scrambled the field, Gibbs led a race-high 17 laps and came home third, followed by Hand and Michael McDowell. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Todd Gilliland, William Byron, Kyle Busch and Ryan Blaney completed the top 10.

Bell led 14 circuits, but he, Gibbs and Reddick pitted for slick tires on lap 43 and couldn’t get back to the front.

For the second straight year, rain shortened the NASCAR Cup race at the Chicago Street Race, but the wet weather did little to diminish the festival atmosphere that captivated the Windy City throughout the weekend.

“I’ve raced about every street course in the country and a lot around the world, and you won’t find a backdrop like this,” said Hand, who led seven laps on wet tires before Bowman led the final eight.

RESULTS

Alex Bowman wins NASCAR Cup Series race in Chicago, full results

Alex Bowman wins the NASCAR Cup Series race at the Chicago Street Course. Check out the full results and race recap from Chicago!

NASCAR arrived in Chicago, Illinois, for the Chicago Street Course, and the weather again affected the race. The NASCAR Cup Series was put into a nearly two-hour rain delay and returned with rain tires. The weather stopped, and strategy went forth; however, one Hendrick Motorsports driver prevailed with time running out and clinched a spot in the 2024 NASCAR playoffs.

[autotag]Alex Bowman[/autotag] won the Grant Park 165 at the Chicago Street Course, earning his first victory of the 2024 NASCAR season. Bowman was able to hold off Tyler Reddick as he pushed hard with slick tires. Reddick messed up on the final lap and couldn’t get to the No. 48 car. This is Bowman’s first win since 2022, ending an 80-race winless streak.

Bowman was 16th in the playoff picture entering the weekend in Illinois and now leaves as a winner during the 2024 season. It was a much-needed win as the No. 48 team can now relax and not worry about the playoff picture moving forward.

Grant Park 165 results:

  1. No. 48 Alex Bowman
  2. No. 45 Tyler Reddick
  3. No. 54 Ty Gibbs
  4. No. 60 Joey Hand
  5. No. 34 Michael McDowell
  6. No. 47 Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
  7. No. 38 Todd Gilliland
  8. No. 24 William Byron
  9. No. 8 Kyle Busch
  10. No. 12 Ryan Blaney
  11. No. 99 Daniel Suarez
  12. No. 31 Daniel Hemric
  13. No. 23 Bubba Wallace
  14. No. 10 Noah Gragson
  15. No. 2 Austin Cindric
  16. No. 51 Justin Haley
  17. No. 71 Zane Smith
  18. No. 6 Brad Keselowski
  19. No. 3 Austin Dillon
  20. No. 17 Chris Buescher
  21. No. 9 Chase Elliott
  22. No. 1 Ross Chastain
  23. No. 22 Joey Logano
  24. No. 77 Carson Hocevar
  25. No. 21 Harrison Burton
  26. No. 15 Kaz Grala
  27. No. 7 Corey LaJoie
  28. No. 66 Josh Bilicki
  29. No. 43 Erik Jones
  30. No. 11 Denny Hamlin
  31. No. 33 Austin Hill
  32. No. 14 Chase Briscoe
  33. No. 19 Martin Truex Jr.
  34. No. 41 Ryan Preece
  35. No. 42 John Hunter Nemechek
  36. No. 4 Josh Berry
  37. No. 20 Christopher Bell
  38. No. 13 A.J. Allmendinger
  39. No. 5 Kyle Larson
  40. No. 16 Shane van Gisbergen

NASCAR insider gives insight into Alex Bowman’s ride status for 2025

A NASCAR insider gives insight into Alex Bowman’s ride status with Hendrick Motorsports. Will Bowman be safe for 2025 and beyond?

[autotag]Alex Bowman[/autotag] missed the 2023 NASCAR playoffs, but it was primarily due to his back injury, which he suffered in an April sprint car racing accident. Ever since the injury, Bowman hasn’t looked like the same driver, as he hasn’t won since Las Vegas Motor Speedway in March 2022. Is the 31-year-old driver’s future secure with Hendrick Motorsports despite signing a contract extension?

According to FOX Sports’ Bob Pockrass, Bowman is signed through the 2026 season, but the seat most talked about possibly becoming available at Hendrick Motorsports is the No. 48 car. Yet, Pockrass stresses that his recent performances should be enough to keep him in the car. In 2024, Bowman has four top-5 and 10 top-10 finishes through 18 races.

Bowman has been very consistent throughout the 2024 season, but his future should be safe until his contract expires in 2026. Ally Financial loves Bowman, and despite the lack of wins, he is still running well most weeks. The No. 48 car might be the next seat to become available at Hendrick Motorsports, but Bowman appears to be safe for now.

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2024 AdventHealth 400 odds, picks and predictions

The best bets for Sunday’s 2024 AdventHealth 400 from Kansas Speedway, with NASCAR expert picks and predictions.

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The NASCAR Cup Series moves to Kansas Speedway Sunday for the 2024 AdventHealth 400. The green flag is scheduled to drop approximately at 3 p.m. ET (FS1). Let’s analyze FanDuel Sportsbook’s lines around the 2024 AdventHealth 400 odds, and make our expert NASCAR picks and predictions.

2024 AdventHealth 400: What you need to know

  • Hendrick Motorsports driver Chase Elliott leads all active drivers with a 10.6 Average-Finish Position (AFP) in 16 career Cup starts in Kansas. He has a win, 6 top-5 finishes and 10 top-10 runs with 249 laps led
  • Legacy Motor Club driver Jimmie Johnson, who is ironically sponsored by AdventHealth for this race, has an 11.8 AFP in 29 career Cup starts at Kansas, with 3 wins, 9 top-5 finishes and 19 top-10 runs
  • RFK Racing’s Brad Keselowski has managed 2 Cup wins at Kansas, while posting 7 top-5 finishes and 14 top-10 showings in 28 starts at Kansas
  • Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin has managed 4 career wins, 13 top-5 finishes and 14 top-10 runs with 446 laps led in 31 Cup starts with a 12.5 AFP
  • Penske Racing’s Joey Logano is tied for 2nd with Johnson among active drivers with 3 Cup wins at Kansas, posting a 16.2 AFP with 9 top-5 finishes and 510 laps led. He does have 4 DNFs, however
  • Hendrick’s William Byron has never won at Kansas despite a 14.1 AFP in 12 Cup starts, highest among all active drivers without a checkered flag at the track
  • JGR’s Ty Gibbs has been erratic in 3 previous Cup starts at Kansas, posting an AFP of 27.3, finishing 14th, 34th and 34th with 2 DNFs
  • Front Row Motorsports driver Michael McDowell has a dismal 27.5 AFP in 25 career Cup starts at Kansas, and he leads all active drivers with 7 DNFs at the track

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2024 AdventHealth 400 – Expert pick

Odds provided by FanDuel Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 4:09 a.m. ET.

MARTIN TRUEX JR. (+900) is a strong value at Kansas for the chance to multiply your initial wager by 9 times.

MTJ has strong numbers in his career at Kansas Speedway, posting 2 wins, 10 top-5 finishes and 17 top-10 runs in his 31 Cup starts, while leading the pack for 906 laps. The last figure is actually the best among all active drivers, and it isn’t even close. Hendrick’s Kyle Larson is 2nd with 639 laps led, following by Legacy Motor Club’s Johnson (601) and Penske’s Logano (510).

2024 AdventHealth 400 – Contender

ALEX BOWMAN (+2800) comes with some rather long odds, but he has fared well in his Cup career at Kansas Speedway. In 16 career starts, he has never picked up a victory, but he has 3 top-5 finishes, and 8 of his starts, or half, have resulted in a finish of 10th or better with 183 laps led.

Bowman started the season with a runner-up finish in the Daytona 500 before falling on hard times with 3 straight finishes of 18th or lower. However, he has been 8th or better in 3 of his past 4 starts, and 5 of his past 7 races, so he is definitely lurking in the weeds and worth a roll of the dice.

2024 Wurth 400 – Props and matchbets

CHASE ELLIOTT (-115) over Bubba Wallace (-128) in a matchbet is a highly recommended play.

While Wallace has a win at Kansas in 12 career starts, he also has 2 DNFs, just 72 laps led and only 3 top-10 showings, while posting a dismal 21.3 AFP. Elliott also has a win, and he has the best AFP among all active drivers at Kansas (10.6), while recording 249 laps led, 6 top-5 runs and 0 DNFs

If you don’t want to roll the dice on Hendrick’s Bowman to win as a long-shot bet, consider BOWMAN TOP-10 FINISH (-120), which is not priced out of line.

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Alex Bowman to drive special Jimmie Johnson paint scheme at Darlington

Alex Bowman will drive a special Jimmie Johnson throwback paint scheme at Darlington Raceway. Check out the No. 48 car’s sharp look!

The NASCAR Cup Series will visit Darlington Raceway in under two weeks for its signature “Throwback Weekend.” Several amazing paint schemes have already been released, such as Kyle Larson’s throwback to Terry Labonte. However, Hendrick Motorsports has revealed another special paint scheme to celebrate its 40th anniversary.

[autotag]Alex Bowman[/autotag] will throwback to [autotag]Jimmie Johnson[/autotag]’s legendary Lowe’s paint scheme at Darlington in two weeks. It is a perfect paint scheme and gives us a look at what Johnson’s former paint scheme would have looked like on the NextGen car. Overall, it is a great scheme as the number and colors complete the throwback look.

Hendrick Motorsports has taken the “throwback” paint scheme world by storm. It has released three fantastic paint schemes for Bowman, Larson, and Chase Elliott, with William Byron remaining. Now, the NASCAR world must wait for Byron’s paint scheme, which could feature a throwback to Jeff Gordon in one of his previous cars.

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2024 Wurth 400 odds, picks and predictions

The best bets for Sunday’s 2024 Wurth 400 from Dover Motor Speedway, with NASCAR expert picks and predictions.

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The NASCAR Cup Series heads to Dover Motor Speedway Sunday for the 2024 Wurth 400. The green flag is scheduled to drop approximately at 2 p.m. ET (FS1). Let’s analyze FanDuel Sportsbook’s lines around the 2024 Wurth 400 odds, and make our expert NASCAR picks and predictions.

2024 Wurth 400: What you need to know

  • Richard Childress Racing’s Kyle Busch secured the pole position with a best speed of 162.191 mph, just edging out Penske Racing’s Ryan Blaney (161.951 mph)
  • Busch has managed 3 Cup wins at Dover, while posting 13 top-4 finishes and 1,341 laps led with 7 DNFs in 35 career starts
  • Hendrick Motorsports driver Kyle Larson leads all active drivers with an 8.6 Average-Finish Position (AFP) in 15 career Cup starts at Dover with 1 win, 7 top-5 finishes and 899 laps led
  • Hendrick’s Chase Elliott has a 9.8 AFP in 13 Cup starts, with 2 wins, 9 top-5 finishes and 394 laps led with 2 DNFs
  • Joe Gibbs Racing’s Martin Truex Jr. has managed 4 career checkered flags at the New Jersey native’s unofficial home track, with an 11.4 AFP with 10 top-5 runs and 1,069 laps led
  • Penske’s Austin Cindric has struggled in his 2 career Cup starts at the Monster Mile, finishing 26th and 36th
  • Front Row Motorsports driver Michael McDowell has led just 9 laps with no top-10 finishes in 23 career Cup starts at Dover. He has a dismal 30.6 AFP and 9 DNFs
  • Legacy Motor Club driver Jimmie Johnson will go off 27th Sunday. He has recorded 11 Cup wins at Dover with 18 top-5 finishes, 3,113 laps led and a solid 9.7 AFP

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2024 Wurth 400 – Expert pick

Odds provided by FanDuel Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 4:25 a.m. ET.

MARTIN TRUEX JR. (+650) has racked up 4 wins at Dover Motor Speedway, including his 1st career Cup win back on June 4, 2007.

Truex has been humming along lately, especially in qualifying. However, while he rattled off 5 consecutive top-10 finishes from March 3-31, he has been 11th or lower in his past 3 starts. Still, he should be rejuvenated in what has been his unofficial favorite track.

2024 Wurth 400 – Contender

JOEY LOGANO (+2500) was unable to take advantage of his 7th starting spot at Talladega last week, tumbling to 19th to finish. He has been a little bit erratic this season, but Logano is worth a roll of the dice with some rather long odds.

Logano has never won at Dover, but he has 5 top-5 finishes and 15 top-10 runs with a respectable 14.5 AFP. For the opportunity to potentially multiply your initial wager by 25 times, take a chance on Sliced Bread.

2024 Wurth 400 – Props and matchbets

ALEX BOWMAN (+102) over Ross Chastain (-128) in a matchbet is the way to go.

While Bowman has a rather ordinary 17.8 AFP, he has won at Dover back on May 16, 2021. On the flip side, Chastain has a dismal 22.7 AFP in 9 Cup starts at Dover, while posting 2 top-5 finishes and 1 DNF.

KYLE BUSCH (-118) over Tyler Reddick (-108) is a decent matchbet play, too, especially since Rowdy starts out on the pole. Reddick has a 15.2 AFP in 5 Cup starts at the track, and he has never led a lap at the Delaware track.

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Alex Bowman calls out Chase Briscoe for final restart at Martinsville

Alex Bowman calls out Chase Briscoe for his actions during the final restart at Martinsville. Find out what Bowman said about Briscoe!

[autotag]Alex Bowman[/autotag] didn’t have the same speed his Hendrick Motorsports teammates displayed at Martinsville Speedway last weekend. William Byron, Kyle Larson, and Chase Elliott were the event’s top finishers, while Bowman finished in eighth place. The driver of the No. 48 car could never get the track position to run in the front.

Following the event, Bowman talked about his day at Martinsville and addressed the final restart in NASCAR overtime. The Hendrick Motorsports driver was a little frustrated with how Chase Briscoe raced him in the final laps.

“Wish we would have had a little better day with our Ally 48,” Bowman said. “The last two runs, we just struggled a lot. We tightened up all day, and then the race track got black, and finally, we got on the other side of it and got too tight.“

“But that last restart, I didn’t stand a chance. [Chase Briscoe] drove through me all four corners. So, just tough there to lose a couple of spots. But that’s short-track racing, part of it at times. So yeah, moving on to next week, hopefully, it’s good for us, but a great day for Hendrick Motorsports.”

Briscoe finished in 10th place, so it didn’t work out in his favor. he came home with an eighth-place finish, and while expectations were high, it was still a solid finish. Now, Bowman will look ahead to Texas Motor Speedway and try to end his winless streak to clinch a spot in the 2024 NASCAR playoffs.

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Alex Bowman ‘bummed’ after coming close to NASCAR win at COTA

Alex Bowman was ‘bummed’ after coming close to a NASCAR win at COTA in 2024. Find out what Bowman had to say about his fourth-place finish!

[autotag]Alex Bowman[/autotag] was given an opportunity to battle for the win with teammate William Byron at Circuit of the Americas last weekend. Bowman’s crew chief Blake Harris called the No. 48 car down pit road first, and he cycled out in second place behind Byron. Unfortunately for the No. 48 team, the car didn’t have the long-run pace to compete with the No. 24 car.

Bowman eventually fell to fourth place behind Christopher Bell and Ty Gibbs for a second straight top-4 finish. Following the event, Bowman talked about his day and expressed some disappointment that he couldn’t compete with Byron at the end.

“I wouldn’t say I am worn out; I am just bummed,” Bowman said. “Probably just got stuck out in traffic after our last pit stop. It was a bad spot that I had to run too hard on low air and beat the rear tires up. Kind of inched in on [William Byron] for a bit, but then the rear tires just went away. Yeah, definitely had to manage it some. Definitely some tire fall off here.”

The driver of the No. 48 car may have had a better opportunity if he didn’t come out in traffic after the final pit stop. It also didn’t help that Bowman started in 17th place. He was the only driver with a top-5 finish who started outside the top 4 spots. Bowman came up just short at COTA, but it is clear that he is starting to round into form as the season progresses.

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Bowman ‘bummed’ he didn’t have more at COTA in the end

Alex Bowman turned a quiet day at Circuit of the Americas into a fourth-place finish in the EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix. “I feel we had a good weekend, overall, minus qualifying,” Bowman said. “All week, we’ve wanted our car to hang on to the …

Alex Bowman turned a quiet day at Circuit of the Americas into a fourth-place finish in the EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix.

“I feel we had a good weekend, overall, minus qualifying,” Bowman said. “All week, we’ve wanted our car to hang on to the rear tires longer and we fought that a little bit in the race still. I thought the second-to-last run we got it pretty good, and we short-pitted to try and get track position and came out right in the middle of a bunch of guys still on older tires and beat the rear tires up real bad on low air.”

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Bowman qualified 17th but had an average running position of ninth Sunday afternoon. The No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports team called Bowman to pit road for the final time under green flag conditions with 25 laps to go. It was a lap earlier than the leaders (Bowman was running fourth) and allowed him to leapfrog Ross Chastain during the pit cycle.

The field fully cycled through with 18 laps to go, and Bowman was second to teammate and eventual winner William Byron. But the damage had been done fighting through lapped traffic, and Bowman faded over the final laps.

“I just feel like I hurt my stuff for that last run pretty badly in those first two laps (after the pit stop),” Bowman said. “Bummed that happened, but we had a good Ally Camaro. I felt like we maximized everything aside from that little bit there.

“It sucks to not win here yet, but we’ve been really good, really consistently.”

Bowman has finished no worse than eighth in four starts at Circuit of the Americas. In the last three races, Bowman has finished inside the top five. He didn’t earn stage points Sunday as the team focused on track position for the end of the race, and it resulted in their second consecutive top-five result.

“I wouldn’t say I’m worn-out, I’m just bummed,” Bowman said. “I probably just got stuck out in traffic after our last pit stop. It was a bad spot that I had to run too hard on low air and beat the rear tires up. I kind of inched in on William (Byron) for a bit, but then the rear tires just went away. Yeah, I definitely had to manage it some. Definitely some tire fall off here.”

Hendrick Motorsports vice chairman Jeff Gordon hopes the tide is turning for Bowman’s team after two solid weekends.

“Bowman, when he gets on a roll, he gets his confidence up, there’s no telling what they’re capable of doing,” Gordon said. “I’m really happy for them, two top fives in a row. They’d had a couple of rough weeks, so they needed this.

“Hendrick Motorsports is tough, right? Four of the top drivers and teams out there, and there’s a lot of pressure on you. If you’re winning, there’s pressure to continue. When you’re not winning or you’re not at the same level as your teammates, there’s a ton of pressure that you got to get there. I’m proud of him and Blake (Harris) the way they’ve been working hard together to get some good finishes. Now I can’t wait to see what they do next, as well.”