- Alex Bowman finished third in consecutive races.
- Texas run got him some confidence that they are heading in the right direction.
- Jeff Gordon is proud of Bowman following Sunday’s race.
Alex Bowman recorded a third-place finish for the second race in a row, backing up his Talladega result with another run at Texas. After turning a corner at Bristol, Bowman has found himself with ground to cover and points to gather against drivers in the same bracket. So far, he has begun to narrow that gap.
The Hendrick Motorsports driver believes both he and the No. 48 team are moving in the right lane if recent results are any guide.
Alex Bowman has a big reason to feel relieved.
His last top-10 finish before Talladega came in August, and what followed was a stretch where results went missing. This season did not offer much respite at the start either. After three races at Daytona, Atlanta, and COTA, Bowman stepped away on medical grounds following a vertigo diagnosis, the symptoms of which surfaced during the COTA event.
He missed four races before returning at Bristol, where he finished 37th. The climb since then has been gradual: 18th at Kansas, followed by third-place finishes at Talladega and Texas.
Speaking after the Texas race, Bowman addressed his sense of progress. “Yeah, it feels good. Honestly, just to be having solid days and finishing races after how the start of the season went. So I’m super happy for this Ally 48 team. Everybody at Hendrick Motorsports happy for the nine on the win. Hendrick Engenshop did a great job.”
“But, yeah, we got way better from where we unloaded. And definitely momentum headed in the right direction. So all in all, good day for us. Big shout-out to Reddick for cutting me a break on the last lap. That could have been bad. So appreciative to him. And, yeah, just need to be a little bit better there. But we’re definitely headed in the right direction,” he continued.
Bowman crossed the line behind teammate Chase Elliott and Denny Hamlin in a finish decided over a four-lap run to the flag. On the restart, he lined up on the inside behind Elliott and, after clearing Chris Buescher off Turn 2, settled into the position he carried to the end. His average running position stood at 12th over the course of the race.
“Yeah, we got way better from where we unloaded, and it’s definitely momentum headed in the right direction. All in all, a good day for us, a big shoutout to [Tyler] Reddick for cutting me a break on the last lap, that could have been bad. So, I’m appreciative to him. We just need to be a little bit better there, but we’re definitely headed in the right direction.”
The run has also lifted him off the foot of the standings. Bowman now sits 34th with 115 points.
Jeff Gordon lauds Bowman after Texas run
His absence earlier in the season left a gap not only in his movement but within Hendrick Motorsports as a whole. Upon his return, the team closed ranks around him and brushed aside talk of any change in direction. Two results inside the top three have now added weight to that stance, and Jeff Gordon has taken note.
“Alex Bowman, that is obviously this has been a tough year for that team and for Alex. And, you know, to have back-to-back top fives is fantastic. So some great momentum there as well. And I thought he looked good. You know, the car looked good. He looked good. You alluded to Alex getting momentum building out,” Gordon said.
“I almost think he thrives sometimes when he’s down. And he’s a fighter. I think these last few weeks, not just the last two, when he’s gotten back in the car, has shown what he’s made of as a human being. And I just for him, Chloe, his fiancée, and their life that they’re building, and then this team for Blake, Harris, and everybody on there, they needed a spark, and it’s nice that they’ve gotten that.”
Gordon also pointed out that results at Talladega tell one story, but Texas demands another. The latter calls for grip, pace, execution, and restarts that hold up under pressure. On that count, Bowman’s showing carried significance for both driver and team.
