LAS VEGAS, Nev.: Alex Bowman may not have been able to defend his win in Sunday’s Pennzoil 400, but the Hendrick Motorsports driver did earn a season-high third-place finish at Las Vegas (Nev.) Motor Speedway.
Bowman’s second top-five and third consecutive top-10 overall as the driver of the No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE continues the strongest start to his NASCAR Cup Series career and finds the Tucson, Ariz. native in a good place heading to one of his favorite tracks, Phoenix (Ariz.) Raceway on March 12.
Bowman did not have the fastest Hendrick Motorsports car on Sunday, but it was still fast. And keeping his name in the hunt of the battle throughout the 271-lap race, Bowman guided by new crew chief Blake Harris found themselves in the hunt for the win when the caution flag waved with two laps remaining when Aric Almirola spun in Turn 4.
Restarting fifth in NASCAR overtime, Bowman found himself in a good position coming to the white flag in third. Carrying momentum from the outside lane, Bowman attempted to take second from Martin Truex Jr., who stayed out at the last caution – but as the cars screamed off Turn 2 and onto the backstretch, the racing groove narrowed in a three-wide battle between Bowman, Truex and Hendrick Motorsports teammate Kyle Larson.
Bowman’s momentum in the top lane was briefly stalled as Truex squeezed him into the wall opening the path for Larson to escape the scene with the runner-up spot – Bowman recovered to finish third, 0.766-seconds behind team William Byron who scored the win and led a 1-2-3 finish for Hendrick Motorsports.
The 1-2-3 finish for the Concord, N.C.-based team is the third in the team’s history and the first time since Dover (Del.) Motor Speedway in 2021 when the organization finished 1-2-3-4.
“I’m really proud of the 48 team,” said Bowman. “I’m really pumped for HMS to be 1-2-3. I’ve been on the good side of those consecutive finishes so now I’m on the other side. But it was a fun race with our teammates.
“I’m glad we were able to get a 1-2-3 on the last restart. Rudy (Fugle crew chief) is a little under the weather so hopefully, that gets him feeling a little better than he was this morning.”
Bowman said he believed he was too far back on the overtime restart to collect his eighth career Cup Series win.
“We were really fast in Stage two. I was a little indecisive with what I wanted in the race car,” he explained. “There were times I was a little free and times where I was a little snug. I hedged us to securing the back of the race car a little bit and got us too tight for Stage three, so that’s on me.
“Every change I wanted, I got. I just got us a little bit too tight (I) just tried to be really aggressive and make for it there on that last restart. Yeah, had a shot at it, just a couple rows too far back to start.
“But really proud of Hendrick Motorsports. To be one, two, three is really awesome. Our Allied Camaro was really good, especially Stage 2. Just asked for the wrong adjustments probably.”
With his third consecutive top-10 finish in the books and the series off to one of his better tracks next, Bowman is hoping to keep the momentum train rolling in next Sunday’s United Rentals 500k.
“Just excited with the way the year has started, and hopefully we keep the momentum rolling next week at Phoenix,” added Bowman.
Follow Chris Knight on Twitter @Knighter01 or email at: [email protected].
