Homestead, Florida – One day, it must be understood that the Russian mountains Alex Bowman have known the last two years will not end with him celebrating more often than the Angurier.
Sunday at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Bowman deplored the chance to win, finishing second behind Kyle Larson. But he should not be overlooked what Bowman did last weekend and what he is doing this season.
Of course, the ups and downs of the match weekend that the extremes have faced in recent years.
After having signed a contract of contract of days before the 2023 Daytona 500 – an agreement which brings him throughout the 2026 season with Hendrick Motorsports – Bowman took the points at the start of the 2023 season, underwent a back injury in a sprint car accident a few weeks later which derailed his Cup campaign, was carried out with the Victory at the Chicago Street 500. The playoffs, he would be replaced if he did not progress far, saw his title hope end when his car was disqualified for being insulted and almost won the race of the Sunday Cup at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Before the Daytona 500 of this year, which a few competitors considered him the most underestimated driver of sport, Bowman said: “I certainly appreciate that people say that and I think for myself, I had a lot of success, but I also had years when things did not go as I want and that the team wants it.
“So, I think I was on both sides for sure and we finished it at a good point last year, obviously, through many BS, I hope we are on the right side. I don’t want to call myself underestimated, I just want to go out and win races and I prefer to prove it.”
Winners, losers after Homestead’s victory by Kyle Larson
While Kyle Larson celebrated his first victory of the season, others left Homestead not so happy.
In a team that includes two former Cup champions in Larson and Chase Elliott and the double title champion of Daytona 500 in William Byron, it is easy for a lot of forgetting Bowman, who has eight career career victories.
“It’s our guy,” said Jeff Gordon, vice-president of Hendrick Motorsports, about Bowman after Sunday’s race.
We are happy to see (team n ° 48) manage well. »»
Bowman’s twinning with the Crew Chief Blake Harris, who made his debut at the start of the 2023 season, produced results despite some of the difficulties encountered together.
Harris had a year of chief experience of the Cup crew before joining Hendrick Motorsports. Four races in the 2023 season, Bowman led the points. He missed three races due to the back injury he suffered in a sprint car accident, then had trouble having the right feeling of the car for this season. Bowman showed better results in 2024 when he was healthy.
He qualified for the round of 8 last year until his car failed the inspection after the cutting race of Charlotte Roval, letting him out of a transfer place and putting the possible champion Joey Logano in Bowman.
Bowman had the first seven top-15 in the playoffs last year, including a pair of top 10 in the third round after disqualification.
He opened the season with five top 10 in the first six races and ranked third points before this weekend race in Martinsville Speedway.
“I have the impression with what happened to us in the playoffs last year and to be eliminated in the round of 16 by making us DQ, I have the impression that we fell from the radar where, in our mind, we have been carrying this momentum since last summer,” told NBC Sports on Sunday.
“We found some things with which he became super comfortable.
Bowman was fast all weekend, saying the post and leading 43 laps. He was one of those who were part of a test in Homestead the day after last fall and who helped him with the southern Southway of 1.5 mile.
During the Sunday race, Bowman suffered damage to his car after contact with an anterior wall and hit the wall while Larson closed, allowing Larson to pass it for the head with seven laps.
“I don’t think we were almost as good as we were in the test, especially to run the wall,” said Bowman on Sunday. “I just couldn’t run the wall well all weekend, really, that’s what I could do very well.” So we have to go back and do our homework and understand why.
“But we had the impression that our short-term speed was obviously very good to be able to drive up up there and take the lead, put pressure on Bubba (Wallace) in an error and let me put pressure in an error. So, yes, boring. I mean, Kyle (Larson) is the largest racing car driver of our generation. It was the guy who beat us.
“This is certainly not the end of the world, but we have to go get trophies.”
