CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Alex Bowman opened the NASCAR playoffs by defending — not his driving style, but his status behind the wheel of the No. 48 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports.
The first playoff race was just days away and Bowman spent an entire afternoon insisting that rumors he would be out of the car next season were false.
“That rumor has been very annoying,” Bowman said. “All I can tell you is my bosses have told me they have no intention of changing anything. As far as I know, I’ll be driving the No. 48 next year. I’m just focused on trying to be strong over the next 10 weeks.”
Despite assurances from Hendrick Motorsports and a contract that runs through next season, Bowman still had doubts. Then he finished fifth in the first round of the playoffs at Atlanta Motor Speedway, cracked the top 10 in the standings and received public support from his boss Rick Hendrick.
“The team is really happy, the sponsor is really happy, so we’re ready to go,” said Hendrick, who answered “yes” when asked if Bowman would “unequivocally” be in the HMS lineup next year.
This sentiment was supported by Andrea Brimmer, marketing director for Bowman’s sponsor, Ally, who reposted Hendrick’s quote on social media “To all the doubters.” She added an emoji that means “shut up.”
Bowman then finished 18th at Watkins Glen and ninth Saturday night at Bristol Motor Speedway, where he started on the pole and advanced to the second round of the playoffs. His 120 points in the three races were the most of the 16 drivers, and unlike former Cup champions Brad Keselowski and Martin Truex Jr., Bowman avoided elimination in the playoffs.
The reseeding process puts him 11th of 12 drivers and below the cutoff line as NASCAR heads to Kansas Speedway for Sunday’s second-round opener.
“We did what we had to do the whole first round of the playoffs, but we also want to be better and continue that in the next round,” said Bowman, who doesn’t think the speculation about his future will stop.
“They will continue to talk. I’m not worried,” he said.
The talk seemed futile as Bowman managed to right the ship and was one of the few surprise drivers to advance to the second round. While Ty Gibbs and Harrison Burton were not considered title contenders and their first-round eliminations were not surprising, the departure of Keselowski and Truex opened up spots for previously overlooked drivers.
The field is led in Kansas by Kyle Larson, who crushed the competition at Bristol by leading all but 38 of the 500 laps Saturday night and winning by more than 7 seconds. Then there’s Christopher Bell, a Final Four player the last two seasons, regular-season champion Tyler Reddick, William Byron, defending Cup champion Ryan Blaney and the usual cast.
The surprises are Bowman, Chase Briscoe, Austin Cindric and Daniel Suarez – any of whom could have been chosen as first-round draft picks based on their performances throughout the season.
Stewart-Haas Racing hasn’t been very competitive this season and is closing three of its four teams in November, but Briscoe has made a huge leap forward in his final months behind the wheel of the No. 14 Ford. He clinched the final spot in the playoff field by winning the regular-season finale at Darlington, then bounced back from a crash at Atlanta by finishing sixth and eighth in the next two races.
He fell to last in the standings with the points reset before Kansas, but he’s still a contender.
“I don’t think anybody believes it, but I really think we can contend for the championship,” Briscoe said. “And I think these last two weeks show that. We hit our stride at the right time, and with this format, if you can be good for 10 weeks, then you can be a champion.”
“I feel like we’re as strong as any team right now.”
Cindric managed to pull through with consistency, finishing 10th in back-to-back races at Atlanta and Watkins Glen, then 13th at Bristol, which was enough to move the Team Penske driver up.
“I don’t know what the average is for this event, but two top 10s and a 13th place is what we need to do as a team,” Cindric said, “and it’s something we’ve struggled to put together, but the potential is there. Everything resets, so there’s no reason why we can’t replicate that performance.”
Suarez, who had nearly won the first round in Atlanta, found himself in trouble at Bristol against a Trackhouse Racing car that lacked the speed to be competitive. He struggled throughout the race and, with a 31st place finish, barely managed to qualify for the second round.
But by the time the race was over, Suarez had his sights set on Round 2, which begins in Kansas and continues at Talladega Superspeedway in Alabama and the hybrid road course at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
“I think we’re going to be pretty good. I’m really excited for Kansas. I think we can be competitive there,” Suarez said. “At a superspeedway, as we all know, anything can happen. And a road course there always puts a smile on my face.”
___
AP Motor Racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing
