Alex Bowman has been the most consistent driver through six NASCAR Cup Series races this season.
No driver has more top-10 finishes than Bowman and the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports team as he sits solidly third in the standings, behind teammates William Byron and Kyle Larson.
Consistency often leads to victories and that almost came to fruition during Sunday’s Cup Series race at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
After starting on the pole, Bowman led 43 laps and was in prime position to secure a playoff berth after taking the lead away from Bubba Wallace with 33 circuits remaining.
However, Larson quickly closed in on Bowman’s No. 48 Chevrolet.
A mistake by Bowman with seven laps to go opened the door for Larson to pounce as he skated away to a win at the 1.5-mile oval.
Bowman was forced to settle for second in a race he feels he gave away.
“The No. 5 (Kyle Larson) was way better than us on the long runs all day and he showed up there at the end,” Bowman said. “I just tried to push a little too hard and kind of hung it in the fence there, so that’s on me.
“I just didn’t do a good enough job, but congratulations to Kyle Larson and the No. 5 team on getting the win.”
While as disappointed as Bowman may have been, it was a major positive for a driver who’s had his fair share of struggles at the track.
Over the last handful of years, Bowman’s name has been brought up significantly in silly season headlines on whether he’ll remain with Hendrick Motorsports or if he’ll he replaced.
After all, he hasn’t had a better points finish than ninth (last year) since 2020. However, a concussion (2022) and back injury (2023) in consecutive years hides within those tough seasons.
Following Sunday’s race, Hendrick Motorsports Vice Chairman Jeff Gordon fully backed Bowman and the No. 48 team, which is led by crew chief Blake Harris.
“Listen, I think this performance all weekend, to have that solid of a weekend… pole, pit stops were great. They were basically in the top five all day long, led a bunch of laps,” Gordon said.
“To be leading at the end, contending, that does a lot for a race team. I think we saw the momentum building with that team last year, at the end of last year. You just hope that they can build on that and carry that into the season, and I think they have. You’ve got to get the results.
“So I think today was an important day for them, and I think you’ll see that create quite a spark to hopefully get them on a run.”
