Despite COTA Redemption, Rick Hendrick’s Superstar Professes William Byron’s Superiority in 7 Words

This is a year of redemption for Hendrick Motorsports driver Alex Bowman. After missing out on three races last year owing to a back injury, the driver was perhaps looking for a comeback. However, that comeback would only be possible with a win, which he’s yet to his hands on, in 2024. Unfortunately, even last weekend’s COTA race couldn’t give him that elusive victory as he lost out to William Byron and his No. 24 RAPTOR Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, and secured a P4 finish.

While his finishing position is already applaudworthy, Bowman’s post-race interview seemed to show how he was really hoping for a P1. The driver even revealed how William Byron managed to outrun him as he dissected the issues he faced during the race.

“Just not enough to catch the 24” , says Alex Bowman

Alex Bowman shared his thoughts to Defined Fate in a post-race interview. He spoke about running on low air and how it affected his performance. He also stated that he had a good car, that was eventually not good enough to surpass Byron.

“We had a good day overall. I think we did a good job. We had a good strategy. The guys were working hard at trying to get me a little more grip to hang on longer and might have had it. Just where we came out, back out on track, that last stop. We were kind of right in the middle of some traffic and I had to run really hard on low air. I just feel like I heard the rear tires and they just didn’t hang on. We had a fast ZL1 Camaro, just not enough to catch the 24,” the #48 driver revealed.

That being said, the unsatisfactory finish definitely isn’t going to deter the driver as he also sounded optimistic about his team’s performance. He mentioned how it is good to know that they are getting closer to being back to winning ways. “All in all, a good day for us…It’s been too long since we’ve been in victory lane, but we’re getting closer,” he shared.

Read More: William Byron Hoping to Draw Advantage From Track Changes as He Extends His Own Record at COTA

However, it is understandable why Alex Bowman seemed to somewhat repent his finish at COTA this year. After all, in all his appearances on the racetrack, the driver has come close to victory almost every time, but fallen short on each occasion.

Unreal COTA dominance from HMS No. 48 driver over the years

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Alex Bowman’s performance in the Circuit of the Americas has certainly been noteworthy. Starting from 2022, he possesses impressive Top 5 finishes on his last three races.

In 2022, at the track of Austin, Texas, Bowman started from a fifth place. Despite not leading any laps, his consistent performance kept him within striking distance of the leaders throughout the race. As the race progressed, the No.48 Chevrolet driver battled with Ross Chastain and A. J. Allmendinger during the last lap. At the final corner, Bowman took a strategic move, thereby leaving Chastain and Allmendinger behind. However, an unfortunate contact that didn’t even involve Bowman himself, led to Allmendinger’s car hitting him, which ultimately saw the driver lose the lead and finished at P2.

The following year, Bowman started from a 6th place. Racing through the 20-turn road course, he avoided any on-track incident to finish at P3. This podium finish at COTA marked his best finish in the 2023 season. Now, coming to the current season’s race at the venue, the HMS racer started from 17th position, facing challenges on the track. The pivotal moment came when the team called Bowman to pit road for the final time under green flag conditions with 25 laps remaining. Despite the race not turning out to be in his favor, Bowman managed to finish at P4 position.

Read More: “I Don’t Really Give a F**k”: Alex Bowman Spills Beans on ‘Selfish’ Intentions Amid a High-Stakes Situation at Hendrick Motorsports

Indeed, the 2024 Cup Series still holds the hope that Alex Bowman will be able to produce a triumphant year. Only time will reveal the answer on the racetrack.