The driver that has impressed the most in Cup Series playoff races this year has to be Hendrick Motorsports’ Alex Bowman. Be it securing the most points in the first round, or being consistent throughout and almost qualifying for the round of 8 in the Charlotte ROVAL race. The #48 car was unfortunately disqualified after the Roval race as the car failed to meet post-race weight requirements.

Despite the disqualification, Bowman continues to impress as he bagged a P5 finish in the recent Las Vegas playoff race. Joey Logano, who was reinstated thanks to Bowman’s disqualification, ended up winning the race. Ahead of the race, the two were seen chatting as Bowman narrated the events that followed post his disqualification news. The Penske driver could not control bursting out in laughter!

Alex Bowman shares the hilarious incident post-DQ

Bowman finished the race in the 18th position and yet had enough points to progress to the round of 8 as he won stage 2. However, his car was lighter than the pre-race weight leading to his DQ. This prevented HMS from having all four of their drivers in the top 8. HMS also chose not to appeal NASCAR’s decision, since nothing concrete was found in their internal inspection. This came after NASCAR’s thorough inspection of the car. Even after NASCAR’s weight buffer, the car still didn’t meet the required weight.

The NASCAR inspection took nearly three hours and by that time, the #48 was already home. According to Alex Bowman, he read his disqualification news on X, and this is what led to the hilarious ‘phone story’. The North Carolina native knew his phone was going to blow up with notifications and messages of the DQ and was in no mood for it, so he tossed the phone in the swimming pool. Bowman, in the pre-race interview for Vegas, narrated the incident.

He said, “I proceeded to throw my phone in the pool, and my phone proceeded to call 9-1-1 and tell them I was in a car crash, so, my Sunday night wasn’t very good, if I’m being honest with you.” Apparently, that’s a feature of the iPhone, as it thought the #48 was in a car crash after it hit the pool’s surface. Ahead of the race, Bowman shared the hilarious incident with Logano, who could not control his laughter. The Penske driver felt bad for laughing and said, “I’m sorry” with a shrug. To which Bowman promptly replied, “Not your fault.” 

The phone toss worked, as Bowman did not receive any messages due to the lack of service. He further shared, “So, it (the phone) hit the bottom of the pool, and I walked away. And 20 minutes later, I’m like, ‘Okay, I should probably get my phone out of the pool.’ Because, you know, iPhones are waterproof so it’s like you’re throwing your — and when I say throw, I just kind of tossed it when I walked inside. Because I knew my phone was about to start blowing up, and I really didn’t want to see any of it at that point, right? Luckily, your phone doesn’t have service from the bottom of the pool. So, nothing came of it.

However, the series of repercussions doesn’t stop with the phone story. Like a domino effect, Bowman’s day just kept mounting with troubles.

More incidents followed his phone’s swim session

Trending

“Hendrick Runs NASCAR”: Joe Gibbs & Co’s Protest Being Shut Down Amid Chevrolet Favoritism Enrages Fans

Kyle Larson Gives the Shock of the Season After a Miserable Round of 8 Sees the Former Champ Crash Out

Kyle Petty Stirs Outrage In NASCAR Fans With Bold Take on Chevrolet’s Blatant Race Manipulation

Situation Looks Bleak for Rick Hendrick and Co. as New Revelations Cement Allegations Against the Chevrolet Camp

Amidst the NASCAR Lawsuit Chaos, Tony Stewart’s Charters to Potentially Have a Resolution

Already disappointed with the news, Alex Bowman found his car window cracked the next morning. “Honestly, it gets even better than that. The next morning, I walked out into my garage, and one of the windows on my car was cracked because of the temperature change or something, I guess. I don’t know. I didn’t throw my phone at the car, it was in the pool,” Bowman shared.

That wasn’t it either! According to the #48 driver, a house maintenance problem also chose the perfect time to appear. Bowman said, “And then, my roof was leaking, and I had to get my roof fixed this week. It’s been a week, man.” Thankfully, after his P5 finish in the Vegas race, his luck seems to have improved. Even though he is out of the championship contention, this consistency would be a big morale booster heading into the next season.

Other than Bowman, it was a mixed day for HMS in the Las Vegas race. William Byron finished ahead of Bowman in P4, Kyle Larson took P11 and Chase Elliott had to suffer a DNF after he crashed with Tyler Reddick in stage two. While Larson and Byron are above the cutline, the crash has found Elliott below it. The No. 9 driver is last in the playoff points table at -53.

Next up is the Homestead, Miami race. HMS will hope Bowman continues his consistency and who knows, maybe he could even play spoiler. Who do you think will dominate at Homestead? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below.