via Getty
DAYTONA BEACH, FLORIDA – FEBRUARY 1985: NASCAR driver Kyle Petty stands in the speedway garage prior to the start of the 1985 Daytona 500 stock car race at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by Robert Alexander/Getty Images)
via Getty
DAYTONA BEACH, FLORIDA – FEBRUARY 1985: NASCAR driver Kyle Petty stands in the speedway garage prior to the start of the 1985 Daytona 500 stock car race at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by Robert Alexander/Getty Images)
It seems that former NASCAR driver Kyle Petty has a pretty low opinion of Hendrick Motorsports driver Alex Bowman. Following the NASCAR Cup race at Darlington, Petty once again criticized Bowman’s performance. As it turned out, during the race, he called the #48 driver ‘Bowman the Showman’.
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Naturally, many fans did not appreciate the comments against the 29-year-old. Many of them pointed out that Bowman has been a far more successful driver than Petty has ever been.
They noted that Bowman has racked up seven wins already and could equal or beat Petty’s tally. Kyle Petty himself picked up eight wins in a 30-year career.
READ MORE: First Denny Hamlin, Now Kyle Busch: Alex Bowman Teases Proven Method for Shutting Down JGR Drivers
How did NASCAR fans defend Alex Bowman from Kyle Petty?
According to many, four of Bowman’s 7 wins came in 2021 and he already has one win this season. So it is highly likely that he will surpass Kyle Petty’s tally by a long shot. Some did accuse the #48 driver of often backing into his race wins. However, Bowman fans countered that by saying he needs to be in that position in the first place to ‘back into the win’.
Alex Bowman had 4 wins during the 2021 season, 1 win in 2022, and has 7 victories in his career.
Kyle Petty has 8 wins across 30 years of NASCAR Cup Series racing.
👀🍿
— Austin Konenski (@AustinKonenski) September 4, 2022
Kyle Petty just got roasted and toasted my friends!!😂👍 https://t.co/3IblbCeZkb
— Liam / AlmostAMechanic (@AlmostAMechanic) September 4, 2022
Backed in??? Got to be in position to win. Larson & Bowman have the same amount of wins this year.
— Kevin Matter (@k_matt67) September 5, 2022
Man was shitting on Bowman consistently in prerace lol
— Elliot Hicks (@ehicks39) September 4, 2022
Others simply called out the 62-year-old for constantly going after Bowman in the build-up to Darlington.
USA Today via Reuters
Feb 16, 2022; Daytona, FL, USA; NASCAR Cup Series driver Alex Bowman (48) talks to the press during Daytona 500 media day at Daytona International Speedway. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports
People even called him out for his ‘showman’ comments, saying that he himself has no room to talk. A few people even suggested that Bowman should give Petty the ‘Denny Hamlin’ treatment.
Kyle Petty calling @Alex_Bowman the “No showman” like he can really talk. #NASCARPlayoffs
— Evan Deprey (@deprey10) September 4, 2022
Kyle Petty in reference to Alex Bowman:
“He has been Bowman the ‘no-showman’”.#darlington #NASCARPlayoffs— The Loose Wheel (@Theloosewheel0) September 4, 2022
Kyle petty don’t know what he’s talking about, may I suggest a new tee shirt? Let’s #rally48
— Marshall48 (GOT THAT STRIPE) (@marshall24fan) September 5, 2022
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Atta boy @Alex_Bowman! Kyle Petty can be quiet now. #NASCARPlayoffs #rALLY48 https://t.co/Ssc34ocFrt
— Bryan Lloyd (@bryanlloyd2814) September 5, 2022
For context, when Hamlin and Bowman had their feud last year, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver called him a ‘hack’. Needless to say, Alex Bowman got his own back when he made the ‘hack’ comment into a T-shirt and proceeded to sell them.
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Later on, he did the same thing with Kyle Busch, turning his ‘backing into wins’ comment into a T-shirt and selling them.
WATCH THIS STORY: From Bashing NASCAR Fans to Throwing Powerade on Bowman: Bubba Wallace’s Most Heated Moments
