Rick Hendrick’s Self Proclaimed “Village Idiot” Wins Over NASCAR Fans With Hysterical Confession

Despite the many curveballs that the 2024 season has thrown, Hendrick Motorsports remains resilient. With Kyle Larson leading in points and William Byron tying Denny Hamlin for most wins, Rick Hendrick’s side is steaming forward. Even Chase Elliott, who was thought to have lost his golden touch by many, relit his 2024 campaign with a win at Texas. That being said, one driver from the HMS garage seems to be falling short of his counterparts. With a victory in 2024 still to come, Alex Bowman isn’t in the best of places.

But while his on-track results as of late may not satisfy fans, his off-track charisma remains immovable.

Alex Bowman makes light of his worsening situation at Hendrick Motorsports

When Alex Bowman joined Hendrick Motorsports full-time in 2018, many believed that the newcomer would take HMS to new heights. And by the time 2020 rolled around, that certainly seemed to be the case. With Bowman slowly building momentum, the #48 HMS driver was able to bring home four wins in the 2021 season, a career-high he hasn’t been able to achieve since, partly owing to a freak accident he endured last year, resulting in a fractured vertebra, during a sprint car crash.

Fast-forward to 2024, and it’s now been nearly two seasons since Bowman visited victory lane. At a time when Byron has 3, Kyle Larson has 2, and Chase Elliott has 1, Bowman’s lack of a win this season puts him one step below his HMS colleagues. And, it seems like the 31-year-old from Tucson, Arizona is aware of this dilemma. As things stand, Bowman is the only driver outside of the top 5 point rankings.

So when Bowman was asked about his thoughts on the HMS lineup on FS1 Hub, the #48 driver couldn’t help but make light of the situation. Bowman stated. “We have Kyle Larson, I mean the greatest race car driver of our generation. Wins in everything he literally sits in, and could win the Indy500. Chase Elliott, the most popular driver, super-fast, Cup Champion. You have William Byron, the fastest guy in the garage right now by far. Then you have me, who’s like the village idiot.” 

With Alex Bowman yet to bring home a win this season and end his winless streak, the fact that he is the only HMS driver without that coveted window sticker ahead of playoffs could make fans fear the worst. But fortunately, after looking at how Bowman turned his misery into a joke, the NASCAR community sidelined the on-track woes to commend his sense of humor.

“Can’t help but be a fan” – Bowman wins hearts with his witty humor

For fans watching the Fox Sports 1 NASCAR Hub broadcast, Alex Bowman’s statement about himself came as a shocker. For a driver that many have considered to be on the serious side, this display of humor from Bowman was something many hadn’t seen. That being said, those who got to witness it immediately took to X and highlighted Bowman’s sense of humor.

Going over the video snippet, many NASCAR fans chimed in to point out how Bowman seemed to make the most of his misery. One user compared Bowman’s antics to Matt Kenseth; a driver notorious for his dry humor and witty takes on pop culture. The user stated; “He kind of has Matt Kenseth’s sense of humor.” Besides being a race car driver, 2003 Winston Cup Series champion, Matt Kenseth is especially known around the circuit for his comic timing. His shenanigans are widely known around social media with many industry insiders even admitting defeat to his humorous side.

“But I’ll be honest, since he’s come on Twitter I’m going to take second chair to Matt. He’s probably the funniest guy that I know now,” shared three-time NASCAR championship winning spotter, Mike Calinoff. Former HMS racer Jimmie Johnson also addressed this when he said, “We all know Matt and how much fun Matt is,” Johnson said. “It just doesn’t come across on camera.”

Speaking of which, others seemed to agree with the sentiment. The original poster retorted; “That’s just his sense of humor, part of the reason I’m such a big fan of his over the other HMS drivers” Another fan chimed in; “He’s legit one of the funniest drivers in the garage 😂😂😂” For many, the way Bowman ended the discussion on the note of him being a ‘village idiot’ deserved some merch. A fan shared their request; “I hope he makes this a T-shirt 🤣🤣🤣” 

But coming back to Alex Bowman’s on-track grievances, it’s safe to say his humor seemed to comfort the blow. One fan shared their wishful thinking; “I can’t help but be a fan of the kid. Really hope he gets things going.” whilst another concluded, “9th in points with consistency almost every week. Win coming soon for big AB” 

Evidently, Bowman’s results haven’t been too bad. While he has stayed out of the Top-20 on five occasions so far, the #48 racer started the season on a high note, with a P2 finish at the Daytona International Speedway. Then the racer continued his streak with two back-to-back P4 finishes at Bristol and COTA. Furthermore, he also garnered three 8th-place finishes at Martinsville, Dover and Darlington, and rounded up his Top-5 and Top-10 tally with a P5 at Talladega and P7 at Kansas.

However, just high finishes won’t suffice as the driver now needs to come out of his slump with a Victory Lane visit. Now that Alex Bowman has Time working against him to bring home the first win in two seasons, can the #48 driver channel his humor into his on-track finishes?