Alex Bowman faced a tough break at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway. The driver was running 17th in the 36-car field when the caution flag flew for Daniel Hemric’s lap 142 spin. Just 144 laps into the scheduled 301, Bowman pulled the # 48 Chevy into the pits. His crew checked under the hood, but with smoke pouring out, they made the tough call to take the car behind the wall.

Unfortunately, this meant an early exit for Bowman, who had started in a promising fifth position. This incident brought in the wrath of fans who were furious about Rick Hendrick’s driver not being able to complete the race. With Ringers in the past facing similar issues, the Next Gen cars have come under the scrutiny of the racing community.

Despite the rain playing havoc in New Hampshire, the race continued after a red flag at Lap 219. With Alex Bowman making a quick exit, all hopes for HMS were pinned on Kyle Larson. The engines were re-fired after a halt of two and a half hours. With about 73 laps more to go, the Green flag was finally raised. With wet weather tires on, all the cars were coping well and that is when Christopher Bell started to take the lead from Lap 235.

However, as for Bowman, he had to bear the brunt of livid fans and the racing community. Some of them blamed the Next Gen cars, while others were extremely disappointed as they were hoping to see Bowman break his winless streak.

Fans react to Bowman’s early exit

Fans of Alex Bowman were vocal about their frustration and disappointment following his early departure from the race. One fan lamented, “Alex Bowman got me weeping and gnashing my teeth,” capturing the collective dismay. Another fan sarcastically remarked, “Do we need any more proof that the 48 is just a glorified R&D team?” highlighting their skepticism about the car’s reliability.

However, some defended Bowman, acknowledging the harsh reality of racing. “You do know engines do break, right? The 48 isn’t R&D. Bowman just has some bad luck. He is a great driver just buried in negative luck,” one supporter stated, while another echoed this sentiment, saying, “Typical Bowman summer luck.”

Adding to the pessimism, a fan commented, “Good thing he has a crew chief who can build something with race-winning speed every week JK.” Yet, another fan concluded, “Yeah, don’t see any good runs coming. Another bad year in the can”. 

Bowman’s early exit from the race was a significant setback. Especially, as he entered the event in 12th position in the Cup Series standings. With just a 66-point margin above the provisional postseason elimination line. With only eight races remaining before the 16-driver playoff field is set, Bowman’s engine woes couldn’t have come at a worse time. NASCAR needs to look into this as the Next Gen cars are getting more popular for engine blowouts than they are for performance.