Alex Bowman must have believed that he completed his redemption story in the very first race of the year, only for one of his teammates to beat him to the finish. Well, it was not exactly a proper finish, but had the race ended normally, the #48 probably would have passed the Daytona winner, William Byron, and gotten the job done. Fans believe that Bowman is over the result, but a recent interview showed that it still played on his mind, even in a small capacity.
The 66th running of the Daytona 500 finished under caution, and William Byron was declared the winner as he was ahead of Alex Bowman when the white flag fell. The driver of the #48 car zoomed past the #24 after crossing the line, but unfortunately, it was too late. It might have been too early as well, as race control threw the caution out sometime after the last lap crash. Had it been earlier, Bowman might have won, as he was probably ahead of Byron for a while.
The Hendrick Motorsports star is not over his teammate winning the Daytona 500
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
He does not really come across as a fiery character, but Alex Bowman knows when and how to take sly digs to express his displeasure. His latest target is NASCAR, and they took as long as they did to throw the caution flag up. What he means is that his teammate was lucky that the yellow flag was shown, as he perhaps would not have won otherwise.
“Yeah, it definitely stings a little bit to be that close. A guy pushes a button a tenth of a second later, and you get a trophy, but that’s just life. It was honestly really good to get a teammate on Victory Lane and have a good start for Hendrick Motorsports. Wish it would have been us but yeah, definitely close,” he said in a recent interview with Frontstretch.
.@Alex_Bowman shares that he's moved on from nearly winning the Daytona 500: “A guy pushes a button 1/10 of a second later and you get a trophy, but that’s just life.”
📹: @stephen_stumpf pic.twitter.com/VS6eGzLdvt
— Frontstretch (@Frontstretch) February 24, 2024
However, considering how he performed for the entirety of last year, going winless in a Hendrick Motorsports car, and finishing P2 at the Daytona 500 is a great result. Alex Bowman understands that and will try his luck next at the Atlanta Motor Speedway on Sunday in the NASCAR Cup Series.
“I think on speedways, there are a lot of things that happen outside of your control but…just maximising the things that you can control which I think we did at Daytona and getting a good finish out of there. Feels really good, you want to be one spot better but definitely a good start,” the 30-year-old added.
To some people, what happened to Alex Bowman was extremely cruel considering how well he ran throughout the day. To others, what happened to him was karma, as he was the one responsible for one of the biggest crashes of the day.
Read More – SHR Star Unsure After Being Left Out to Dry by Ford’s Questionable Fuel Strategy
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Was Alex Bowman’s Daytona fate cruel or karma?
Trending
Tony Stewart’s Wife Leah Pruett Pens a Heartfelt Message for Husband After His Unwavering Support for His Family
“We Are Not Morning People”- Travel Woes Hit Home for Kyle Busch & Wife Samantha Leaving Son Brexton Grinning
Dale Earnhardt Jr. Offers a Once-in-a-Lifetime Opportunity to His Loyal Fanbase as He Gears Up for His Return With Budweiser
JRM Prodigy & Kelley Earnhardt’s Son Earn Major Backing as Dale Jr.’s Loyal Partners Announce 2025 Return
Rick Hendrick’s Alliance Rumored to Save Chevy Prodigy Who Crashed Kyle Busch’s Party
With just 9 laps to go, the #48 car pushed the #24 car a bit too hard, causing Byron to lose control, take out Brad Keselowski, and collect a dozen other cars in the process. At the time, Alex Bowman had no idea that he was the reason why the big one unfolded with just 9 laps remaining. He reasoned that he could not see what was going on ahead of his teammate, and everyone was bunched up too close to one another.
“I can’t even see far enough (ahead) to see that Byron hitting Keselowski is what started it. I knew I had William in a spot that I didn’t want to have him in. But we’re all just sort of sandwiched up there. I was lifting to try to get off him once he was aimed the wrong place. But we’re all just shoving each other. That’s what speedway racing has kind of become. If it’s my fault, I didn’t mean to crash anybody by any means,” he said, as per the Associated Press.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
The Atlanta race will be an interesting one for Alex Bowman. He may not have that coveted Daytona 500 trophy yet, but a win at the mile-and-a-half track is still possible. The #48 driver is desperate to win this season, and it will be interesting to see how he manages the tricky Atlanta Motor Speedway.
Read More – Elated SVG Dissects the First-Ever NASCAR Podium Finish Amidst Ford’s Atlanta Muck-Up