Alex Bowman vs Bubba Wallace: Will Chicago See a Repeat of Last Year’s Drama With the Stakes Even Higher?

A riveting battle between Alex Bowman and Bubba Wallace in Chicago was not an expected storyline for the 2025 Cup Series season. The drivers have been seeded against each other for the second round of NASCAR’s in-season tournament, which will go down on the streets of Chicago on Sunday. Only one of them will remain in contention for the title after the 75 laps in Grant Park.

This is particularly intriguing since they already have a history in Chicago. Following Bowman’s victory on the circuit last year, Wallace had slammed into him during the cool-down lap. He did this in retaliation for Bowman spinning him on the race’s 25th lap. NASCAR considered Wallace’s act of revenge offensive and was fined $50,000.

Bowman was quick to apologize for the mistake and sorted things out in the aftermath. He was even critical of the promotion for fining Wallace. While all appears smooth on the surface now, some leftover feelings might turn up on Sunday, considering the high stakes that the two will be racing for. $1 million isn’t a small bag of money to give up.

Bowman was seeded eighth in the tournament standings, and Wallace was seeded ninth. The result of the battle can be judged to an extent based on how they have been performing against each other thus far. Bowman has finished better than Wallace in 11 of the 18 races that have been held this season. He has also beaten him 13-5 on road courses (in the Next Gen era).

Bowman is currently 12th in the points table, a step above Wallace, who sits in 13th place. Bowman’s record is also better when it comes to Chicago. He finished 37th in 2023 and won last year. Wallace, on the other hand, finished 31st in 2023 and 13th last year. So, the numbers point to the Hendrick Motorsports driver as the one with the upper hand.

How Bowman and Wallace sorted things out after the 2024 incident

Although Wallace had been frustrated and angry at Bowman immediately after the race, he calmed down soon after. The biggest reason for this was Bowman’s acknowledgment that he had committed a mistake. The rain had made him lose control of his car and slam into Wallace’s Toyota Camry XSE at Turn 2.

Wallace said a week later in Pocono, “I texted him Monday, sitting in our debrief. Because he texts me, ‘Hey man, sorry. Immediately locked up.’ He didn’t mention anything about switches until the TV. And he’s like, ‘If there’s any consolation, my (expletive) is destroyed too.’ And I text them after the race, ‘Yeah, ha. Real destroyed. Nice job on the win.’ So we’re good.”

It remains to be seen if this weekend will carry similar incidents between them. The Grant Park 165 will begin at 2:00 p.m. ET on Sunday.