Alex Bowman finds himself mired in a cold streak. Over his last nine starts, the Hendrick Motorsports driver has logged seven finishes of 27th or worse, salvaging only a top-10 at Talladega and a top-five at Kansas.
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His most recent effort at Michigan unraveled in harsh fashion as well, as he became collateral damage in a multi-car pileup, slamming nose-first into the wall in his No. 48 Chevrolet. That wreck dropped him to a 36th-place result and nudged him from 12th to 13th in the standings, which is another blow in an already trying stretch.
Still, despite the string of misfires, optimism lingers within the NASCAR garage. Many believe Bowman’s bounce-back is waiting just around the bend.
While discussing the road ahead for the No. 48 team with Steve Letarte and Jeff Burton, veteran crew chief Todd Gordon offered a timely reminder, saying, “I know Alex is almost quietly a road course guy. He won at Chicago last year, but if you look, he’s in the hunt at COTA like year after year after year.”
“He is a pretty darn good little road racer. And you look at the summer swing, we’ve got four of them coming up. You’ve got obviously Mexico City this weekend. We’ll see where that plays out for him. Then you’ve got Chicago Street Course and Sonoma back to back and Watkins Glen back in the regular season. So, I think you have to keep that,” Gordon continued.
He emphasized that Blake Harris, Bowman’s crew chief, must keep those stats in mind to help the No. 48 camp stay focused and inspired, to keep the team from spiraling after nine punishing weekends, and instead, to keep their eyes on the road ahead.
Jeff Burton also chimed in, likening Bowman’s current stretch to a rough first half in basketball. He said the scoreboard may not look great but Bowman remains very much in the game, ranked 13th overall and sitting 10th in stage points earned this season.
Gordon’s optimism isn’t unfounded. With 11 races left in the regular season and seven playoff spots still up for grabs, the window is wide open. That slate includes four road courses and two superspeedway events, formats where Bowman has shown flashes of brilliance. The door to the playoffs hasn’t closed yet. It’s just waiting for the No. 48 to kick it open.
