One year ago, Alex Bowman raced to victory in the Chicago Street Course and stopped an 80-race winless drought that was beginning to put his seat with Hendrick Motorsports in jeopardy. The driver is back in Chicago for the 2025 Grant Park 165 in search of his first win of the ongoing season. Whatever else may be lacking, confidence is running high for him and his No. 48 team.
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Bowman told the press in the Windy City, “As far as confidence coming into this race, like, I feel like we’re plenty capable. Like, we’re typically pretty good at the road courses, have a lot of confidence coming into these places. You know, obviously the weather looks similar, so that adds a layer of confidence.”
The 2024 win not only ended his winless drought but also secured him a spot in the playoffs. The big question right now is if he can repeat the feat. He continued, “I thought we were pretty good in the rain. We were really good as it started to kind of dry out and get patchy. So, yeah, I think we’re definitely confident.”
Bowman battled hard against 23XI Racing’s Tyler Reddick last year to reach Victory Lane. The race was shortened in 2023 and 2024 due to rain. According to the latest weather reports, more showers can be expected during Sunday’s race. As Bowman said, drivers will just have to wait and see. As for himself, he would like it better if the track was dry.
How important was it for Bowman to win at Chicago in 2024?
The speculation that Hendrick Motorsports might replace Bowman was never backed by anyone from the organization. Bowman stressed that they were just rumors started by people who did not know what they were talking about. However, he did admit that the win in Chicago was extremely crucial for his season since it helped him make the playoffs and end the year strong.
“I think it was really important to make the playoffs and to finish the year strong, right? Like, we were able to have a really strong playoff run,” he said. He finished the 2024 season in ninth place after getting eliminated in the Round of 16.
The 32-year-old Tucson, Arizona native added, “I think that was just important in general for the race team to end the season strong and obviously, you know, start this year strong as well, which I feel like we’ve been able to do.”
Bowman sits at 12th place on the points table now after finishing third in Atlanta last weekend. Hopefully, he will be able to make use of the momentum on the streets of Chicago.
