NASCAR’s stance toward sensitive topics such as racism and mental health in the sport has been well set by the governing body, with a no-nonsense approach towards the same. Over the years, many instances with several drivers have proven how the provenance views such social issues and where the sport as a whole stands on them.
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Back in the year 2020, Alex Bowman shared his fair share of such controversy. The now Hendrick Motorsports driver at the time battled with anxiety during a race that year, which was subsequently mocked by a senior journalist who coined a derogatory hashtag and mistook the exchange as humorous.
During a crucial moment in a NASCAR Cup Series playoff race at the Charlotte Roval, Bowman had communicated to his crew that he was feeling unwell, with his continued participation in the playoffs hanging in the balance due to him feeling anxious inside the car.
This prompted Jim Utter to label Bowman as “Anxiety Alex,” sparking controversy, particularly from those who advocate for professionalism in reporting.
Utter faced intense criticism for his remarks, leading him to block numerous critics on his social media, though he left the controversial tweets visible for several hours. During this period, fans rallied behind Bowman, showing their support.
Utter eventually clarified his stance on the controversy
Eventually, he issued an apology via a tweet, “Yesterday during the race, I tweeted a hashtag about Alex Bowman. I responded to what I thought was humorous banter about anxiety between himself and his crew chief on his radio. I’d like to apologize to anyone who believed I was making light of mental health issues, which couldn’t be further from the truth. Alex and I had a great conversation this afternoon in which I reiterated that to him.”
Responding to the outpouring of support, Bowman also took to Twitter, expressing his gratitude with a message: “Hey everybody, just wanted to say thanks for the support. Millions of people deal with anxiety and everybody handles it differently. It was a stressful week and I’m glad to be through it and focused on Kansas.”
With the whole controversy now well behind the driver and the community as a whole, the experience comes as a lesson to everyone in the fraternity that even a light-hearted joke could end up being taken in the wrong context, especially with topics such as the above with their inherent volatile nature.
