Alex Bowman turned in a strong performance at Richmond, but it still fell short of delivering the win that would have locked him into the playoffs. Starting ninth, he slid to 17th in Stage 1 before clawing back to fifth in Stage 2, yet what frustrated him most was traffic. In his post-race comments, Bowman said the lapped cars ultimately made the difference.
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He pointed to Shane van Gisbergen in particular, claiming the Trackhouse driver slowed his charge in the closing 10 laps despite running a lap down with nothing at stake. Bowman even weaved in front of SVG on the cooldown lap and tossed a hand gesture.
Over the radio, he vented and later, in his post-race interviews, asserted that “just favors” from his fellow Chevrolet drivers could have been enough to swing the race his way.
The No. 48 team wanted SVG to give Bowman the corner exit and asked spotter Josh Williams to relay the message. SVG, however, held his line, leaving Bowman stuck. “What he needs to do is give us the f***ing exit! Like, why is it so hard with these Chevrolets!?” Bowman fumed over the radio.
He also accused Jesse Love, Austin Dillon’s RCR teammate, of blocking him, though he brushed that off as more of a side comment.
However, fans wasted no time in firing back at Bowman. One wrote, “A lappers only job is to hold their line. Shane did and the 48 didn’t have the speed to pass the 14th place car, not van Gisbergen’s fault.”
Another piled on, “If the 88 was any higher up the track he’d be in the parking lot, LOL. Bowman is such a cry baby. If it pisses you off that much, move someone.” A third fan defended SVG, saying, “88 didn’t do anything wrong, Bowman had three lanes of the the racetrack to make the pass happen.”
Alex Bowman’s onboard/side of the story.
The 48 team wanted Shane van Gisbergen to do them a favor and give Bowman the exit of the corner and asked spotter Josh Williams about it. Williams relayed to SVG, but SVG kept running his line and Bowman couldn’t get the drive off as a… https://t.co/GgytO0MikJ pic.twitter.com/OpEaLgA4Qs
— Steven Taranto (@STaranto92) August 17, 2025
Others went so far as to predict his downfall, with one remarking, “Sounds like someone who knows he’s on the hot seat. Bowman is missing the playoffs next week.”
Now, Bowman heads to Daytona holding the 16th and final playoff spot after his runner-up finish at Richmond, fully aware of how fragile his position is.
With any new winner from below the cut line guaranteed to knock him out, he admitted the week ahead will be full of pressure. Given the unpredictability of Daytona, he views it as a must-win, knowing the odds lean heavily toward a new driver reaching victory lane.
