Fans who were wondering whether Alex Bowman and Bubba Wallace would reprise last year’s fireworks got their answers in earnest. They didn’t have to wait long for déjà vu in Chicago.
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Living up to the expectations, the duo reignited tensions in a no-holds-barred scrap for seventh place late in the Grant Park 165, colliding more than once in a heated exchange that turned back the clock to their 2024 run-in.
This time, Bowman, seeded eighth in the bracket-style in-season tournament, held the upper hand with fresher tires over the ninth-seeded Wallace. On Lap 70 of the 75-lap race, the No. 48 driver nudged Wallace exiting Turn 2, sending the 23XI Racing Toyota into a spin down DuSable Lake Shore Drive.
Bowman managed to steer clear of trouble after that and came home eighth. However, Wallace wasn’t as fortunate. He suffered a broken toe link that relegated him to 28th place, a good five laps down.
Their latest tangle was similar to last year’s drama, when Wallace was turned sideways off Bowman’s nose during the early stages of the Chicago race. That day, Bowman went on to win while Wallace recovered to finish 13th. He later retaliated with a door slam of Bowman’s car on the cooldown lap that later cost him $50,000.
And just like last year, fans are supporting Bowman this time as well. When The Daily Downfords posted a clip of this year’s incident on X with the caption, “Should Alex Bowman be suspended for wrecking Bubba Wallace???”. Fans quickly took sides, and most stood in Bowman’s corner.
One user dismissed the controversy outright: “Not even close, Bubba squeezed him up.” Another chimed in, “Only if you don’t like RACIN,” while a third wrote, “Nah, that’s hard racing.”
Should Alex Bowman be suspended for wrecking Bubba Wallace??? pic.twitter.com/ISsEE5Moyo
— The Daily Downfords (@DailyDownfords) July 6, 2025
In his post-race remarks, Bowman didn’t beat around the bush either. “I thought we had squashed our beef, but clearly we’ve not. I don’t know. I followed the 45 [Tyler Reddick] past him. He ran me into the inside wall in [Turn] 8,” he said.
“Still felt like I passed him clean, then he absolutely just demolished me into [Turn] 12. I gave it back a little bit into 1, and then he demolished me again into 2, ran me into the outside wall, and then I’m just a pinball between him and the outside wall at that point,” added Bowman.
Though Bowman did not outrightly blame Wallace, he hinted that the No. 23 driver brought the trouble on himself. From the Hendrick Motorsports driver’s point of view, it was Wallace’s aggression that bounced him around like a pinball before the spin sealed the deal.
