The NASCAR Cup Series will be on a two-week break until the Federated Auto Parts 400 at the Richmond Raceway. The competition has one of the most brutal schedules of any motorsports series in the world. This is a much-needed break for several drivers and crew members. As far as Alex Bowman is concerned, the series could benefit from a reduced schedule. But the Hendrick Motorsports star doesn’t want that for the drivers. Rather, he wants it for the road crews.
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As per the driver of the #48 car, these road crew members have the hardest job of them all. Traveling all around the country seems like an exciting prospect but not when you factor in the unreal work hours. Bowman said that the road crew members have to stay up until 3 a.m. and then get ready for a team at eight in the morning. This schedule goes on week after week until the season comes to an end.
“Their hours are insane,” the #48 driver said on Rubbin is Racing. “There are nights at HMS they’re there till 2 or 3 o’clock in the morning. The cars have to be ready, there’s no way around it and the hours that people work to try to maximize everything and make things the best they can be, it’s pretty crazy.”
The road crews are responsible for the car being the best it can be to help a driver win a race. They are just as important as any other member of the team. Bowman’s plea for a reduced schedule to help them shows the immense respect drivers have for the road crew members.
Bowman reflects on a disappointing Indianapolis race
The #48 team had been on a good run after winning Chicago and finishing well in Pocono. However, a lot of that momentum was killed on Sunday at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. He was reportedly on the same strategy as Kyle Larson but was not able to pass cars as proficiently as his teammate. Him finishing P31 did not mask his disappointment.
“We didn’t really have a very good day going with our No. 48 Ally Camaro. We were pretty fast in clean air, but just really tight in dirty air. We were stuck in traffic there, and getting blocked all the way down the straightaway for 27th was pretty frustrating. We just didn’t need to be that far back in position, he said to Motorsports Wire.
But with the Chicago Street Race win, Bowman has made it into the playoffs. It was his first win in a couple of years and very well deserved. The #48 team will hope that their driver finds that race-winning form once again in the playoffs. That is imperative to put up a title fight.
