Last weekend at Atlanta’s EchoPark Speedway was a crazy, wild ride. While Chase Elliott soaked up the Victory Lane spotlight amid chaos, Alex Bowman was the unsung hero for Hendrick Motorsports. The No. 48 Chevrolet driver put on a clinic, finishing third and playing a crucial role in Elliott’s last-lap pass over Brad Keselowski.
Bowman’s stats were stellar, top 10 in all three NASCAR Insights metrics, including third in Restart Rating and fourth in Passing Rating. His slick moves in the final laps, weaving through the pack with Elliott, helped secure Hendrick’s hometown triumph in a race that saw 46 lead changes and a 23-car pileup. That third-place finish wasn’t just a feel-good moment; it punched Bowman’s ticket to the second round of NASCAR’s inaugural In-Season Challenge, knocking out defending Cup champion Joey Logano.
Now, Bowman’s got his sights set on Chicago’s street race as there’s a crown to defend. But here’s the catch: he’s the only Hendrick Motorsports driver without a win in 2025, carrying a 34-race drought into the Windy City! Despite the goose egg in the win column, Hendrick Motorsports VP of Competition Chad Knaus is batting for Bowman, and he knows a thing or two about success.
Chad Knaus sees the bigger picture for the #48 team
Let’s be honest, Alex Bowman’s 2025 Cup Series campaign has been inconsistent, to say the least. While 4 top-5 and 9 top-10 finishes are nothing to scoff at, 3DNFs and eight finishes outside the top-20 are definitely a concern. Bowman has shown considerable speed, but a risky maneuver or simply bad luck has stopped him from finishing a good run.
On SiriusXM, Hendrick Motorsports VP of Competition and Jimmie Johnson’s championships-winning crew chief, Chad Knaus, didn’t hold back on Bowman’s potential, echoing the sentiment that his finishes don’t paint the whole picture. Knaus said, “Again, the result is not always indicative of the performance, but man, if you watched the 48 car, they do some pretty amazing things. They don’t always qualify as good as what they want, but I think back to Kansas, he qualified to 28, and the first caution was at lap 8, and he had passed up to 8th! So that team has really got great speed, Blake [Harris, crew chief] and Alex are gelling really well.”
Knaus pointed to Kansas, where Alex Bowman’s No. 48 surged from the back of the pack to mount a top-5 run. That kind of speed, even without a win, shows the team’s raw pace and chemistry between Bowman and crew chief Blake Harris. Another notable result was his duel at Homestead-Miami Speedway with HMS teammate Kyle Larson.
Kyle Larson is well-known for his prowess at Homestead, being able to run the wall tighter than anyone else. However, that Sunday, it looked like Bowman could challenge him all the way. With under 10 laps to go, Larson was pressuring Bowman in the lead, which led to a fatal error as Bowman slapped the wall and lost momentum, giving the #5 the lead and the race win. Still, P2 for Bowman and a solid showing of what this #48 is capable of if they get it right.
Knaus doubled down, highlighting Bowman’s resilience after a big crash at Michigan earlier this season: “Alex had a pretty big hit at Michigan, and that slowed him down a little bit going into Mexico, but he ran up front, he was in position to win the race, even though he was sore. So, I think that shows a tremendous amount of dedication and commitment to the program… I think they’re right there, and I hope they can make it [playoffs]. Even if they don’t get a win, I think they have an opportunity to point themselves in.” At Michigan, Bowman took a brutal 150-mph hit into the SAFER barrier, one of his career’s hardest crashes, leaving him with muscle pain. Yet, just a week later in Mexico City, he battled through soreness to finish fourth, nearly stealing the win.
Bowman is currently 15th in the playoff standings, 39 points above the cut line. While there would need to be 5+new winners for Bowman to be potentially snubbed, it looks like he can make his way in on points if everything goes his way. However, this weekend in Chicago, Bowman will be looking to lock himself in, just like he did in 2024.
Alex Bowman heads to Chicago for a special weekend
Alex Bowman’s got a shot to turn things around at the Grant Park 165 in Chicago on July 6, 2025, where he’s got history on his side. Last year’s win on the 2.2-mile, 12-turn street course was a game-changer, his first road course victory and a ticket to the 2024 playoffs after a tough 2022 concussion and a broken back in 2023. “Getting back to victory lane was special for me,” Bowman told the Sun-Times, but what he loved most was the vibe.
Fans lining the streets, Saturday’s concert, and Chicago’s electric atmosphere. Now, with a 34-race winless streak and seven finishes of 27th or worse this spring, he’s hungry to repeat. But the Chicago course is no walk in the park; narrow, rough, and lined with concrete barriers. “You make one little mistake, and you’re in a lot of trouble,” Bowman said, noting that rain, expected this weekend, makes the slick surface even dicier. Still, Bowman thrives on the challenge, and the fan energy in Chicago, a city not known as a NASCAR hub, blows him away.
“Everybody that I run into has been pumped,” he said, recalling chats with new fans during the inaugural 2023 race. With his speed undeniable, think Atlanta’s restarts and Mexico’s near-win, Bowman’s ready to lean on his chemistry with crew chief Blake Harris and break that drought in a city that’s become his good-luck charm. Do you think Alex Bowman will take the checkered flag this weekend and punch his ticket into the playoffs? Let us know in the comments!
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