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NASCAR: Alex Bowman earns first career Xfinity Series win

By Alex Herbst

CHARLOTTE, NC - OCTOBER 07: Alex Bowman, driver of the #42 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet, places the winner's sticker on his car in victory lane after winning the NASCAR XFINITY Series Drive for the Cure 300 presented by Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina at Charlotte Motor Speedway on October 7, 2017 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
CHARLOTTE, NC - OCTOBER 07: Alex Bowman, driver of the #42 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet, places the winner's sticker on his car in victory lane after winning the NASCAR XFINITY Series Drive for the Cure 300 presented by Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina at Charlotte Motor Speedway on October 7, 2017 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) /
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It feels like the first time for Alex Bowman, because it actually was. In his first Xfinity Series start of 2017, he got his first career series win at Charlotte.

Racing in your own backyard is supposed to make things more fun. The NASCAR Xfinity Series was lacking in some of that fun this afternoon as rain delayed the NC Blue Cross Blue Shield 300 at Charlotte Motor Speedway for hours. But when the race finally went green, the fun truly began, with Alex Bowman having most of it. He ended the night in victory lane for the first time in the Xfinity Series.

Bowman, driving for Chip Ganassi Racing in the #42 Chevy, had never won in any of NASCAR’s top three touring divisions until Saturday night. Taking over the famous #88 Chevy for Dale Earnhardt Jr. in 2018, this weekend’s ride was more meant to knock the cobwebs off from not having raced since February. But now, Bowman has the momentum and that winning feeling to help fuel him in his new Cup ride.

But Bowman was not the only story heading out of Charlotte on a wet Saturday night. Eight drivers now remain in the hunt for the Xfinity Series championship, four less than started the day. After 300 miles of racing, Ryan Reed edged Brendan Gaughan by one point to advance to the Round of 8. Joining Gaughan in not advancing are Michael Annett, Blake Koch, and Jeremy Clements.

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Perhaps the man with the wildest night was Joe Gibbs Racing driver Matt Tifft. Recently announced as a new driver with Richard Childress Racing in 2018, Tifft had to bounce back from two issues on pit road to find a way to advance into the Round of 8. He is, after all, driving for the same team that won the championship in 2017.

Here are the full race results from the NC Blue Cross Blue Shield 300 at Charlotte Motor Speedway (playoff drivers in italics):

  1. Alex Bowman, Chevrolet, Chip Ganassi Racing
  2. Sam Hornish Jr. Ford, Team Penske
  3. Ryan Blaney, Ford, Team Penske
  4. Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing
  5. Brennan Poole, Chevrolet, Chip Ganassi Racing
  6. Cole Custer, Ford, Stewart-Haas Racing
  7. Daniel Hemric, Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing
  8. Daniel Suarez, Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing
  9. Matt Tifft, Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing
  10. Elliott Sadler, Chevrolet, JR Motorsports
  11. Brendan Gaughan, Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing
  12. Ryan Reed, Ford, Roush-Fenway Racing
  13. Brandon Jones, Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing
  14. Ross Chastain, Chevrolet, JD Motorsports
  15. Ty Dillon, Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing
  16. William Byron, Chevrolet, JR Motorsports
  17. Corey LaJoie, Toyota, JGL Racing
  18. Ryan Sieg, Chevrolet, RSS Racing
  19. JJ Yeley, Toyota, TriStar Motorsports
  20. Jeremy Clements, Chevrolet, Jeremy Clements Racing
  21. Ray Black Jr., Chevrolet, SS-Green Light Racing
  22. Harrison Rhodes, Chevrolet, JD Motorsports
  23. Garrett Smithley, Chevrolet, JD Motorsports
  24. Mario Gosselin, Chevrolet, King Autosport
  25. Blake Koch, Chevrolet, Kaulig Racing
  26. David Starr, Chevrolet, B.J. McLeod Motorsports
  27. Michael Annett, Chevrolet, JR Motorsports
  28. B.J. McLeod, Chevrolet, B.J. McLeod Motorsports
  29. Chad Finchum, Toyota, MBM Racing
  30. Erik Jones, Toyota, MBM Racing
  31. Joey Gase, Chevrolet, Jimmy Means Racing
  32. Mike Harmon, Dodge, Harmon Racing
  33. Justin Allgaier, Chevrolet, JR Motorsports
  34. Spencer Gallagher, Chevrolet, GMS Racing
  35. Timmy Hill, Dodge, MBM Racing
  36. Angela Cope Ruch, Chevrolet, B.J. McLeod Motorsports
  37. Reed Sorenson, Chevrolet, JD Motorsports
  38. Morgan Shepherd, Chevrolet, Shepherd Racing Ventures
  39. Gray Gaulding, Chevrolet, RSS Racing
  40. Jeff Green, Chevrolet, RSS Racing

Next: Sunday's Cup Race Time at Charlotte Moved Up

The next race for the NASCAR Xfinity Series will come in two weeks time from the Kansas Speedway. Coverage of the opening race of the Round of 8 can be seen on Saturday, October 21 at 3:00 pm eastern on your local NBC station.

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