Despite criticism, NASCAR might have a new ‘closer’

After scoring another win in the NASCAR Cup Series, Hendrick Motorsports’ Alex Bowman found himself facing unwarranted criticism yet again.

Alex Bowman’s rise to driving for one of the premier teams of the NASCAR Cup Series in Hendrick Motorsports is not one of many. Unlike his teammates, he did not carry the name of a former Cup Series champion, rise through the ranks in the Truck Series and the Xfinity Series, or find himself in free agency after being suspended for almost a full year.

The Tucson, Arizona native carved a different path into his current ride in the #48 Chevrolet. A rookie in 2014, Bowman had to bounce around at backmarker teams, including BK Racing and Tommy Baldwin Racing.

From there, Bowman took a reserve driver position at Hendrick Motorsports, and when Dale Earnhardt Jr. was sidelined with injuries, he vouched for him to take over for him behind the wheel of the #88 Chevrolet. Bowman ultimately landed the ride full-time in 2018 after Earnhardt retired.

Bowman went on to score two wins in the #88 Chevrolet before he was moved to the #48 Chevrolet in 2021, following the retirement of Jimmie Johnson. He grabbed four checkered flags in his first year carrying on the legacy of the seven-time champion, and he has added another one already in 2022.

But despite the success Bowman has found, the criticism continues to grow, based on how he wins.

Bowman’s two wins in the #88 Chevrolet both came in promising fashion. His first career win came at Chicagoland Speedway in June 2019. He led 40 laps and had to battle future teammate Kyle Larson for the win. His second win came at Auto Club Speedway in March 2020, and it came in dominant fashion with 110 laps led.

But his five wins the #48 Chevrolet paint a different picture: a one based on opportunity. Three of his four wins last year and his win this year saw him take the lead with under 10 laps to go. In fact, despite ranking second in victories in 2021, he led just 161 laps all of last season, which is fewer than he led in his 10 starts as Earnhardt’s replacement in 2016 (200).

His lack of laps led has resulted in major criticism from other drivers.

His win at Martinsville Speedway last October came after he spun out race leader Denny Hamlin, resulting in a less than pretty post-race scenario. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver then referred to Bowman as a “hack”.

Bowman’s latest win, an overtime win at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, led to hometown favorite Kyle Busch, another Joe Gibbs Racing driver, going on a NSFW rant on his radio, one for which he later apologized to Bowman.

But despite the knee-jerk criticism, specifically from the Joe Gibbs Racing camp, Alex Bowman continues to make his mark in NASCAR.

Bowman has taken the high road with the aforementioned incidents, most notably in the marketing department. He has created shirts based on the comments made by the Joe Gibbs Racing drivers, even donating money from sales to animal shelters.

But selling t-shirts isn’t what makes the case for Bowman; the fact that the 28-year-old has won the most races, aside from 2021 champion Larson, since the start of last year is. To earn a victory in the Cup Series, a driver doesn’t need to lead every lap. He just needs to lead the last lap.

Bowman and his team, specifically crew chief Greg Ives, have found a way to focus on that mentality and capitalize. While this creates room for comments like “hack”, it also makes an argument for Bowman as NASCAR’s newest “closer”, a role not seen since Stewart-Haas Racing’s Kevin Harvick was in his prime.

Regardless of other drivers’ opinions, the wins keep coming for Alex Bowman. And the more wins and chemistry he builds within the #48 camp, the higher he climbs up on NASCAR’s all-time wins list, and the closer he gets to his first career NASCAR Cup Series championship.