Alex Bowman on Chicago Street Course win: We can’t ‘drop the intensity’

It wasn’t pretty. In fact, the race didn’t even go the distance due to weather, but Alex Bowman came out as the winner of the Grant Park 165 at the Chicago Street Course last weekend.

Of course, after the win, Bowman said that he was going to “drink so much damn bourbon” and probably “wake up naked on the bathroom floor.”

Did that indeed happen?

“I’m kind of impressed with myself, honestly. I’ve certainly grown up a little bit in the last couple years. I woke up in my bed like a normal human, made it to my meetings this morning. Everything’s good,” Bowman told host Kevin Harvick on Monday’s edition of “Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour.” “I’m not too bad off. I got like an hour and a half of sleep, so we’re here.”

Bowman added that Weller Antique 107 is his go-to bourbon.

As for the win in Chicago, Bowman led eight laps in a race that was delayed due to weather and then forced to be cut short after 58 laps due to daylight. The win provided Bowman with a sense of relief, as it was his first victory since March 6, 2022, when he won the Pennzoil 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and also locked him into the playoffs.

“Definitely a lot of pressure; my teammates have been super successful in the last couple years. For, whatever reason, we’ve definitely struggled a little bit, so [it] just felt really good to be able to get back in victory lane, finally win at a road course, which I feel like my road course stuff has continued to improve, and now I can go to most of the road courses and be pretty confident,” Bowman said. “I’m really appreciative of everybody sticking with me through some hard times, and [it] meant a lot to get back in victory lane.”

The win was Bowman’s eighth of his NASCAR Cup Series career and second in the city of Chicago, as his first win on the NASCAR circuit came in the Camping World 400 at Chicagoland Speedway in 2019.

This season, Bowman is 11th in total points (553), with five top-five finishes and 11 top-10 finishes.

Bowman, 31, is in his seventh full-time season with Hendrick Motorsports. He previously had stints at BK Racing (2014) and Tommy Baldwin Racing (2015).

FINAL LAP: Alex Bowman earns the checkered flag in Chicago at the Grant Park 165

Despite the needed win, Bowman is keeping his eyes on the prize.

“I think getting that win helps for sure, but we can’t just be like ‘okay, we won a race, now we can just focus on the playoffs’. I think we need to focus on each week and not kind of drop the intensity that we’ve had,” Bowman said. “I think our team’s in a good spot. We’ve got a lot of young guys, and we’ve grown a lot as a team, which has been really fun to be a part of. …

“I feel like we have every tool we need and all the parts and pieces we need to make that happen. Excited to be back in it. Last year was not very fun watching from where I sat, so hopefully we can make a lot of noise in the playoffs, and it’ll be a good year.”

Next up for Bowman and the field is The Great American Getaway 400 this Sunday at Pocono Raceway, where Bowman got a win in 2021.

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