Alex Bowman races through injury to finish fourth at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City, just days after a serious crash in Michigan left him struggling with pain in his lower back and leg. Despite missing practice and preparation due to his injuries, Bowman defied expectations to deliver a remarkable top-five result for his team on Sunday.
Bowman Battles Severe Pain from Recent Accident
At the drivers meeting before the race in Mexico City, Bowman experienced discomfort simply sitting, the effects of his high-speed, head-on crash from the previous week still obvious. He admitted that even on Saturday, sitting inside his race car was agonizing, and by race day, sitting in an ordinary chair remained a challenge. However, Bowman prepared to face the 15-turn, 2.42-mile track, starting from 29th position in the lineup.
His journey in Mexico spanned 100 laps over three hours and fourteen minutes. He crossed the finish line in fourth place, achieving one of his best results in the past ten events.
“Running well probably made it easier than it could have been,”
—Alex Bowman, Driver
Bowman revealed that the extent of his injuries left him unable to walk earlier in the week, causing him to miss important simulator work and team meetings as he focused on recovering.
“I had a lot of help from a lot of people to fix whatever the hell was going on, and thankfully enough, I was able to run all the laps this weekend.”
—Alex Bowman, Driver
Throughout his stay in Mexico, Bowman spent significant time resting in his hotel room, with Anthony Alfredo prepared as a backup driver. Ultimately, Bowman persevered and made it through the entire race distance on his own.
Team’s Worries and Recovery Efforts Leading Up to the Race
Blake Harris, Bowman’s crew chief, admitted that team members were uncertain if Bowman would even fly to Mexico with them, as his condition on Wednesday was so severe that he could barely walk without assistance.
“To be honest, we didn’t know … Wednesday night for sure that he was going to be on the plane with us Thursday,”
—Blake Harris, Crew Chief
Harris expressed a sense of responsibility for the circumstances in Michigan, stating that a more comfortable car there might have prevented the accident that left Bowman injured, affecting the team‘s competitiveness and Bowman’s health for the Mexico race.
“It’s tough for me because I look at Michigan, it doesn’t matter what happens with our team, I feel responsible for it. In my opinion … if the car is more comfortable at Michigan, we’re not in the 20s (in the running order) and we don’t get crashed.”
—Blake Harris, Crew Chief
Key Strategic Moves Shape the Race Outcome
As the race unfolded, strategic decisions by the team played a crucial role in Bowman’s result. On Lap 62, Harris called Bowman into the pits from sixth place, making him the second car to stop during the start of a green-flag cycle, while Christopher Bell, who eventually finished second, pitted one lap earlier.
The team’s approach also included an early tire change. Bowman’s initial pit stop at Lap 17 saw the team switch from wet-weather tires to slicks for the dry track, a decision that Harris considered potentially premature but necessary before the stage closure at Lap 20. As there are restrictions on pitting in the final two laps of each stage, this stop proved beneficial for track position.
“That gave us the first jump to track position,”
—Blake Harris, Crew Chief
Anticipating the threat of rain, the crew decided to remain on track for longer, gaining an advantage as other drivers pitted. Harris described how weather concerns influenced these decisions, with sprinkles arriving just as Bowman was nearing the end of his fuel window.
“We started to get some of those sprinkles right as we were starting to run out of fuel.”
—Blake Harris, Crew Chief
The pivotal caution for Carson Hocevar’s stalled car at Lap 66 occurred just after several frontrunners, including Bowman, had finished their pit stops, allowing them to ascend the order while others pitted under the yellow.
Bowman restarted from third and maintained his position near the leaders, earning a much-needed top-five at the checkered flag.
A Significant Result Amidst Ongoing Challenges
Bowman acknowledged how important the strong Mexico finish was for his team, praising their work ethic despite the frustrations and setbacks in recent weeks, including incidents where he crashed or the team encountered problems that derailed promising runs.
“It feels good to get this No. 48 Ally Chevrolet team a run that they deserve, We’ve had a lot of fast race cars and just had days that haven’t gone our way. We’ve had issues and there’s been times that I’ve crashed the car, so to get them a good run after everything this week and how hard they’ve had to work is great.”
—Alex Bowman, Driver
This fourth-place achievement not only marked Bowman’s third top-10 in the last ten races, but also reflected the resilience and determination of both the driver and his team. With unwavering support from the pit crew, strategic decisions by Blake Harris, and relief efforts on standby, the No. 48 Ally Chevrolet squad managed to transform a week overshadowed by injury and uncertainty into a story of grit and recovery that will resonate as the NASCAR season continues.
