Alex Bowman put on a strong showing at Richmond Raceway, finishing just behind Austin Dillon in a race that tested both strategy and nerves. Despite running near the front for much of the day and executing his pit stops with precision, Bowman’s Richmond win was elusive, partly due to lapped traffic, including Shane van Gisbergen, who refused to yield the racing line.
With only two playoff spots up for grabs at next weekend’s Daytona race, every move on and off the track takes on heightened significance. And the pressure of that got to Alex Bowman. The Hendrick Motorsports driver didn’t hold back on his radio.
“This is race manipulation,” Alex Bowman drew allegations against fellow drivers
Alex Bowman delivered a strong performance in the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series Cook Out 409 at Richmond Raceway, finishing second and leading 19 laps. Starting from the 17th position, Bowman showcased his skill and determination throughout the race.
In the final laps, he closed the gap to leader Austin Dillon but was hindered by lapped traffic, including teammates from Richard Childress Racing, which affected his ability to challenge for the lead. Despite his efforts, Austin Dillon maintained a 2.471-second lead at the finish line, securing his sixth career victory and a spot in the playoffs.
Although Alex Bowman didn’t lead any laps of the race, he ran competitively throughout it, maintaining a position near the front and consistently challenging for stage points. In the stage battles, he finished close behind the stage winners, Tyler Reddick in stage one, and Bubba Wallace in stage 2, showing steady pace and strategic consistency of his efforts in the early and middle portions of the race helped him stay in contention for the top finish despite the highly competitive field.
At Richmond, Bowman came agonizingly close to a race-changing victory. Despite closing in on eventual winner Austin Dillon in the closing laps, his charge was slowed by a pack of lapped cars, preventing him from mounting a full challenge. The No. 48 driver expressed his frustration over the radio: “ They’re not gonna help us, they hate us,” as he struggled to navigate past Shane Van Gisbergen in 14th.
Complicating matters further, Austin Dillon’s teammate Jesse Love also blocked Bowman, prompting him to vent: “His teammate’s just f—-ng blocking me now. This is race manipulation, but whatever.” Bowman added, “WHAT HE NEEDS TO DO IS GIVE US THE F—-NG EXIT! LIKE, WHY IS IT SO HARD WITH THESE CHEVROLETS!?”
Alex Bowman’s onboard/side of the story.
The 48 team wanted Shane van Gisbergen to do them a favor and give Bowman the exit of the corner and asked spotter Josh Williams about it. Williams relayed to SVG, but SVG kept running his line and Bowman couldn’t get the drive off as a… https://t.co/GgytO0MikJ pic.twitter.com/OpEaLgA4Qs
— Steven Taranto (@STaranto92) August 17, 2025
Bowman’s strategy focused on a higher approach, with key stops including lap 175 during the main pit cycle, lap 345 alongside Ryan Blaney, and the final stop roughly 55 laps from the end. By pitting slightly later than Austin, Alex Bowman was able to close the gap, though the traffic prevented him from mounting a full challenge for the lead.
Overall, his team aims to maximize stage points and maintain playoff positioning, the result of a new winner being pushed onto the playoff bubble, making the upcoming Daytona races crucial for his championship hopes.
After the race, Bowman reflected on the effort, saying, “A couple of favors. I sure complained about it on the radio, but that’s just part of what we do, so vented a little bit but had a really good Ally 48 in the last run. Just broke the tires off too much in lap traffic with them didn’t get any breaks. That may kind of work the rears harder than I need to. Just need to be a little better through there to get to him. I certainly think we had the better car. Unfortunately, didn’t get there.” And now, amid William Byron clinching the regular season championship, pressure is on his Hendrick Motorsports teammate, Alex Bowman, to secure his spot in the playoffs.
Alex Bowman is stressed by playoff hopes
Part of Bowman’s frustration stems from his current playoff predicament. Austin Dillon’s unexpected first-time win this season leaves only two playoff spots up for grabs in the next Saturday’s race at Daytona.
Speaking post-race, he said, ” Certainly, it’s really stressful on a lot of fronts. I mean, I think with the way that race normally goes, it’s about a must-win at that point because I think you’re most likely to have a new winner. Just need to go execute and try to win the race. That’s all we can do. Looks like we maybe can get to [Reddick]. Looks like he had a bad day. So possible there. Looks like a big gap, so… just got to go to work.”
Tyler Reddick sits 89 points above the playoff cut line, 29 ahead of Bowman. If a new winner emerges at Daytona, only one of them will advance; if not, both will make the playoffs. For Bowman, the race has effectively become a must-win scenario.
Bowman added, ” That’s all we can do at this point. That’s what we’ve been doing, right? We’ve been doing a lot of good things. Unfortunately, just one spot short tonight. The team, clearly, we’re not very popular through the garage with that last run. Still doing a really good job and executing at a high level. Just proud of all the guys to continue to work hard and try to overcome the situation we’re in, and we’ll keep digging.”
Alex Bowman is the only Hendrick Motorsports driver without a playoff spot guaranteed, so all eyes will be on him to see if he can deliver in Daytona.
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