CONCORD, N.C - If one was to put Alex Bowman's running position on a line graph throughout the 95 laps run on Sunday at Circuit of The Americas, it'd probably closely resemble an electrocardiogram.
Fittingly enough, it took a lot of heart from the No. 48 Ally team, as well as a little luck, to end a long, weird day on a major uptick.
From staring down the barrel of a finish in the 30s to claiming a top-10 finish, all in the span of about 20 laps, it was certainly a drastic swing of emotions for the squad at COTA. On paper, and more importantly in the NASCAR Cup Series points standings where the No. 48 team currently resides in seventh, it all just looks like business as usual.
It was anything but. Still, the team was able to survive a pair of tough-luck penalties and two spins in the late going with a caution late in stage three giving crew chief Blake Harris one final chance to salvage the day. He brought Bowman to pit road with 19 laps to go for fresh tires in the hopes of a caution flag. It came one lap later.
The yellow forced several cars in the field to pit and by staying out, Bowman went from 30th to 16th and still had reasonably fresh tires. He was able to pick off seven more spots from there.
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"We just kind of kept shifting strategies and it was like, 'Alright, we'll come up with this plan.' Then something else would happen," Harris recalled. "The fact that we executed and put ourselves in position to get lucky ... once the luck did swap, our car speed took over and Alex did a great job of getting up through there. Bummed it was only a top 10 but at the same time, with 19 to go we were staring at a 30th-place finish, so we were super fortunate we were able to get through the rest of that and make a day of it."
As the chaos unfolded, Harris' job was twofold. First, he had to calm down a frustrated driver and crew after NASCAR ruled the team had gotten onto pit road after a caution flew earlier in stage three. Second, he had to readjust as the race presented different circumstances.
"(Bowman) is frustrated and upset and I am too. I'm not afraid to let him know I'm right there with him," Harris said. "But once that's done and whatever call they've made, they won't see it the way we see it, then that's kind of over and it's on to the next task and what do we need to do to make the most out of this day? At that point you're restarting last, so, OK, if we can get 10 or 15 points that's what we have to do. As things kind of unraveled there it was, 'Alright, we've got a couple of shots to do some Hail-Mary stuff and it worked out. Regardless of the frustration prior, it was, 'Let's pull the plug on that. Let's focus on what we need to do.'"
And that was still the focus shortly after Sunday's race ended.
Because this week, the Cup Series heads to Phoenix Raceway and there may be no more important stop in the early portion of the schedule, save for possibly the DAYTONA 500. Any team with championship aspirations, including the 48 team, have this date circled as it offers an early measuring stick at the venue that will host the Championship Race on Nov. 2.
"Phoenix has been a track that has been a little bit of a challenge to us, so, this will be a good test to the team on where we stand in our short-track program," Harris said. "This weekend, to me, is super important about laying a base and some groundwork for what we need in the fall. I don't think it's reasonable for us to go run 20th this weekend and expect to come back in the fall with all the answers and be able to go win the championship.
"We've got to get ourselves established inside the top 10 and hopefully even the top five and just run there all day and learn what we need out of the car and need from Alex to put an entire weekend together. I think if we can go compete and finish inside the top five this week, we'd take that as a win. Mainly, it's just preparation for what we're looking to in the fall."
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Bowman meanwhile, will run a doubleheader this weekend, also driving the HendrickCars.com No. 17 entry in the NASCAR Xfinity Series race on Saturday.
Certainly, Bowman is hoping for a smooth weekend after two drafting tracks and a road course provided their typical doses of calamity. But if things do go sideways, the team has already proven the ability and willingness to fight through. Harris believes it's the duty of all involved, especially when it comes to representing Hendrick Motorsports.
"I think at a place like this, even when things aren't going right, you know the people you have around you and the equipment that you have - we can't stop, ever," Harris said. "If we do, we've got about 680 people that we have to come back to that put their hearts and souls into it. So, for us not to do that every moment, every lap is honestly just a disservice.
"It doesn't always work out but it's certain that if you don't continue to put that effort forth you won't have the opportunity to capitalize."