CONCORD, N.C. – Alex Bowman’s performance during Thursday night’s qualifying session – earning the outside pole position – garnered plenty of attention.
But his teammates – and Dale Earnhardt Jr. in particular – have been impressed by what the 23-year-old driver has accomplished ever since he first filled in for Earnhardt in the No. 88 Chevrolet SS at New Hampshire.
“I’m pretty happy for him and I’m glad that he’s getting the chance,” Earnhardt said.
Bowman knew he wanted to take full advantage of that chance, and while he wanted to perform well on the racetrack, he had one main goal.
“The one thing that I said I was going to do throughout all these races was to make the most of it and to have the most fun I possibly could,” he said.
And he has done just that.
"It's been the most fun I've had in a long time."
Alex Bowman
Three weeks ago at Chicagoland Speedway, he earned his first career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series top-10 finish, and he followed that up with a 14th-place result the following week in his return trip to New Hampshire.
After his second-place qualifying effort Thursday at Charlotte Motor Speedway, he said there’s no doubt that his time with Hendrick Motorsports has fulfilled the “fun” requisite.
“What I’ve done for the last couple of years has been to manage expectations and realize that 20th to 25th is a great day,” he said of his previous stints in the Sprint Cup. “I come to the racetrack with Hendrick Motorsports and a win is a great day. It’s so cool to go to the racetrack knowing that you have equipment capable of winning if you give the right feedback and make the right calls throughout the race.
“It’s been a lot of fun. It’s been the most fun I’ve had in a long time.”
Working with the No. 88 team, Bowman said, has been a pleasure. He will remain behind the wheel of the No. 88 Chevy SS for six of the remaining seven races this season, including this weekend at Charlotte.
And more than just his team, Bowman acknowledged that working day in and day out with all of his Hendrick Motorsports teammates has been a dream come true.
“Dale has been so supportive and so awesome to work with,” he said. “I get to work with basically all my childhood heroes between Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Kasey Kahne – and I don’t think Chase Elliott was born when I had my childhood heroes, but he’s my hero now. It’s been amazing to get to work with all of them.”
No matter what his future holds, Bowman is looking to live in the moment. And he said it means the world that the organization has shown so much faith in him.
“For a race car driver, you want to go to the racetrack with a chance,” he said, “and that is what Hendrick Motorsports has given me.”