AVONDALE, Ariz. -- Alex Bowman added an accomplishment to his resume.
He's now a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series pole winner.
"Man, it’s amazing," smiled Bowman after exiting the No. 88 Nationwide Chevrolet SS at the conclusion of Friday's qualifying session. "I just can’t thank everybody at Hendrick Motorsports enough. To do this in Phoenix, so close to home, means so much to me. We have had such fast race cars and we haven’t had an ounce of luck, but to get a pole here means a lot.”
Tapped as one of two fill-in drivers for Dale Earnhardt Jr., Bowman has not only been competitive and impressive on the racetrack but has been an instrumental asset to the No. 88 team.
"He has been in the car and he has really helped our team get better on the qualifying front, as well as in the racing also," commented Earnhardt post qualifying. "I’m not that great of a qualifier so this is good for the team, good for Greg and the guys, great for Alex. Alex has really helped our program. Jeff (Gordon) helped it a lot, but Alex has been a great treat for the guys to work with and obviously he is a great driver."
Once the time trials session was complete, many of Bowman's teammates took to social media to offer their congratulations. Follow along below.