NASCAR’s Bowman drives on, shrugs off Hamlin ‘hack’ label
CHARLOTTE, N.C. » Alex Bowman had barely finished his post-victory obligations and his online merchandise store was already taking orders for a simple black T-shirt with the word “HACK” printed across the front in block purple letters.
If a star of the sport is going to call you a hack on live television — twice, with a pair of curse words sprinkled in — might as well make some money off of the episode.
Bowman infuriated championship contender Denny Hamlin with six laps remaining Sunday at Martinsville Speedway when he spun Hamlin out of the lead. It sent the race into overtime, which Bowman won for his fourth victory of the season. Hamlin then blocked Bowman’s car on the frontstretch to prevent a proper celebration.
It was Hamlin’s post-race assessment of Bowman that really irked the folks at Hendrick Motorsports. Bowman has insisted the contact that spun Hamlin from the lead was accidental, but Hamlin still attacked Bowman’s talent level.
“Look, he’s won four races this year. Denny’s won two,” team owner Rick Hendrick said Tuesday. “I think Denny just lost it Sunday. Alex races everybody clean. He’s a good soldier. The sponsors love him. The crowd loves him. I think when you’re in the middle of a disappointment and you’re frustrated and mad, you might say things that you wouldn’t say normally.
“If he’s a hack, I’d like to have more of ‘em.”
The championship will be decided Sunday at sold-out Phoenix Raceway, where Hendrick has two of his four drivers into the winner-take-all finale. Reigning
Cup champion Chase Elliott and title favorite Kyle Larson in a pair of Chevrolets will square off against Toyotas driven by teammates Hamlin and Martin Truex Jr. of Joe Gibbs Racing.
So in that regard, Hamlin was somewhat correct when he said Bowman “gets his ass kicked by his teammates every week.” Bowman, who was eliminated from the playoffs at the end of the second round, didn’t really deny that part of Hamlin’s critique.
“These last couple months have been painful. It’s been so frustrating. Honestly, our teammates have kicked our butts for quite a while now,” he said.
But that discredits how far Bowman has come since he sat out most of 2016 and 2017 because he was tired of driving underperforming cars and wanted to work his way in with a powerhouse team. He got a break with Hendrick Motorsports in 2016 when he drove 10 races as the injury replacement for Dale Earnhardt Jr.
He spent most of 2017
testing and doing simulator work for Hendrick, then was named the replacement for Earnhardt when he retired ahead of the 2018 season. Bowman drove on a series of short-term contracts but built a following, won a pair of races and scored the first major sponsor of his NASCAR career.
Ally was captivated by the 28-year-old and wanted Bowman to move into the No. 48 to replace seventime champion Jimmie Johnson this season.
Bowman has delivered: His four victories, eight top-five finishes and 16 top 10s are all career bests, and Bowman was given a twoyear contract extension through the 2023 season in June.
Jeff Andrews, the executive vice president and general manager at Hendrick Motorsports, simply laughed at Hamlin’s hack comment. So did Hall of Famer Dale Jarrett, the 1999 Cup champion.
“If that’s what you want to call him, he’s the best damn hack I’ve ever seen drive a car,” Jarrett said.