Bowman ready to take over driving No. 88
Alex Bowman noticed something right away when he snuggled into the seat of his new Hendrick Motorsports car, which he put on the pole for Sunday’s Daytona 500.
“I can’t see what number is on it from the seat,” Bowman told The Dispatch by phone Wednesday.
He was being proactive with that statement, because he knows what number is on his car: 88, the same one Dale Earnhardt Jr. sported the past 10 seasons before retiring at the end of 2017 and turning the steering wheel over to Bowman.
But Bowman proved in qualifying for the Daytona 500 on Sunday it’s not his intention to treat the car like a commemorative float in a high-speed parade this season. What got him the ride in the first place, what he showed when first driving race cars as a teenager in Arizona before climbing the professional ranks, was his willingness to mash the throttle, compete and keep his car off the walls.
“It’s just another race car, and I’m just trying to do the best job I can as a race car driver,” Bowman said. “Of course, I am thankful for this. It is by far the best opportunity I’ve ever had. Driving for Hendrick Motorsports is a dream come true.”
He understands the expectations. Hendrick cars, with Jimmie Johnson the lead horse in a stable that now features three young colts, are expected to contend. That their cars all bear iconic numbers is the catch.
Bowman, 24, joins second-year team driver Chase Elliott, 22, whose car now has his father Bill Elliott’s No. 9. William Byron, 20, has stepped into the No. 24 vacated by Jeff Gordon.
“To be driving the Nationwide 88 is really special,” Bowman said. “But my state of mind is the same. I’m going to do the best I can every week. I’m here to win races.”
He seemed more enthused about the Nationwide part, because he said the impact of the company, with headquarters in Columbus, has been profound within the sport.
“I’ve had a good relationship with them since I ran the Nationwide Series (now the Xfinity Series) in 2013, and to represent a brand like that which has the values it has as a company is so cool,” Bowman said. “We’ve kind of got the Daytona 500 surrounded with Nationwide guys, between me being on the pole, (spokesman and former star quarterback) Peyton Manning driving the pace car and Dale — I think he’s giving the ‘start you engines’ command.”
But first comes Can-Am Duel 1 and Can-Am Duel 2 on Thursday night. Bowman and No. 2 qualifier Denny Hamlin are the only ones assured of their starting spots Sunday, as long as their cars aren’t damaged beyond repair in the duels that otherwise set the rest of the field.
“I wouldn’t look for us to be super aggressive,” Bowman said. “We just want to be cautious and keep the car in one piece so we can stay on the front row for the 500.”