Bowman Could Be A Sleeper For Success At The ROVAL

Alex Bowman (HHP/Chris Owens photo)

CONCORD, N.C. – In terms of securing a spot in the Round of 8 after Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series playoff race at the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL, it’s fair to say Alex Bowman is in pretty decent shape.

Although he isn’t completely safe should chaos strike, Bowman sits fifth in the standings, 26 points above the elimination line. In the Bank of America ROVAL 400, he simply needs to stay out of trouble, and he will have a shot at making the Round of 8 for the second time in his career and first since 2020.

However, in order to get there, Bowman has recognized – like the entire Cup Series garage – that things will be different at the ROVAL. That’s headlined by a reconfigured racing surface.

“This weekend on-track at the ROVAL will look a little different with the re-pave. Turn seven looks a little bit like you’re making a U-turn on a one-way street, so it’s going to be a little more chaotic for sure,” said Bowman.

“We don’t know how close the simulator is to real life until you actually go do it, so we’ll see.”

While drivers and teams will explore the new modifications on track throughout the weekend, Bowman has a points cushion to rely on, unlike some of his playoff rivals.

The 31-year-old heated up in the month of September and went on the best stretch of his season. He was fifth in the playoff opener at Atlanta (Ga.) Motor Speedway and followed it up with recent top 10s at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway and Kansas Speedway.

But last Sunday at Talladega, he was caught up in the Cup Series record 28-car pileup with five laps left in regulation, though he was able to battle back and finish 16th.

Bowman cited poor execution on his part at Talladega that swamped his opportunity to capture a third consecutive Cup Series top 10.

“The team did a really good job, and we obviously had moments where we were really good,” he said. “Just execution-wise, I made too many mistakes and put us in too many bad spots.”

That’s what Bowman will look to avoid this weekend at the ROVAL. While not known for his road course resume, Bowman’s season breakthrough earlier this summer actually came in road racing. He returned to victory lane at the Chicago (Ill.) Street Race, for the first time in the Cup Series since his 2022 score at Las Vegas (Nev.) Motor Speedway.

With another playoff round cutoff looming, at the ROVAL Bowman has five consecutive top 10s – dating back to the inaugural Cup Series race on the road course layout in 2018 (he missed the 2022 race due to a concussion).

His stat line at Charlotte actually speaks to an overlooked part of his game: road racing. Excluding the Chicago Street race, Bowman has an average finish of 14th on road courses in Cup Series competition.

An under the radar contending weekend isn’t out of the picture given Bowman’s overall consistency turning both left and right.

If he’s able to find success as the ROVAL, the Tucson, Ariz., native would find himself a step closer toward running for a title in the Phoenix Raceway finale in November.

However, it all starts with Sunday, and Bowman tipped that overlooking the task in front of him would be a costly mistake.

“The No. 48 is currently sitting good in playoff points, but certainly not close enough for comfort,” he said. “Our Ally Racing team has been really locked-in throughout the playoffs and we’re going to show up ready to perform in efforts to secure a spot in the Round of 8.”

Coverage of the Bank of America ROVAL 400 begins Sunday, Oct. 13 at 2 p.m. ET, live on NBC, the Performance Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, channel 90.