$1B HMS boss’ driver Alex Bowman kicks off Phoenix double duty by winning the pole position in Xfinity Series

Alex Bowman secured the pole position for the NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Phoenix Raceway, setting the fastest lap of 131.984 mph on Saturday, March 8. The Tucson, Arizona native, who competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series for Hendrick Motorsports, is running double duty this weekend, racing in both the Xfinity and Cup Series races.

Bowman will start at the front in the No. 17 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet, to take his second career Xfinity Series win.

In a strong showing, Bowman took his fourth career Xfinity Series pole. He outpaced Sheldon Creed, who will start second. JR Motorsports teammates Sammy Smith and Connor Zilisch locked in the third and fourth positions, while Jesse Love rounded out the top five. William Sawalich was the fastest Toyota in sixth.

Jayski’s official X account shared Bowman’s pole taking moment. The post read:

"Alex Bowman jumps to the top of the board by nearly three-tenths of a second. Eight cars remaining."

Following his pole-winning effort, Alex Bowman faces a packed schedule. He will race in the Xfinity Series event, the GOVX 200, before switching back to his Cup Series duties. The Xfinity race is set to start at 5 p.m. ET, airing on the CW, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

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Alex Bowman’s redemption plan for 2025, after a 2024 playoff setback

Alex Bowman enters the 2025 season with a renewed focus after a tough ending to his 2024 campaign. Last year, he was disqualified from a playoff race due to his No. 48 Chevrolet failing post-race inspection for being underweight. This penalty dropped him in the standings and ended his championship contention. Reflecting on the incident, Bowman told the Associated Press:

“I’d say I was mad for about a day and then it was just time to get back to work.”

After learning about the penalty, he admitted to throwing his phone into his swimming pool in anger. As per what he told AP, despite the setback, Bowman remains focused.

“We ended the season really strong,” Bowman said. “If we can just start there and have that be our baseline, we can have a really strong year.”

“Winning multiple races is a big goal of ours, and we believe we can. The end of the year proved we can run as well as anybody. We just need to piece that together throughout the course of the whole season.”

Bowman’s Phoenix race could be the perfect place to turn his fortunes around. With a front-row starting spot in the Xfinity Series race and a Cup Series race ahead, he is in prime position to make a statement.