Chase Elliott’s teammate Alex Bowman comments on Bristol race after a top 4 finish - “Situation today was probably too far”

Alex Bowman has unraveled his outing on the Bristol Motor Speedway, outlining the sunny side of Hendrick Motorsports' performance.

The Food City 500 got done and dusted, with Ty Gibbs triumphing in both stages and Denny Hamlin sealing the final stage of 250 laps and ultimately taking the trophy home. For Chase Elliott, the 500-lap run was his best dash of the season as the #9 Chevrolet driver clinched his first top-10 finish by taking the P8 spot.

Alex Bowman, Elliott's teammate, became the top scorer for Hendrick Motorsports, finishing P4 and achieving another top-5 finish, narrowly missing out on the season-opener victory at Daytona International Speedway.

Post his exhilarating run on the 0.533-mile oval, the #48 Chevrolet driver reflected on his outing as he praised the team's tire management but also shed light on the tough situation at the caution-riddled Bristol race.

Alex Bowman versed his experience with journalist Peter Stratta (via X):

"I'm all for tire management, I think probably the situation today was a little too far but it's something different, was more like a chess match."

The 30-year-old added:

"At any point, you could pass the car in front of you but you're really just gonna kill the right tires. Had to be smart about it. We had a really good racecar that was able to take care of the right side tires, maintain track position."

Alex Bowman's teammate Chase Elliott conferred with the former's claim about pristine tire management

The high bankings on the Bristol Motor Speedway, which stretch to 24 degrees, create enormous pressure on the right tires as a driver goes around the corners. It indicates that the Cup Series vehicles would experience irregularities in tire degradation, making it challenging to keep all four compounds in a comparable shape.

After a dissatisfactory outing on the Phoenix Raceway, where, due to the newly churned short-track package that failed to stand by its promises, the drivers didn't hold back from voicing their concerns.

However, Hendrick Motorsports has solved a big chunk of a hindrance as they ventured into Bristol and raked in two top-5s, Alex Bowman's P4 and Kyle Larson's P5, and a solitary top-10, collected by Chase Elliott in P8.

Post his season-best finish, the Georgian native shared a mutual belief as that of Alex Bowman. Lauding the balance of the car, the 2020 Cup Series champion shared his verdict with motorsports journalist Dustin Long.

Elliott said (via X):

"It was a lot of fun. I think there's probably a little better balance somewhere there, but I had a good time."