HMS star Alex Bowman unfazed by recent slump in performance: “It’s not like we’re slow”

Alex Bowman is unbothered by the recent rough finishes ahead of Sunday's NASCAR Cup Series race at Talladega Superspeedway. The Hendrick Motorsports driver qualified with the fastest lap for the last Cup race at Bristol but ended 37th after his No. 48 Chevrolet faced engine issues. It was Bowman's fourth finish - third straight - outside the top 25 in 2025.

The 32-year-old shared his thoughts on his fall in performances to NASCAR reporter Toby Christie.

"I mean, I don't think it really puts us behind the curve. I think, you know, at worst last week or two weeks ago, we run third, you know, if we don't have that failure. So it's not like we're slow. You know, if we were slow, like I'd be pretty frustrated," Alex Bowman said.

Bowman finished 35th at Darlington after starting from 33rd. However, the week before Martinsville, he earned pole at Homestead-Miami and finished second, behind HMS teammate Kyle Larson. Bowman also has four other top-10 finishes this season.

"Darlington, we weren't very good, and I was frustrated. But, you know, other than that, we've been, we've had speed every week. So if that goes away, it'll be a problem. But, you know, I think we're doing a lot of the right things," Bowman said.

The JACK Link's 500 is scheduled to start at 3 p.m. ET on Sunday, April 27. Bowman, who has led 240 laps at the superspeedway in the New Gen car, has two top-10 finishes in his last five starts at the 2.66-mile tri-oval in Alabama.

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Alex Bowman "excited for a tire management race" after second pole at Bristol

Alex Bowman had a rough race at Bristol. While teams expected tire wear like last spring's race, that wasn't the issue during the race.

Bowman faced engine failure after starting the Food City 500 from pole. He led the first 40 laps, but his engine started acting up around Lap 285 during stage 3 of the 500-lap race. Bowman dropped from third to 22nd and had to park his car by lap 347.

Bowman also set a record during the qualifying session at Bristol: his 14.912-second lap at 128.675 mph was the fastest at the 0.533-mile short track for the Next Gen car.

"I think we're all much more prepared than we were last spring. ... I'm excited for a tire management race. It's going to be a lot of fun. We'll see what we've got," Alex Bowman said (via Racing America).

Last season, Bowman snapped an 80-race winless streak by winning the Grant Park 165 at the Chicago Street Course, his only win of the 2024 season. He's 10th in the Cup playoff standings ahead of Sunday's Cup race.