“I’d use other words but that wouldn’t be appropriate”: Daniel Suarez on his collision with Alex Bowman at Darlington

A race-ending collision occurred involving three drivers and triggered strong reactions from Alex Bowman and Daniel Suarez due to an intense blocking maneuver.

The incident unfolded with 49 laps remaining in the Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway. Suarez attempted to pass his teammate Bowman on the inside, but the latter blocked his move.

In response, Suarez shifted back towards the top of the track, but Bowman followed suit, resulting in contact that sent the No. 48 car crashing into the wall. Subsequently, Suarez's No. 99 Trackhouse Chevrolet spun to the left and collided with Harrison Burton.

Both Alex Bowman and Daniel Suarez, who were initially poised for top-10 finishes, ended up finishing outside the top 30. Similarly, Burton, who had positioned himself for a top-15 finish, concluded the race outside the top 30.

Daniel Suarez further tweeted:

"I’d use other words but that wouldn’t be appropriate so let’s stick to “dumb move”. I’m not surprised by now. My team deserved better today, We struggled in the short run but were strong in the long run, and our @Freeway_Ins Chevy was a top10 car. We’ll bounce back in Kansas."

According to NBC Sports, Daniel Suarez said:

"We’re both Chevy partners, so I didn’t want to do that to him. But then I went high and he blocked me again. You can block once, but you can’t block twice like that. We’ve been racing here for three and a half hours and to wreck with 40 laps to go, it’s a little bit dumb. Just have to be smart."

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Drama Unfolds on Social Media: Alex Bowman and Crew Chief Travis Mack Engage in Heated Exchange Following Race Incident

The two drivers weren't the sole participants in the ongoing exchange. Travis Mack, the crew chief for Trackhouse Racing's No. 99 team, also joined the conversation with a series of posts on X (formerly known as Twitter), where he contested the allegations of him making a gesture toward Bowman.

Talking to NBC Sports, Alex Bowman had earlier said:

"Obviously, it didn’t work out. He chose not to lift and to crash us. Every time I race (Suarez), he does something dumb, whether it’s his crew chief flipping me off on the way to the airport or any time I’m around him, he blocks me aggressively.”

Mack responded on X, writing:

"I’d like to know when I flipped him off. Ha. Guess he can see into the future."

The tone of the posts shifted after midnight. Mack acknowledged that he and Alex Bowman were discussing the incident, and he suggested that perhaps he and the Hendrick driver should consider creating T-shirts for charity. This is a tradition Bowman has previously followed, using the proceeds to support animal shelters.

In the past, Bowman designed "Hack" shirts after his victory in the Martinsville elimination race in 2021 and "All luck, no skill" shirts after his win at Las Vegas last season, drawing inspiration from comments made by Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch.