“I’m gonna wake up naked on the bathroom floor”: Alex Bowman ready for heavy drinking after snapping 80 race winless streak at Chicago

After triumphing in the final lap battle against Tyler Reddick, Alex Bowman unveiled his wild drinking plans. The Hendrick Motorsports driver snapped his 80-race winless streak and thus, has called it a "bourbon" night.

Alex Bowman started his 20th Cup Series battle from the eighth spot and didn't witness much change in his track position during the initial stage run, finishing sixth. But the #48 Chevy gained momentum in the second stage. While the cars struggled to maneuver through the sharp turns owing to the slippery track, the HMS driver started overtaking and emerged runner-up during the second stage.

However, keeping Alex Bowman on wet weather tires while the majority of the pack pitted for dry or slicks played a crucial part in the win. As the final stage went green and single-file restarts reset the field, courtesy of the narrow street circuit, Bowman out-braked Stage 2 winner Joey Hand on Lap 51 and never looked back.

After taking the white flag as the leader, the HMS driver momentarily faced a challenge from Tyler Reddick. However, the 23XI Racing driver made contact with the wall, giving a comfortable 3-second lead to the former. The #48 Chevy then gunned for the first trip to the victory lane since its last triumph at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway in 2022.

Enthralled after snapping his 80-race winless streak, Bowman unfurled his celebratory drinking plan as he outlined missing the same during his LVMS win.

"Last one we won, we didn't really get to celebrate. We're gonna drink so much damn bourbon tonight. It's going to be a bad deal, I'm probably gonna wake up naked on the bathroom floor again but that's part of this deal sometimes," Bowman said via NASCAR on TSN on X (0.50)

Alex Bowman apologizes to Bubba Wallace and the 23 team for "ruining" their Chicago outing

As water droplets blinded Alex Bowman's view, he tried to get his windshield wiper working but in due process, lost focus momentarily from the race for which Bubba Wallace paid the price. During Stage 2, while passing through Turn 2, the #48 Chevy missed the turn and spun out the 23XI Racing driver. As a result, Wallace finished the stage in 35th place despite being among the top 10 runners before that.

The wreck didn't sit well with the Alabama native and he deliberately collided into Alex Bowman's right front during the cooldown lap on the 2.2-mile circuit.

Bubba Wallace's intentional wreck didn't enrage Alex Bowman. On the contrary, after exiting his car, the Hendrick Motorsports driver apologized for wrecking the 23XI Racing driver before weighing in on his triumphant run.

"I apologize again to the 23 guys, just messed up. Trying to get my windshield wiper on, missed the corner, and ruined their day. So, I hate that, I'm still embarrassed about it," the Arizona native said (0.19).

Bowman's Chicago Street Race win has guaranteed his spot in the playoffs, which means that all HMS drivers will now be seen on the Round of 16 roster.