“I woke up in my bed like a normal human”: Alex Bowman’s Chicago celebrations didn’t go as per his post-race interview 

Alex Bowman, fresh off his win at the Chicago Street race, admitted to Kevin Harvick that his post-race celebration didn't go as he'd planned. The #48 driver was pleased to note that he's matured over the last few years, and his celebration style has evolved accordingly.

After winning The Grant Park 165 in Chicago, Bowman ended an 80-race winless streak. Despite achieving four top-5 finishes and six top-10s this season, his performance in the last five races leading up to Chicago had been less than stellar.

Apart from a better showing at the Iowa Corn 350, Alex Bowman had ended the other four races in 14th place or worse. The last time he tasted victory prior to Chicago was in 2022, in Las Vegas.

After his long-awaited victory at the Chicago Street Race, Bowman initially spoke about celebrating wildly in his post-race interview:

"We are gonna drink so much Burbon tonight. It's gonna be a bad deal. I am probably gonna wake up naked on the bathroom floor again."

However, during an interview on Kevin Harvick's Happy Hour, Bowman shared that his actual celebration was much more subdued. He remarked:

"I'm kind of impressed with myself honestly, I feel like I've certainly grown up a little bit in the last couple of years. And yeah, I woke up in my bed like a normal human. Made it to my meetings this morning, everything's good, I'm not too bad off. I mean, I got like an hour and a half of sleep, so, we're here." [00:50]

Bowman also reflected on his progress and experiences since his last win in Las Vegas.

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Alex Bowman talks about the peer pressure on the HMS team

Last year, Chase Elliott and Alex Bowman both missed making the playoffs. This year, however, Elliott has bounced back impressively, consistently topping the charts. Teammates Kyle Larson and William Byron have also been performing solidly over the years.

This put the spotlight on Bowman, who had a rough patch last year and has faced challenges this season too. He expressed his feelings on Kevin Harvick's Happy Hour about being the only HMS not performing well, saying:

"Definitely a lot of pressure, my teammates have been super successful in the last couple years and it's for whatever reason, like we've definitely struggled a little bit. So, just felt really good to be able to get back in Victory Lane. [...] So it's just (that) I'm really appreciative of everybody sticking with me through some hard times and meant a lot to get back in Victory Lane." [02:30]

Alex Bowman will next compete at Pocono Raceway, aiming to boost his playoff standings. On the track, he has an average finish of 18.4 with a win, two top-5s, and four top-10s across 14 starts.