“They’ve been working hard”: Jeff Gordon full of praise and pride for Alex Bowman as all four HMS cars make it to the playoffs

Jeff Gordon, in the post-race interview following the Chicago race, couldn't hide his pride in Alex Bowman's performance. He stated that Bowman qualifying for the playoffs, alongside the other three Hendrick Motorsports drivers, was a result of their hard work.

Bowman is in his eighth season with Hendrick Motorsports. Prior to the Chicago street race, he had finished four races in the top 5s and six in the top 10s in the first 19 starts of the season. However, after winning The Grand Park 165, Alex Bowman managed to reserve a playoff seat for himself first time since 2022.

Jeff Gordon, serving as the Vice Chairman of Hendrick Motorsports, expressed his admiration for the #48 driver’s accomplishments and efforts, saying:

"Tough for these drivers on track and Alex did an amazing job. All week and long they have good speed and kept themselves in the right spot/position and Blake. Man amazing call there at the end to stay out and pull it off. So, couldn't be more proud."

When asked about the importance of Alex Bowman making the playoffs alongside his teammates, Jeff Gordon explained:

"Yeah, you know what I mean? We pride ourselves on how we share information and try to keep all our teams at the top. You know, those other three had gotten off to a great start and the 48 was just trying to find their stride, getting some momentum going. So they've been working hard. It's not from a lack of effort. [...] I think takes a lot of weight off their shoulders all four now in the playoffs. That's huge for us in motorsports."

Gordon also pointed out that since the conditions in Chicago were challenging, Alex Bowman's victory under tough circumstances and on a road course shows that he is a 'car guy'.

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Alex Bowman shares his struggles this season

Over the past month, in the last five races, Alex Bowman's performance included finishing one race in the top 10, two in the top 15, and two others outside the top 25. Although he hadn’t won a race, Bowman was ranked as high as eighth in the series standings by the end of May, positioning him well to make the playoffs based on points.

However, his results had dipped since then, with only one finish better than 14th, causing him to lose significant ground before last weekend’s race.

But Alex Bowman's victory in Chicago turned things around, boosting his standing both in the driver rankings and within the Hendrick Motorsports team. Reflecting on the challenges, Bowman shared [as quoted by Motorsport]:

"Yeah, it’s really difficult. Obviously, we have all the tools we need to win, and our teammates have been really good throughout that time. But we just couldn’t put it together. Honestly, the last month has been super frustrating for us. We’ve had a lot of things outside of our control, cost us a lot of points, and it’s been really frustrating."

After Bowman's turnaround, Hendrick Motorsports drivers now constitute one-fourth of the 16-driver playoff field.