"This sport kicks your teeth in": Alex Bowman on fierce NASCAR competition, rebounding to a solid start in 2024

Hendrick Motorsports driver Alex Bowman shared his insights on the formidable competition faced by drivers in NASCAR.

Three-time Daytona 500 pole winner Alex Bowman was off to a rather successful start to his Hendrick Motorsports career. Having qualified for the playoffs nearly every season, the Tuscon, Arizona native was consistently registering wins and pole victories, with 2021 being his best season yet.

However, the 30-year-old driver hit a roadblock when a back injury ruled him out for a solid chunk of the 2023 campaign. The suspension of his crew chief Blake Harris for the installation of unapproved hood louvers to his No. 48 Chevrolet further derailed his momentum. Bowman went winless and failed to secure a playoff qualification for the first time in his HMS career.

Reflecting on the demanding nature of NASCAR competition and the rigorous demands of professional racing, Bowman recently told Heavy.'s Kyle Dalton:

"Yeah, this sport kicks your teeth in for the most part, more often than not. So I think that’s been something that I’ve had to figure out. 2019, 2020, 2021 into the beginning of 2022, we were kind of winning a little bit regularly at least."

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Alex Bowman on finding his form in 2024 campaign

While his infamous streak of six consecutive front-row starts in the Daytona 500 race might have come to an end, Alex Bowman has managed to register three top five finishes after six races.

Starting the season off with a runner-up finish at Daytona International Speedway behind teammate William Byron, the Hendrick Motorsports driver has bagged back-to-back fourth-place finishes in both Bristol and COTA races.

Reflecting on his remarkable kick-off to the new campaign after struggling in the previous season, Bowman highlighted the importance of finding motivation amidst adversity. He said:

"You know, last year, we struggled obviously the second half of the year. And it was, it’s kind of hard to find that at times. So I feel like everybody has to find motivation. It’s different for everybody."

Bowman added:

"But for whatever reason, I’m getting my teeth kicked out kind of to start the year and still in a really good place."

After six races, Bowman has 165 points secured. The 30-year-old, being the lowest-ranked HMS driver, finds himself 11th in the Cup Series standings. Teammates Kyle Larson and William Byron are fifth and sixth, respectively, whereas a winless Chase Elliott is ranked ninth.