“We showed we can run as well as anybody”: Alex Bowman sends message about building on strong momentum for 2025 NASCAR season

Hendrick Motorsports driver Alex Bowman is heading into the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season with a renewed sense of optimism. Last year, Bowman had a much-improved second half of the 2024 season, securing solid finishes in playoffs. He wrapped up the season with a 14th-place finish at the season-finale Phoenix race and ninth in the Cup Series final championship standings.

In a recent interview with FOX Sports’ Bob Pockrass, the #48 HMS driver reflected on his team’s impressive late-season performance and how he is planning to build on momentum gained in the latter part of the season for 2025. Bowman stated that he found consistency and competitiveness toward the end of last season, despite a few setbacks at Martinsville and Phoenix.

On maintaining high performance throughout the 2025 NASCAR season, here’s what Bowman said:

“I think we kind of just finally found our footing, really, and got to a good place as a team, and really rolled through the whole end of the season pretty well. Obviously, we lost power steering at Martinsville, so that didn't look very good. And then tried something at Phoenix that didn't work, but yeah, I mean, just trying to use that as our baseline to start the year I think it is the most important thing for us and going up from there, right?

"I think especially the first seven weeks of the playoffs, or whatever, eight weeks of the playoffs, we showed we can run as well as anybody. So, we just need to kind of use that as the floor and go up from there.”

Alex Bowman achieved 17 top-10 finishes and eight top-five finishes in the 2024 season. He also secured a significant victory at the Chicago Street Course, ending an 80-race winless streak.

---

“I would take the win over the pole”—Alex Bowman on his Daytona 500 priority

Alex Bowman knows the importance of Daytona 500 qualifying, especially for his boss Rick Hendrick. But in a recent interview with AP News, Bowman made it clear that winning Daytona 500 is a priority for him over Daytona 500 pole.

Speaking about his priority about the 2025 Daytona 500, Bowman said:

“Qualifying means a lot to Mr. Hendrick and everybody in the engine shop and the chassis shop, everybody that puts the cars together. It’s kind of their time to shine. But winning the 500 means a little bit more than that. I would take the win over the pole.” (via APNews.com)

Alex Bowman has never won Daytona 500, but he has promising records at NASCAR’s prestigious event. He has won Daytona 500 pole in 2018, 2021, and 2023. He also holds the record for most consecutive front-row starts in “The Great American Race” six times (2018 to 2023).

Watch Alex Bowman in action at the Dayton 500 on Sunday, February 16, on FOX.