LOUDON, N.H. - Even though his dreams of a career-first top-10 finish in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series ended in a wreck against the frontstretch wall, Alex Bowman couldn’t conceal his elation.
Bowman, 23, was subbing for Dale Earnhardt, Jr., who was sidelined for Sunday’s New Hampshire 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway after experiencing concussion-like symptoms earlier in the week.
And though Bowman had 71 Cup starts to his credit before Sunday’s race, none of them came in equipment remotely comparable to the No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet he drove in Earnhardt’s stead.
After starting 20th and getting the feel of the car, Bowman began advancing. He was 10th for a restart on lap 228 and got by teammate and six-time series champion Jimmie Johnson for the ninth spot.
But calamity struck on a lap 265 pit stop when contact between Bowman’s Chevy and the Toyota of Carl Edwards cut the left-rear tire on Bowman’s car. The coup de grace came on lap 273, when Bowman slid up the track into Kurt Busch’s Chevrolet.
With the left-rear flattened, Bowman crashed into the outside wall on the frontstretch.
Bowman stayed on the lead lap and finished 26th, but the way the race ended didn’t mute the driver’s enthusiasm.
“It was amazing,” Bowman gushed. “I can’t thank Hendrick Motorsports and all these guys enough. They took me to my worst race track by far and made me look good. I just have to thank Mr. H (team owner Rick Hendrick). I had such an amazing time. Everybody, (crew chief) Greg (Ives) and all the guys were so welcoming. I hate the circumstances and really hope Dale is feeling well, but I had so much fun today.
“Obviously, I hate that we didn’t get the finish we deserve, but I’ve raced with a lot of these guys for a long time… I raced around them, but I’ve never got to actually race with guys like Jimmie Johnson, Tony Stewart, Kurt Busch, all those guys. I had a lot of fun passing really good cars. Just really thankful for Nationwide and all of Hendrick Motorsports for letting me be here.”
Jeff Gordon Ready To Step Into Earnhardt’s No. 88
Despite turning in a praiseworthy performance at New Hampshire, Alex Bowman won’t be in the No. 88 car if Earnhardt isn’t cleared to drive next weekend at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
That duty will fall to Jeff Gordon, who is ready to interrupt his retirement, if need be. The four-time champion was on vacation in the south of France when team owner Rick Hendrick called.
“I asked him what he was doing next week, and he said he’d be in Indy for one of the appearances he has to make,” Hendrick said. “I said, ‘Well, bring your driver’s uniform just in case.’ He said, ‘Are you kidding?’ And I said, ‘No, I’m serious.’ So, if Dale can’t go then Jeff is ready to step in.”
In fact, Gordon is the probable sub if Earnhardt is sidelined for additional races.
“I would think so,” Hendrick said. “I haven’t talked to him about it. We’re just taking it a week at a time. Hopefully Dale’s going to be back next week, and it’s not even something that we really think is going to happen.
“But if it does, Jeff is a team player and he wants to support the organization, and I’m sure he’ll do whatever he has to do.”
Hendrick said Earnhardt wants to get back in the car as soon as possible and asserted that his driver is planning to continue in the sport long-term.
“He and I talked about years beyond next year,” Hendrick said. “And just around, I guess it was Daytona, if there was something major wrong, I think they would have seen it already. So I’m very hopeful and he’s very hopeful.
“And I think the doctors want to err on the side of being sure, because we want him for a long time. He loves the fans. He loves the sport. He loves to race. And we love him in the organization.”
Kevin Harvick Bemoans Miscues That Cost Him Wins
Kevin Harvick left Loudon with a chip on his shoulder – and justifiably so.
In Sunday’s race at the Magic Mile, Harvick would gain positions on the track, only to lose them on pit road.
On the opening run, he drove from eighth to fourth, only to have a glitch with a tire changer’s air gun drop him back to 11th for a restart on lap 41.
On the long green-flag run that followed, Harvick advanced to fourth again but trouble with the left rear during a stop under caution on lap 101 sent him back to 11th again for a restart on lap 109. During the balance of the race, Harvick ran as high as second but never led a lap.
At the finish, the 2014 series champion was fourth — and he was fuming.
“I’m disgusted, to tell you the truth,” Harvick said. “It’s the same thing every week. We just make mistake after mistake, and until we clean that up we don’t have a chance to win races, putting ourselves in a hole every time we make a mistake.
“It sucks, because the cars are plenty fast, but we are just not executing.”
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