Alex Bowman rode to Victory Lane on Sunday at the Chicago Street Course, picking up the eighth win of his NASCAR Cup Series career and putting him in a good spot to make the playoffs.
His ride to the winner’s circle was a bit bumpy as he faced a retaliatory push into the wall from Bubba Wallace. Bowman spun out Wallace on Lap 25, costing the No. 23 driver track position and a potential shot at winning the race. Wallace finished 13th.
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Bubba Wallace, driver of the #23 23XI Racing McDonald’s Toyota, drives during the NASCAR Cup Series Grant Park 165 at the Chicago Street Circuit on July 7, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois. (Ben Hsu/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Bowman said afterward he was “embarrassed” by the spin and tried to reach Wallace after the race, according to NBC Sports.
“We’ve raced each other super fair and super clean,” Bowman said, via FOX Sports. “I just messed up and ruined his day and I hate that.”
On Wallace’s bump, Bowman said there shouldn’t be a penalty for it.
Bubba Wallace, driver of the #23 McDonald’s Toyota, greets fans as he walks offstage during driver intros prior to the NASCAR Cup Series Grant Park 165 at Chicago Street Course on July 7, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois. (Quinn Harris/Getty Images)
“The restart was chaotic, right,” he said. “I just made every wrong decision I possibly could, and I was I fighting with my windshield wiper switch, trying to get the thing working, and I couldn’t get it working. And I was focused on that, missed the corner and cleaned him out.
“I locked all four tires up and slid right into him. I just messed up and absolutely ruined his day.”
Wallace has yet to respond to the controversy. He posted a goodbye photo on his Instagram Stories but nothing beyond that.
Alex Bowman, driver of the #48 Ally Chevrolet, celebrates in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Cup Series Grant Park 165 at Chicago Street Course on July 7, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois. (James Gilbert/Getty Images)
He is 15th in the drivers’ standings.
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The NASCAR playoffs are set for Sept. 8.
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