CHICAGO (AP) — Alex Bowman thinks he is moving in the right direction. With the NASCAR Cup Series back in Chicago on Sunday, it's good timing for the Hendrick Motorsports driver.
Bowman raced to a sorely needed victory in downtown Chicago a year ago, stopping an 80-race drought and securing a spot in the playoffs. He is still looking for his first win this season, but he finished third last weekend at Atlanta.
The 32-year-old Bowman is the only driver to win at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, a 45-mile drive from downtown, and the Chicago Street Course. He got his first Cup victory at Chicagoland in 2019.
“As far as confidence coming into this race, I feel like we’re plenty capable,” he said Saturday. “We’re typically pretty good at road courses. A lot of confidence coming into these places.”
Bowman struggled at the beginning of June, finishing 36th at Nashville and Michigan. But the driver of the No. 48 Chevrolet turned it around in Mexico City, finishing fourth at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez — a 2.42-mile road course with 15 turns.
Three of the last eight races before the playoffs are on road courses — Chicago, Sonoma next weekend and Watkins Glen on Aug. 10.
Bowman said he likes Chicago because it's so different from the rest of the NASCAR schedule.
“We do a lot of the same thing for most of the year,” he said. “So, you know, walking through the city to get to the racetrack ... makes it different and a little more enjoyable. The challenge of a street course in general is super fun. Very technical, very little room for error.”
Bowman held off Tyler Reddick for last year's win on the 12-turn, 2.2-mile course — a tricky drive with manhole covers and transitions from concrete to asphalt and back. The race was shortened in each of the last two years because of rain, and there could be more showers on Sunday.
Bowman also is competing in the second round of NASCAR’s inaugural in-season tournament this weekend. He faces Bubba Wallace after the two tangled in Chicago last year.
During the cool-down lap after his victory, Bowman was bumped into the wall by Wallace. Bowman spun out Wallace early in the race.
“I think he and I are totally good,” Bowman said. “But yeah, I mean, he’s been really fast here in the past. Like, you don’t tend to think of him as a road course guy, but here last year, he was really fast. So definitely going to be a tough one.”
The head-to-head matchup with Bowman certainly got Wallace's attention.
“I’m sure he knows that a door slam does not count us even,” Wallace said. “So we'll see what happens.”
Daniel Suárez is racing for the first time since his split from Trackhouse Racing was announced. The sides are parting ways at the end of the 2025 season.
The 33-year-old Suárez is the only Mexican-born driver to win a NASCAR national series race. He has two victories in 305 career Cup starts.
Suárez, who became an American citizen last year, said he knew the relationship was going in this direction for months, and the resolution was a relief.
“To be able to make it official and be able to talk to other people and stuff for me was crucial to be able to feel lighter,” he said.
Suárez indicated he thinks he will be able to stay in the Cup Series.
“I have had a lot of conversations with a lot of people, and there is going to be opportunities,” he said. “We just have to see how things play out a little bit. I’m not going to lie. I believe that if this was happening next year, it was going to be way easier, because next year there’s a lot more openings, but there is going to be some, and I’m confident that things are going to work out.”
Will Brown, the reigning champion in Australia's Supercars, is making his second career Cup start. The driver of the No. 13 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet was 19th in qualifying.
Brown is hoping to duplicate the success of Shane van Gisbergen, a three-time Supercars champion from New Zealand who is on the pole Sunday. Van Gisbergen won the Chicago race in 2023.
“Obviously, a lot of us Supercar drivers after watching Shane in 2023 loved the look of Chicago and the event, so a lot of us wanted to come over and try this event,” Brown said. “Very lucky to be here.”
Van Gisbergen is favored to win the race, per BetMGM Sportsbook.
AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing
FILE - Alex Bowman interacts with spectators while walking down a runway during driver introductions before a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Daytona International Speedway, Aug. 24, 2024, in Daytona Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack, File)
