Alex Bowman has been knocking on the door to victory lane all season long. Sunday in the Camping World 400 at Chicagoland Speedway, Bowman kicked the door in as the driver of the No. 88 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 led 88 laps on the day then battled and defeated Kyle Larson in a great fight for the win over the final laps of the race.
Bowman had scored three runner-up finishes in a row earlier in the season and with one of his main sponsors — Nationwide Insurance — leaving at the end of the season, pressure was beginning to mount for a win. Bowman drove like a man who wanted more than anyone on Sunday. When he was interviewed after getting his car stuck in the mud during his celebration, a misty-eyed Bowman said he was tired of finishing second.
The kid from Tucson was tired of running second.
Now @AlexBowman88 is a winner at the highest level. pic.twitter.com/8NuY5ENcSV
— #NASCARSalutes (@NASCAR) July 1, 2019
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This is the second win for Hendrick Motorsports in 2019 and it is just the second time this season that a team other than Joe Gibbs Racing or Team Penske have won the race.
Larson finshed second, Joey Logano was third, Jimmie Johnson had a great day and came home fourth and Brad Keselowski rounded out the top-five finishers.
Ryan Blaney rebounded from a flat tire at the end of Stage 1 to finish sixth, Erik Jones ended up seventh, William Byron was eighth, Martin Truex Jr. finished ninth and pole sitter Austin Dillon got a 10th place finish.
Denny Hamlin won Stage 1, but a loose tire violation in Stage 2 doomed his day. Hamlin ended up 15th.
Kevin Harvick led 132 laps on the day and won Stage 2, but early in Stage 3 Harvick’s car broke loose and he went into the wall. Harvick, who is still searching for his first win of the season, finished 14th.
Post-Race Stats Pack:
