Having survived the first round of the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs, Alex Bowman is focused more on performance than his run-in with driver Bubba Wallace last weekend at Charlotte.
Bowman, who had to start from the rear of the field last Sunday at the Charlotte Roval in a backup car, rallied to finish second in the race.
Combined with a late-race penalty by Ryan Newman for missing the backstretch chicane, Bowman just avoided being one of the four drivers eliminated from further title contention.
“You just can’t give up in situations like that. Obviously, I was really sick all weekend and I made life hard on myself all weekend with my share of the mistakes,” Bowman said Friday at Dover (Del.) International Speedway.
“I think a lot of it has to do with the race car those guys gave me and I’m really fortunate to have that.”
Bowman encountered more fireworks after the Charlotte race. Angered that he was spun out early in the race by Bowman, Wallace went looking for Bowman on pit road after the event.
By the time Wallace arrived, Bowman was sitting down next to his No. 88 Chevrolet receiving treatment from medical personnel for dehydration.
Wallace briefly spoke to Bowman then splashed liquid from a drinking bottle over Bowman, the medical attendant and Jeff Gordon, who had arrived to check on Bowman.
Asked where he stood with Wallace entering this weekend’s race at Dover, Bowman said, “I’m just focused on running well this weekend. I’m focused on my race car, trying to give the best feedback I can throughout practice, and being strong today and Sunday.
“I feel like he said what he had to say after the race. I’ve just been kind of moving forward since then. I don’t think we need to talk before Sunday. I think it is what it is.”
Bowman said he didn’t enjoy the attention the incident with Wallace received over the past week.
“I don’t really like attention, good or bad. I just kind of like to do my own thing and fly under the radar,” he said. “That’s almost like ‘Why do people want to talk to me?’, but I’m just focused on moving forward.
“I feel like that comes with doing my job.”
Source: Read Full Article