Alex Bowman captured a runner-up result in Saturday night’s Cook Out 400 at Richmond Raceway. (Photo: Daniel Rankin | The Podium Finish)
RICHMOND, Va. — Alex Bowman had to dig deep Saturday night at Richmond Raceway, clawing his way back from an early setback to post a runner-up finish in the Cook Out 400. While Austin Dillon scored a breakthrough victory to secure a berth in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs, Bowman’s performance offered a timely boost with just one regular season race remaining.
Bowman, making his 350th career NASCAR Cup Series start, rolled off ninth under the lights at the 0.75-mile short track, but his opening stage was anything but smooth. Fighting a tight-handling No. 48 Ally Chevrolet and mired in traffic, he slid backward through the field and ended Stage 1 in 17th.
The setback, though frustrating, didn’t rattle Bowman or crew chief Blake Harris. Adjustments during pit stops helped the Hendrick Motorsports team dial in the car’s balance, and Bowman steadily picked his way forward. By the end of Stage 2, he was back inside the top five with a fifth-place finish that set the tone for his late-race charge.
The final run proved to be Bowman’s strongest of the night. As Dillon led the field in the closing laps, Bowman’s No. 48 came alive in clean air and carved through traffic. With fresher momentum and a faster pace, he appeared poised to mount a challenge for the win.
What ultimately kept Bowman from catching Dillon, however, was traffic and tire wear at the wrong moment.
“A couple favors,” Bowman said with a wry smile when asked what he needed at the end. “I sure complained about it on the radio, but that’s just part of what we do.
“We had a really good No. 48 Ally Chevrolet in the last run, just broke the tires off too much in lap traffic. We didn’t get any breaks and that made me kind of work the rears harder than I needed to. We just needed to be a little better through there to get to him [Austin Dillon, race winner]. I certainly think we had the better car, but unfortunately, we didn’t get there. Blake [Harris, crew chief] and all the guys did a great job. Just came up a little bit short.”
Alex Bowman nearly had a winning evening in Saturday night’s Cook Out 400 at Richmond Raceway. (Photo: Daniel Rankin | The Podium Finish)
Still, Bowman’s second-place result marked one of his best outings in recent months. For a driver riding the Playoff cutline, the timing couldn’t be more critical. The finish vaulted Bowman to 60 points above the elimination threshold heading into next weekend’s regular season finale at Daytona International Speedway.
That margin offers some breathing room, but the chaotic, unpredictable nature of superspeedway racing means nothing is guaranteed. The Coke Zero Sugar 400 has a long history of surprise winners, often shaking up the Playoff grid at the last possible moment. Bowman knows this reality all too well, and his mindset is clear: Daytona is essentially a must-win situation.
“Yeah, certainly really stressful on a lot of fronts,” Bowman said. “I mean, I think with the way that race normally goes, it’s about a must-win at that point because I think you’re most likely going to have a new winner. We just need to go execute and try to win the race. That’s all we can really do.
“Just proud of all the guys to continue to work hard and try to overcome the situation we’re in. We’ll keep digging.”
Bowman’s sense of urgency is well-founded. Dillon’s victory at Richmond bumped another driver off the Playoff bubble, further tightening the battle for the final spots. Currently 16th in the provisional Playoff standings, Bowman represents the cutline driver who could either race his way into the postseason or fall out if a new winner emerges at Daytona.
That precarious position has been the theme of Bowman’s summer. The 31-year-old Tucson, Arizona, native entered Richmond needing a strong showing to stop the slide of middling results. A second-place finish, while shy of the win, offered both a boost of confidence and much-needed points.
Alex Bowman’s reliable No. 48 Ally Racing pit crew got the job done throughout Saturday night’s Cook Out 400 at Richmond Raceway.(Photo: Daniel Rankin | The Podium Finish)
Harris, who is in his second season atop the No. 48 pit box, emphasized execution and patience at Richmond. Despite the early drop outside the top 15, the team methodically worked on balance adjustments while Bowman capitalized on track position through restarts. By Stage 2, the car was noticeably stronger, giving Bowman the ability to run consistently inside the top 10.
That persistence paid dividends when the race evolved into a long green-flag run in the closing laps. While Dillon maintained control out front, Bowman’s ability to chase him down underscored the speed the No. 48 team found in race trim.
For Dillon, the win provided redemption in a challenging season and secured a Playoff berth for Richard Childress Racing. For Bowman, it highlighted the razor-thin margin between securing victory and falling short. While he praised his team’s effort, Bowman couldn’t help but lament the missed chance to park in victory lane.
“I certainly think we had the better car,” Bowman reiterated. “But unfortunately, we didn’t get there.”
Even without the trophy, the second-place effort represented Bowman’s best finish since Las Vegas in the spring. It also helped Hendrick Motorsports continue its strong season, with teammates Kyle Larson and William Byron already locked into the Playoffs with victories. Bowman’s task now is to ensure the organization fields all four cars in the postseason, including his own and Chase Elliott’s.
The stakes couldn’t be higher as the series shifts to Daytona. Superspeedway racing, with its high-speed packs, unpredictable drafting, and frequent multi-car crashes, often favors the bold. For Bowman, the challenge will be balancing aggression with survival — staying out of the “Big One” while maintaining track position and taking advantage of drafting partners.
Alex Bowman’s solid performance at Richmond Raceway means some wiggle room for next Saturday night’s Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona. (Photo: Daniel Rankin | The Podium Finish)
Though the stress is palpable, Bowman’s comments reflected a steady mindset. The driver who has long been known for perseverance and resilience intends to channel those traits when the green flag drops under the Florida lights next Saturday night.
“Just proud of all the guys,” Bowman said. “We’ll keep digging.”
Bowman will need every ounce of that determination as the regular season reaches its climax. With Dillon’s Richmond victory reshuffling the deck, Bowman stands as the driver everyone is watching, the one perched precariously on the edge of the Playoff field.
If he can survive Daytona and secure his Playoff berth, Richmond may ultimately be remembered not as the race where Bowman “came up short,” but as the night he set the stage for a postseason run.
For now, though, Bowman departs Richmond with mixed emotions, the sting of a missed victory tempered by the satisfaction of a runner-up finish that keeps his Playoff hopes alive.
