HMS’ Alex Bowman details his relationship with his crew & Blake Harris: “I don’t really hangout outside of work stuff with them”

Alex Bowman recently opened up to SiriusXM NASCAR Radio producer and host, Davey Segal, about his off-track relationship with the #48 crew chief, Blake Harris. In the interview before last Sunday's race at the Chicago Road Course, the Hendrick Motorsports driver also went candid on how often the team meets throughout the week.

Alex Bowman won Sunday's Grant Park 165, a race that was first delayed and then shortened by the rain. The victory snapped Bowman's 80-race winless streak and got him a spot in this year's playoffs. Furthermore, the Tucson native became the fourth and the final Hendrick Motorsports driver to sign up for the 2024 playoff rumble.

NASCAR is a team sport; therefore, the members of a team must work together to ensure the best possible performance on race day. Reflecting on the same, Alex Bowman said that although he spends a lot of time with his crew members and crew chief during these meetings, they do not hang out if it's not for work.

"At Hendrick Motorsports, we're in so many meetings that we're together pretty much every day," explained Bowman. "At least Mondays and Wednesdays we're together at the shop... We work together quite a bit."

Unlike some of the road crew guys at HMS, crew chief Blake Harris does not get Mondays off, even after a long weekend, and neither does Alex Bowman. They land at the race venues early in the morning and spend the rest of the day attending meetings, followed by more meetings on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

"I don't hang out outside of work stuff with them throughout the week, but that's just because of the schedule. So not a lot of hanging out away from work but definitely a lot of time spent together at the shop," Bowman said.

With just six races to go till the round of 16 openers at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Bowman is 11th in the Cup Series standings with 553 points to his name. His next race is on July 14 at Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pennsylvania.

"It has certainly been a large mental test"- Alex Bowman on the importance of his Chicago victory

Alex Bowman's latest victory came after a long wait that started after he had won the Pennzoil 400 on March 6, 2022, which was also his first win in the NextGen era. Following that, Bowman was forced to stay out of several races over the last couple of years due to a concussion and a spine injury. Therefore, winning the Grant Park 165 meant a lot to the 31-year-old.

"We won right off the bat in '22. Then we had a rough summer in '22 and then we got back rolling and then I got hurt and we started '23 really fast and I got hurt again," Alex Bowman said in an interview reported by speedsport.com. "Yeah, it's really difficult. Obviously, we have all the tools we need to win and our teammates have been really good throughout that time. But we just couldn't put it together."

"It has certainly been a large mental test to go through everything that has happened in the last two years and try to continue to overcome that each and every week, especially when things aren't going your way," he added.

Fortunately, Alex Bowman has finally been able to shake those feelings off his chest and regain his winning momentum. He is the 12th driver to win a race this year; which means only four spots remain in this year's playoffs. It was also the first Cup race win for Blake Harris, who joined the #48 team before the start of the 2023 season.