“I’m f*cking with you”: Alex Bowman caught off guard by his spotter’s Richmond antics

Alex Bowman was taken aback when his longtime spotter, Kevin Hamlin, pulled a pre-race prank during Saturday's Cook Out 400 at Richmond Raceway. Hamlin had Bowman convinced that they were relegated to the back of the field.

Bowman had qualified ninth for the 400-lap event, but his start was briefly delayed when NASCAR officials asked to inspect his No.48 Chevy. The hold-up was to fix his passenger side window before clearing him for the race.

NASCAR reporter Colin Ward reported on the incident on his X handle, writing,

“Bowman’s car was pushed back into the garage with a few officials around it. Mostly every car is on the grid now, and one of Bowman’s crew members just went sprinting back to the hauler."

Hamlin took this as a cue to tease Bowman with a fake penalty call. The Athletic's Jeff Gluck relayed their radio exchange in an X post, writing,

"Bowman spotter Kevin Hamlin: "We've got to go to the back for delaying the start."

Bowman: "Are you kidding me?"

Hamlin: "Yeah, I'm f*cking with you. All good.""

Jeff Gluck

@jeff_gluck

Bowman spotter Kevin Hamlin: "We've got to go to the back for delaying the start." Bowman: "Are you kidding me?" Hamlin: "Yeah, I'm fucking with you. All good."

While Alex Bowman was relieved to learn it was just a prank, NBC broadcasters fell for the bait and reported it as fact, telling their viewers that Bowman would have to start the race at the rear. Nonetheless, Bowman began as per his grid slot on the fifth row.

Saturday's event marks the driver's second consecutive top-10 start. The race is crucial for the Hendrick Motorsports driver as well, seeing how he's fighting Chris Buescher on the playoff bubble. He's currently 60 points clear of the cutline, while Buscher trails close by with a 26-point deficit.

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Alex Bowman reveals his 'super painful' race this year

In a recent interview with Jeff Gluck, Alex Bowman was asked when he felt the most miserable behind the wheel. The 32-year-old was quick to respond with a callback to the Mexico City race at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez.

"Mexico was super painful. My back was killing me (from the Michigan wreck a week earlier). If we weren’t running well, I probably don’t finish that race. So that was a rough one. We’ve had our share of bad days where we’ve just not run how we wanted to, but just from a pain perspective, that one was rough to get through," he said.

Alex Bowman was caught in a multi-car incident on the previous weekend at Michigan International Speedway, where he was sent hard into the outside SAFER barriers. The DNF marked his third of the season, and despite the setback, the #48 driver managed to secure a top-5 result at Mexico.

He finished fourth after starting among the backmarkers at 29th. He's currently winless this season and ranks the least among the HMS stable, at 9th.