"I thought we had squashed our beef": Alex Bowman reacts to late race duel with Bubba Wallace at Chicago

Alex Bowman was left confused by his latest run-in with Bubba Wallace during Sunday's (July 6) Chicago Street Race. The Hendrick Motorsports driver recounted being 'demolished' by Wallace and forced into the walls multiple times, reigniting a feud he long thought was put to rest.

Bowman and Wallace engaged in a late-race duel for seventh place when the #45 driver spun out of contention after repeatedly colliding with Bowman. The two had a similar run-in during last year's Chicago race, when Bowman wrecked Wallace, and the latter retaliated during the cool-down lap.

This year was no different, as the two were pitted against each other in Round 2 of the In-Season Challenge. Bowman ultimately finished eighth and advanced to the next round, while Wallace finished five laps down in 28th.

Reflecting on their latest clash, Bowman told Frontstretch:

"I thought we had squashed our beef, but clearly we have not. So, yeah, I don't know. I followed the 45, passed him, he ran me in the inside wall on eight. Still felt like I passed him clean. Then he absolutely just demolished me into 12. I gave it back a little bit into one and then he demolished me again into two, ran me in the outside wall and I'm just a pinball between him and the outside wall at that point."

Bowman downplayed any intent to crash and claimed that Wallace 'did it to himself'. He also questioned Wallace's tactics since the latter was on a clear tire disadvantage and had no reason to be so aggressive.

"I get the In-Season tournament means a lot, but at that point I'm just trying to finish the best I can. I wasn't really thinking about that. So, I don't know if that's what it was about or what, but unfortunately that happened," he added.

Alex Bowman is set to face off against Ty Dillon in Challenge Round 3 at yet another road course, the Sonoma Raceway.

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Alex Bowman's spotter erupts over team radio during Bubba Wallace clash

Alex Bowman's spotter, Kevin Hamlin, cussed out Bubba Wallace during their heated on-track moment at the Chicago Street Race. Frustrated by the repeated contact, Hamlin guided Bowman through a chaotic stretch of corners before steering clear of Wallace.

NASCAR reporter Steven Taranto shared an excerpt of the team radio on his X handle.

"Stay with it. We're not playing nice with this motherf***er," Kevin Hamlin wrote.

Alex Bowman entered Sunday's race as the reigning winner at Chicago. His top-10 result propelled him two spots up the driver's standings, landing him at tenth with 480 points. Meanwhile, his HMS teammates, William Byron, Chase Elliott, and Kyle Larson, place among the top-three rankings. Bowman is yet to score a win this season and remains the only driver on his team to not have achieved the feat.