Kevin Harvick weighs in on Bubba Wallace and Alex Bowman’s ‘rough’ Chicago battle

Kevin Harvick broke down the heated 'bumper war' between Bubba Wallace and Alex Bowman at the Chicago Street Race. With both drivers trading contact across multiple corners, Harvick called it 'pretty aggressive' and especially costly for Wallace, given how his playoff hopes are on the line.

Bowman wrecked Wallace during last year's Chicago race, and the 23XI driver promptly retaliated for the offence in the cool-down laps. This year's Grant Park 165 saw a rekindling of their beef, as the two went head-to-head in a scrappy battle for seventh.

Furthermore, they were also pitted against each other in Round 2 of the In-Season Challenge. While Wallace began as the aggressor, Bowman responded in kind and ultimately spun the #23 driver out of contention.

During the latest episode of his podcast Happy Hour, Harvick delivered a verdict on the on-track battle, saying:

"It was rough and, you know, I don't know exactly. You see Bubba kind of turn over the 48 right there, but that that had been going on while they were side by side. And then it evolved into a little bit of a bumper war here going into the into the last corner, and they got connected right there. And so yeah, it was intense, and I think that ultimately it wound up taking Bubba out of the race."

"It was pretty aggressive and both of these guys are in a unique position as far as well, Bubba more so than Alex from a point standpoint, so not what he needed," he added.

Bubba Wallace is on a 97-race winless streak and on the brink of missing the playoffs this year. Although he's two points clear of the cutoff line, Ryan Preece is poised to close the gap and knock him out of the postseason.

Bowman, meanwhile, is well into the playoff standings with 39 points above the cutoff line. He'd also finished among the top 10 at Chicago, while Wallace was marked 28th after his DNF. Shane van Gisbergen's second win of the season cemented his status as a road course ace.

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Bubba Wallace speaks out on Alex Bowman feud

After the Chicago Street Race, Alex Bowman told the media he was surprised by his run-in with Bubba Wallace, as he believed their beef had long been 'squashed'. The 23XI driver seemingly responded to the comments during his own post-race interview.

"Hate to see it end that way. It was fun. Fun with the 48. No love lost, all good,” he said via NASCAR.

Up next, Bubba Wallace heads to Sonoma Raceway, yet another road course where he hasn't notched up a top-10 finish. In his three races since the Next Gen Era, he has finished 17 or lower, recording an average finish of 24.