“Kinda fast”: Alex Bowman “proud” of top 5 result at Kansas

Alex Bowman has expressed satisfaction with the car's performance despite limping his way to a fifth-place finish at Kansas Speedway. His #48 Chevrolet Camaro sustained damage early in the race but stayed in contention thanks to its speed.

On lap 95 of the AdventHealth 400 at Kansas, Bowman was in a three-wide inside the top 10 when Zane Smith moved up the track and pushed the #48 into the wall. The misfortunes didn't end there, as the Hendrick Motorsports driver met the wall again on lap 263, allowing Chase Briscoe to easily pass for fourth place.

Regardless, Alex Bowman ended the race weekend with a strong result in fifth place. The 32-year-old took to X to reflect on his race, saying:

"Super fast, got run into the fence, less fast but still kinda fast. Grumpy meter maxed out over here but proud of the team for a top 5 with so much damage."

While Bowman earned his second top-5 of the 2025 NASCAR season, fellow HMS driver Kyle Larson dominated the Kansas race. Larson qualified for the pole position, won stages one and two and clocked the fastest lap. His teammate ultimately bagged his third win this year after leading 221 of 267 laps.

The Arizona native improved his position to eighth in the standings, with teammates Larson, William Byron and Chase Elliott sitting in the top five. He has also secured two pole positions, mirroring the performance of the #48 Chevy on pure pace.

Alex Bowman (#48) alongside Denny Hamlin (#11) at Kansas Speedway - Source: Imagn

Next on the calendar is the NASCAR All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro. Since Bowman won a race last year (Chicago street race), he is already eligible for the main event, meaning he doesn't have to qualify in the All-Star Open.

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"Frustrating": Alex Bowman on missed opportunity to finish higher at Kansas

Alex Bowman was frustrated over the damage the #48 Chevrolet sustained, which he argued cost him a potentially higher finishing position at Kansas Speedway. He pointed out that the Next-Gen cars tend to get tight when racing closely, as seen in his race last Sunday.

When asked whether he'd driven better without damage, the Hendrick Motorsports driver said (via Frontstretch on YouTube):

"I think so. The car drove a lot worse after that." [1:07]

"Frustrating, right? That's the unfortunate part of racing these cars. They do some... where the old cars get loose side-by-side, these cars get really tight and guys just take off and the outside guy ends up in the fence," he added.

Despite running a damaged racecar, the eight-time Cup race winner looked at the bright side and said:

"Not thrilled about it, but at least we overcame and ended up fifth."

The Kansas spring race wasn't the only outing where Bowman had significant consequences after hitting the outside wall. During the Homestead-Miami race last March, the #48 driver was leading when he brushed the wall on lap 261, giving Kyle Larson a smoother run for first place before his teammate took the checkered flag.