NASCAR fans gripped by emotions over Alex Bowman’s touching animal shelter stop in Chicago

Alex Bowman made a heartwarming stop at Chicago Animal Care and Control ahead of the NASCAR Chicago Street Race, joining in a pet adoption event as part of a community outreach initiative. Bowman, who returns as the defending winner at the Chicago Street Course, partnered with NASCAR and the city’s shelter to promote animal adoption, with NASCAR covering all adoption fees for July.

The visit, shared through a video by reporter Bob Pockrass on X, drew an emotional reaction from NASCAR fans. The caption to the tweet read,

"Some scenes from Alex Bowman's visit to Chicago Animal Care and Control. In conjunction with the Chicago Street Race, NASCAR is paying for all adoption fees this month from the municipally-run animal shelter."

The event took place on Thursday, July 3, during Bowman’s return to the Windy City for a full day of appearances tied to the Chicago Street Race weekend. Along with visiting the animal shelter, he also participated in The NASCAR Foundation’s Speediatrics Fun Day Festival at the South Side YMCA and took part in a fan panel at the DuSable Black History Museum.

Bowman’s trip to Chicago came on the heels of a strong third-place finish in Atlanta. Sitting 15th in the playoff standings, 39 points above the elimination line, Bowman came to Chicago looking to build momentum. He remains the only driver to win on both the Chicago Street Course and the Chicagoland Speedway oval.

Bowman’s gesture struck a chord with many, who praised Alex Bowman for his compassion and off-track character. One fan commented,

"Drivers who help dogs and cats will have good karma for winning,"

Daryl Oberacker

@doberacker

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Drivers who help dogs and cats will have good karma for winning.

"This is the type of thing that makes me so proud to be a fan of the sport and HMS. Class act ❤️🐈🦮," another fan posted.

"Idk how people can hate on him tbh," one wrote.

"Very cool @NASCAR," read another post in response to the visit.

"Aw 🥰," reacted another fan.

"Nice! Thanks @NASCAR @TeamHendrick," another said.

Alex Bowman is currently ranked 12th in the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series standings with 444 points, 187 behind the leader. In 18 races so far, he has earned 4 top-five finishes, 9 top-10s, 2 poles, and led 157 laps.

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Alex Bowman reflects on third-place finish in Atlanta ahead of Chicago race

During the previous weekend at the Quaker State 400 in Atlanta, Alex Bowman finished third behind teammate Chase Elliott. Bowman played a crucial role in the final laps, giving Elliott a push that helped him overtake Brad Keselowski to win the race. While he contributed to the win, Bowman admitted he had mixed feelings about the result.

Speaking to Frontstretch after the race, Bowman reflected on what could’ve been a victory. He said,

“I think Brad worked really well with his teammates too at times. I got shuffled back and ended up behind him in third. I was just trying to use the momentum and push. I’m glad it worked out for Chase. I wish we would have been a couple of spots better. We had a really good car and just led it the long time. It was kind of a sequence of everything. Lost us a lead, got shuffled. A couple more laps, we probably would have led again at some point. The way the ebbs and flows of the race were. Really good car to win.”

Bowman also mentioned the difficulty of managing the car after sustaining damage from a wall contact earlier in the race. Despite the challenge, he kept the car competitive in the final stages.