WATCH: Alex Bowman’s ‘brutal handshake’ with Ty Dillon as they exchange words post final corner incident in Sonoma

A video clip posted by Kaulig Racing shows a lighthearted but telling moment between Alex Bowman and Ty Dillon following a heated final-lap clash at Sonoma.

The clip was shared on X by Kaulig Racing, a team directly involved in the incident, since Dillon ran the challenge under their banner. They captioned it,

“100% friendly and good fun! Brutal handshake though… tough to watch. 😂”,

In the video, Ty Dillon is seen walking over to Bowman after the race. The two talk a little, in an evidently light tone, before performing, what Kaulig jokingly described as a “brutal handshake.” The handshake ended with the two drivers fist-bumping each other.

This interaction came after the final lap incident at Sonoma Raceway, part of NASCAR’s In-Season Challenge. Ty Dillon, racing for Kaulig Racing as the tournament’s No. 32 seed, faced off against Alex Bowman, the No. 8 seed and a Hendrick Motorsports driver.

Dillon needed a win to stay in the bracket — and he got it. As the two drivers came down to the final hairpin on the last lap, Dillon gave Bowman a bump, pushing him wide. They made contact again on corner exit, and Dillon passed just in time to cross the line ahead.

With that move, Ty Dillon knocked Alex Bowman out of the tournament and advanced to the semi-finals. The final four now includes Dillon, John Hunter Nemechek, Tyler Reddick, and Ty Gibbs.

---

A friendly post-race moment followed for Alex Bowman and Bubba Wallace after the Chicago race

Just a week before Sonoma, Bowman was involved in another on-track incident, this time with Bubba Wallace at the Chicago Street Race. Despite the contact knocking Wallace out of the tournament, both drivers were later seen smiling together in the paddock, showing no tension.

During that race, the two were battling for seventh place when Alex Bowman, on fresher tires, made contact with Wallace exiting Turn 2. Wallace’s No. 23 Toyota was sent into the wall and sustained heavy damage, ending his race in 28th place.

Bowman finished eighth and advanced, while Wallace was eliminated. After the race, Bowman spoke to the media about what happened. Via Motorsport, he said:

“I didn't really expect it when I passed him [Wallace] and we got into (Turn) 12 and he just shipped me, and then he ran me into the fence in (Turn) 1, and ran us into the fence off of (Turn) 2... We're going straight and we just got hooked together and he ends up crashing.”

Despite the collision, there was no visible animosity. As Steven Taranto reported on X:

“All smiles for Alex Bowman and Bubba Wallace after their run in at Chicago last week.”

Bowman currently races full-time for Hendrick Motorsports, piloting the No. 48 Chevrolet Camaro. Since joining the team in 2018, he’s maintained a reputation for clean driving. He's currently ranked 12 in the driver standings with 498 points in 20 races.