NASCAR CUP SERIES
CHICAGO STREET RACE
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER QUOTES
JULY 5, 2025
Alex Bowman, driver of the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet and defending winner of the Chicago Street Race, met with the media in advance of the NASCAR Cup Series practice and qualifying session at the Chicago Street Course.
Media Availability Quotes:
WHAT IS IT LIKE TO HAVE BEEN IN CHICAGO, THE WIN LAST YEAR, AND REALLY JUST WHAT YOU’RE LOOKING FORWARD TO THIS WEEKEND?
“Yeah, for sure. This is a super fun event. Always look forward to it just from the standpoint of it’s so different than what we normally do, right? Like we do a lot of the same thing for most of the year. So, you know, walking through the city to get to the racetrack, kind of the lack of having buses and being in hotels with the teams and stuff like that, makes it different and a little more enjoyable. And then the challenge of a street course in general is super fun. So very technical, very little room for error. Yeah, and then obviously got here Thursday morning and had a little media tour, went to an animal shelter with Bob, tried to get Bob to adopt a dog. I think his wife is now trying to get him to adopt a dog as well. Super fun. Don’t try to get Bob to take a photo with you because he gets really mad. And, yeah, it was fun. It’s been a good time so far, so I’m ready to, I feel like I’ve been here for a year, so I’m ready to get on the racetrack.”
ALEX, AFTER YOU WON THIS RACE LAST YEAR, I GUESS THE PERCEPTION WAS, HEY, MAYBE THIS SAVED YOUR JOB. YOU GUYS, JEFF GORDON, EVERYBODY’S LIKE, NO, ALEX, IS GOOD. I HAVE A CONTRACT. LOOKING BACK NOW, HOW IMPORTANT DO YOU THINK THIS VICTORY WAS TO CONTINUING AT HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS FOR THE FUTURE?
“Yeah, I mean, I think there was a lot of rumors started by people that maybe don’t really know what they’re talking about in a sense, but at the same time, you know, I think it was really important to make the Playoffs and to finish the year strong, right? Like, we were able to have a really strong Playoff run. A little drama there that kind of ruined it, but you know, in general, like we did a really good job through the Playoffs, did what we needed to do. Wish we could have gone further, but we didn’t. So yeah, I mean, I think that was just important in general for the race team to end the season strong and obviously, you know, start this year strong as well, which I feel like we’ve been able to do. Had a rough two months there, but the last couple of weeks have been good for us and things are pointing in the right direction. So yeah, I think it was just important for the team, and it was definitely a good day for us.”
HOW MUCH DOES THE THREAT OF RAIN CHANGE YOUR STRATEGY DURING PRACTICE OR QUALIFYING AND TRYING TO SET UP THE CAR FOR YOUR BALANCE?
“Yeah, it’s difficult because I feel like most things that you would do for the car in the rain, are really going to hurt the car in the dry so trying to manage that the best you can and understand what those things are what the weather is really going to do. There have been so many times that we’re sure it’s going to rain and it doesn’t rain and sure it’s not going to rain it does rain so I wish I could be wrong about my job as much as the weatherman. But yeah I mean I think it’s continued to look like more rain tomorrow, so certainly have to be cognizant of it and, kind of know where we need to be with the race car to capitalize on that. You still have to qualify in the dry and probably looks like maybe start the race in the dry, so going to need to have a compromise of both worlds for sure.”
INAUDIBLE QUESTION
“Yeah, for sure. I think it’s a very important market for the teams and for all the partners involved. I would love to keep coming back here. I think this place is a lot of fun. I would also love to go back to Chicagoland and run the oval. I think that track would present huge challenges with a next-gen car with how rough it is. I’m sure it’s only gotten rougher. So, yeah, it would be a huge challenge but obviously would be a lot of fun. I think with those challenges typically come some pretty exciting races, and unique things. So, yeah I love coming up here and hopefully we can continue to do that um obviously none of us know what the schedule does or doesn’t look like but um I think street course racing is super fun and that track’s cool as well.”
IF WE GO SOMEWHERE ELSE, WHERE WOULD YOU WANT THAT TO BE?
“Gosh I don’t know. I think there’s a lot of cool places I feel like you could put a street course. Obviously, there’s a lot of rumors flying right now about where that will or won’t be. I think the street course thing has been really fun from the driving aspect of it. Just because it’s so technical like trying to make lap time around this place is so hard. So I’ve really enjoyed it, I think there’s a lot of great places you could put it. I think you could rotate it around. You could do a lot of different things. So, I think continuing with the street course on the schedule is pretty important.”
YOU HAVE A BUBBA WALLACE MATCHUP THIS WEEK. YOU GUYS OBVIOUSLY HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF HISTORY FROM HERE LAST YEAR. DOES THAT ADD TO THE MATCHUP, AND IS THAT KIND OF WHY THIS IN-SEASON THING WAS CREATED, TO HAVE THESE TYPE OF SUBPLOTS ON THESE RACES?
“Yeah, I mean, I don’t know that it adds to it. Maybe we’ll get on stage and, like, fake fight like AJ and Michael did last week. But, no, I think he and I are totally good. But yeah, I mean, he’s been really fast here in the past. Like, you don’t tend to think of him as a road course guy, but here last year, he was really fast. So, definitely going to be a tough one, but yeah, I think, you know, adding excitement, it’s probably more for the fans, right? And from where I sit, like, I just try to go to work and do the best I can throughout the weekend and kind of not super focused on it. Obviously, I think if we get down to the final round, you’ll probably fixate on it a little bit more. But if it gives the fans something to talk about and be excited about, I think it’s really good.”
WHERE ARE YOU ON THE PLAYOFF LEVEL AND HOW YOU WON THIS RACE LAST YEAR? DO YOU FEEL THERE’S ANY SIMILARITY WITH HOW YOU’RE COMING INTO THIS RACE? AND THEN WINNING, DO YOU HAVE ANY CONFIDENCE THAT YOU CAN COME BACK AND DO IT AGAIN?
“As far as confidence coming into this race, like, I feel like we’re plenty capable. Like, we’re typically pretty good at the road courses, have a lot of confidence coming into these places. You know, obviously the weather looks similar, so that adds a layer of confidence. I thought we were pretty good in the rain. We were really good as it started to kind of dry out and get patchy. So, yeah, I think we’re definitely confident. Hopefully it’s dry. I feel like the fans here deserve to just get a normal race, and I think we could put on a great show in the dry. Probably a little better than we do in the rain. But, yeah, we’ll have to wait and see.”
ALEX, HOW DO YOU MANAGE THIS PRACTICE SESSION? IT SEEMS LIKE XFINITY HAS BEEN PRETTY EVENTFUL WITH GUYS PUSHING AND GETTING IN THE TIRE BARRIERS. BUT WITH SUCH A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME, RIDE QUALITY IS HUGE. WHAT’S ON YOUR CHECKLIST AS FAR AS THIS PRACTICE SESSION?
“Yeah, I think qualifying is massively important here. So, trying to make pace early, understand what you need for your car in qualifying and have the ability to make pace to lay down a lap there is really important. And then you know trying to figure out where your long run stuff is with longevity of the rear tires. Obviously, the next gen car really burns the rears off more than the fronts kind of different than the Xfinity car. I think the Xfinity practice was a little bit chaotic last year too, so hopefully Cup practice is a little calmer and hopefully we’re on the good side of all that. I think that just shows how difficult this track is and how easy it is to you know overstep the line at a at a street course. Like it’s so narrow, so bumpy, and it’s only continuing to get rougher and rougher. Chad Knaus looked at me like I was dumb when I said it got rougher. He’s like, ‘of course it did, it’s Chicago. There was a winter here, like it’s going to continue to get rougher every year’. So, yeah I think it’s going to be tough but hopefully we’re on the good side of it.”
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