CONCORD, N.C. – The 2019 regular season is in the rear-view mirror, and Alex Bowman is set to compete in his second consecutive NASCAR Cup Series playoffs.
He’s joined in the playoffs by Hendrick Motorsports teammates Chase Elliott and William Byron, and he enters the 10-race stretch ranked ninth in the standings.
The 26-year-old driver will begin the quest for a championship this weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, and he feels confident in the No. 88 team’s ability to execute with a focus on staying consistent.
“We’ve just got to go out and perform and not have good days and then bad days, like we’ve had the last two weeks,” Bowman said. “I think our cars are going to be really strong and we can go out there and win some races.”
Last season, in Bowman’s first-ever playoff appearance, he advanced to the Round of 12 thanks to a strong first-round showing highlighted by his fourth-place result at the Charlotte Motor Speedway road course.
This season, the Round of 12 features trips to Dover International Speedway, Talladega Superspeedway and Kansas Speedway. Bowman earned back-to-back-to-back runner-up results at all three of those tracks earlier this year.
“There are a lot of really good racetracks for us,” he said. “The second round is extremely good for us. So, I’m looking forward to it.”
Bowman will look to exceed his performance from the 2018 playoffs and advance through the rounds, but he knows he can’t overlook a challenging opening round.
That starts on Sunday at Las Vegas, a track where he started and finished just outside the top 10 in 11th back in March.
“I love Las Vegas,” the driver of the No. 88 Nationwide Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 said. “There are three or three-and-a-half grooves to run, basically. So, I’m really excited to get there and try to make the most out of a really strong 1.5-mile program for us. I think that’s a place that we can go and be capable of winning and I’m looking forward to it.”
Be sure to tune into the race to see Bowman behind the wheel of a fan-designed No. 88 Nationwide Chevy as the playoffs open as Las Vegas this Sunday at 7 p.m. ET on NBCSN.