CONCORD, N.C. -- Alex Bowman conquered “The Tricky Triangle” in Saturday’s race when he won the first event in the doubleheader weekend at Pocono Raceway.
The victory is Bowman’s third of the season, which has him tied for second for the most 2021 NASCAR Cup Series wins so far this year. Before last weekend’s doubleheader, Bowman’s best finish at Pocono was third in 2018, marking his only top-five finish at the Pennsylvania track until Saturday.
“It feels great to get a win at Pocono,” said Bowman, driver of the No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro. “(The) trophy is pretty awesome with the bald eagle on it – it’s amazing. This place has been tough and over the years, we have had some good runs and it’s cool to get a win.”
The 28-year-old driver held the lead as the race started to wind down but was passed by teammate Kyle Larson with four laps to go in Saturday’s event. As Larson exited the final turn, his front-left tire went flat, which allowed Bowman to pass his teammate en route to the win.
“I was shocked, obviously. I felt like we got beat by the No. 5 car and for him to have a tire failure and us to be able to drive back around him on the last lap was pretty shocking,” Bowman said. “I hate it for the No. 5 but I will take a win any way I can get it.”
Bowman led twice in Saturday’s race for a combined 16 laps, including the final lap. His win signified Hendrick Motorsports’ sixth consecutive victory this season and also stretched the organization’s total points-paying wins to nine so far in 2021. His success continued the next day at Pocono when he earned a seventh-place result. On top of his three wins, Bowman now has five top-five finishes and 10 top-10s with 151 laps led this year.
“It’s been a great season for us, obviously, with three wins already and (I) just had a contract extension,” Bowman said. “It’s been amazing driving this Ally No. 48 and I am super excited to do it for the next couple of years to come, at least.”