In his post-race interview after winning the NASCAR Chicago Street Race over the weekend, Alex Bowman took a moment to address a controversy that erupted during the race.
“I have to apologize again to the 23 guys,” he began his postrace interview with NBC, referring to No. 23 car Bubba Wallace and his team.
During Sunday’s race, Bowman clipped Wallace’s car on the 25th lap, causing it to spin out and collide with the wall. Wallace ended up finishing in 13th place, while Bowman snapped an 80-race winless drought with his triumph.
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But after Bowman's win, something unexpected happened.
As the cars approached Turn 12 on the circuit during the cooldown lap and were preparing to turn onto Columbus Drive, Wallace pulled up alongside Bowman’s vehicle and hit the door of the car with his front-left tire, a maneuver known as “door slamming.”
Bowman went on to address the situation in victory lane.
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“I just messed up and was trying to get my windshield wiper on and missed a corner and ruined their whole day. I hate that and I’m still embarrassed by that," Bowman said.
After the initial interview, Bowman reportedly continued to defend Wallace, telling reporter Nate Ryan he doesn't think Wallace should be penalized for the post-race hit.
"He barely hit me, everything was fine and it was plenty deserved," Bowman said.
He also noted that he reached out to Wallace with an apology during a rain delay mid-race.
Bowman had not won a race since 2022, and his triumph not only was his first in 80 races, but also punches his ticket into the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs. He also completed a fascinating feat, as he won the final race at Chicagoland Speedway in 2019 for his first career victory in the Cup Series.
"We have a trophy to take home and I know it means a lot to this team," Bowman said. "They put me in position to win the race. And man, I broke my back, had a brain injury and we've kind of sucked ever since. And you start to second guess if you're ever going to get a chance to win a race again and last one, we won."