NASCAR CUP SERIES: XFINITY 500

October 31, 2021

Alex Bowman

Front Stretch

An Interview with:

Q. His word to me, Wow. Why the contact with Denny Hamlin? What happened there?

ALEX BOWMAN: I just got loose in. I got in too deep, knocked him out of the way and literally let him have the lead back. For anybody that wants to think I was trying to crash him, obviously wasn't the case considering I literally gave up the lead at Martinsville to give it back to him.

He's been on the other side of that. He's crashed guys here for wins. I hate doing it. Obviously I don't want to crash somebody. I just got in, got underneath him, spun him out.

Regardless, we get a free grandfather clock, which is pretty special. I struggled here for a long time. I was trying to get the flag, do a backwards victory lap. Mark Martin thinks that's cool. Mark Martin is my hero. Obviously, like I said, hate we wrecked the 11. But how about that for Chevrolet, Ally, everybody on this 48 team. 48 car won here a bunch. Cool to do it again.

Q. To clarify, there was or was not intent in your second contact with Denny?

ALEX BOWMAN: No, I just got loose underneath. I'm not trying to drive underneath there and crash the guy. I got under him fair, under him clean. I just got sideways underneath him, spun him out. Hate to do that. Obviously unintentional. Part of short-track racing.

Q. As you're celebrating, he pulls up to you. What was your reaction to that?

ALEX BOWMAN: Man, I wasn't going to get into it. This isn't Bowman Gray Stadium. This is the Cup Series. As much as we could have made the highlight reel, we might climb the fence here because I want to see, the fence might come down. One of those deals.