Bowman Takes Victory at Rain-Soaked NASCAR Chicago Street Race

Will Langford | July 7, 2024

In a dramatic turn of events, Alex Bowman emerged victorious at the Grant Park 165 during the rain-soaked NASCAR Chicago Street Race. Bowman's strategic decision to stay on wet-weather tires paid off, securing his first win of the 2024 season and ending an 80-race winless streak. This victory marks the eighth of Bowman's NASCAR Cup Series career and places him as the 12th different driver to win this season, securing a spot in the NASCAR playoffs.

A Rainy Challenge

The race faced heavy rainfall and a delay of over an hour and a half, leading to a timed race with a finish set for 8:20 p.m. local time. Bowman chose to stay out on wet weather tires when many leaders switched to slicks before the end of Stage 2. This decision allowed him to take the lead from veteran road racer Joey Hand as the field raced to the finish in the final stage. Despite his disadvantage on worn wet tires as the track dried out, Bowman capitalized on an incident involving Christopher Bell and an unforced error by Tyler Reddick on the last lap to secure the win.

Results

• #48 - Alex Bowman
• #45 - Tyler Reddick
• #54 - Ty Gibbs
• #60 - Joey Hand
• #34 - Michael McDowell
• #47 - Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
• #38 - Todd Gilliland
• #24 - William Byron
• #8 - Kyle Busch
• #12 - Ryan Blaney

A Much-Needed Win

Bowman's journey to this win has been challenging. After a stellar 2021 season with four wins, his 2022 season was disrupted by a concussion that ended his playoff run, and a back injury in 2023 further derailed his career. Reflecting on his win, Bowman said, "I broke my back, I had a brain injury, and we've kind of struggled ever since. You start to second-guess if you're ever gonna get a chance to win a race again. We're gonna celebrate this one hard."

Bowman vs. Wallace Incident

An early incident between Bowman and Bubba Wallace in Stage 2 saw Bowman spinning Wallace out of position. Wallace expressed his displeasure by bumping Bowman’s car on the cooldown lap. Bowman took responsibility, saying, "I have to apologize to the 23 team. I messed up, missed a corner, and ruined their day. I'm still embarrassed about it, but we have a trophy to take home, and that means a lot to this team."

Rain, Rain, Go Away

After torrential rain nearly canceled the inaugural Chicago Street Race, clear skies seemed to promise smooth sailing for 2024—until race day, when rain created treacherous conditions. Defending winner Shane van Gisbergen, accustomed to rain racing, took an early lead but was taken out by a spinning Chase Briscoe, ending his race prematurely.

Race Results Rundown

• At only 127.6 miles, Sunday's race was the second-shortest Cup Series race in modern NASCAR history, following a rain-shortened race at Watkins Glen in 1992.
• New dad Ricky Stenhouse Jr. secured a sixth-place finish, marking his third top-10 finish in the last four races.
• Todd Gilliland had a strong performance, running in the top 10 for much of the race and finishing seventh, his best result this season.
• Kyle Busch had a trouble-free race, finishing ninth for his first top-10 finish since Kansas nearly two months ago.
• Chase Elliott lost several positions on the final lap after being spun by Daniel Suarez, finishing 21st. Despite the incident, Kyle Larson maintained an 11-point lead over Elliott in the regular-season standings.
• Zane Smith led three laps after staying on wet tires at the end of Stage 1, finishing 17th for his first laps led this season.