It’s been more than a year since Alex Bowman finished as high in a NASCAR Cup Series event as he did in Sunday’s Enjoy Illinois 300 at World Wide Technology Raceway, delivering a runner-up finish and a much-needed assist to teammate Kyle Larson.
And while, yes, the result itself is a fantastic boost of momentum and confidence for a driver who has struggled to find a groove with a struggling Hendrick Motorsports since returning from a multi-race absence due to vertigo symptoms, even this triumph has a black cloud hanging over it.
Before getting on the plane to travel to Madison, Illinois, this weekend, Bowman’s dog, Finn, passed away after a battle with cancer – which Bowman revealed to the public earlier this year. Bowman, clearly emotional, talked about the struggle of even coming to the racetrack this weekend.
“Yeah, super happy for Kyle [Larson],” Bowman said, fighting back tears. “Was a really hard weekend just to get on the plane and be here. So yeah, ready to go home. But proud of everybody on this Ally No. 48 team for helping me through the weekend. Yeah, life is hard sometimes.”
“I lost my best friend, so just ready to go home.”
The result marks the fourth top-five result of the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series campaign for Bowman, and his first since Fourth of July Weekend at Chicagoland Speedway. The Tucson, Arizona-native hasn’t finished this strong in the Cup Series since last August at Richmond Raceway, where he also finished second.
However, this could be the start of a strong run for Bowman, who finished 10th at Richmond Raceway, eighth at Daytona International Speedway, and now second at Gateway, surrounded by a pair of top-15 finishes – to make it five top-15s in a row.
It’s also a fantastic result for Bowman at a racetrack that he’s struggled at throughout his NASCAR Cup Series career. Entering Sunday’s 300-miler, Bowman had never finished better than 13th at World Wide Technology Raceway, and only had one top-25 in four starts.
Perhaps Bowman had some help on Sunday afternoon…
“I mean, I suck here, so clearly I had some help,” Bowman said. “Yeah, you just never want to see your best friend suffer. Unfortunately, the end was pretty bad. Yeah, that was really difficult. But, man, I’m just so proud of this Ally No. 48 team and everybody at Hendrick Motorsports. Really proud of Kyle for winning. I know it’s been a while for him. It’s great for this team and the Chase and everything.”
