Alex Bowman Ends 80-Race Winless Streak with Victory at Grant Park 165

Alex Bowman broke an 80-race NASCAR Cup Series winless streak on Sunday, outlasting the rain and the field to win the Grant Park 165 on the streets of downtown Chicago. Bowman earned his eighth career Cup Series win, holding off Tyler Reddick and Ty Gibbs in the rain-shortened race that ended with a countdown clock. When the clock hit zero, Bowman needed to maintain his lead for two laps - taking the white flag and the checkered flag - to earn his first win since March 6, 2022, at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The past two years have been a struggle for the 31-year-old Hendrick Motorsports driver, who suffered a concussion in September of 2022 then broke his back in April of 2023.

Bowman became the 12th driver to win a race this season and most likely locks himself into the 16-driver playoff field with six regular-season races remaining. The race was delayed for nearly two hours after Stage 1 ended as rain disrupted the race for the second consecutive year. Once the race resumed, every driver switched to wet-weather tires, but teams faced a conundrum on when to change back to primary slick tires once NASCAR instituted the countdown clock. Christopher Bell, who led most of Stage 2 was one of numerous drivers to change tires before that stage ended, leaving him and many other race leaders in the middle of the pack. Bowman's team, by contrast, made the decision to continue on rain tires.

As the race wound down, Bell, driving on the faster slicks, began chasing down Bowman and made it all the way to sixth in the running on Lap 55 order before contact with teammate Martin Truex Jr. in Turn 2. Carson Hocevar then slammed into Bell, and any hopes Bell had of winning his fourth race of the season came to a screeching halt. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver ended up finishing three laps down in 37th. Moments after Alex Bowman took the checkered flag to win the Grant Park 165 on the streets of Chicago and before the Hendrick Motorsports driver began celebrating, his No.

48 Chevrolet took a hit into the retaining wall courtesy of Bubba Wallace, who drove up beside and hit the race winner on the cool-down lap. Wallace had spun earlier in the race after Bowman made contact with his No. 23 Toyota, forcing the 23XI Racing driver to pit for repairs. Wallace rallied to finish 13th, and Bowman immediately apologized as soon as his post-race interview began. Alex Bowman held off Tyler Reddick to win the Grant Park 165 NASCAR Cup Series race on the streets of downtown Chicago.

Bowman, driving on wet-weather tires, maintained his poise as Reddick, who had changed to primary slick tires, tried to chase him down. But with the countdown clock expired, Bowman needed to just maintain his lead after the white flag flew to earn his first win of the 2024 season. Alex Bowman passed Joey Hand on Lap 51 to assume the lead of the Grant Park 165. Bowman outbraked Hand in Turn 5 before the Hendrick Motorsports driver surged past heading into Turn 6. Bowman and Hand had remained on wet-weather tires while many of the drivers had changed to primary slicks.

Christopher Bell, who had led most of the second stage was the first driver on slick tires on the track in ninth place. Kyle Larson made slight contact with the bumper of Ty Gibbs' No. 54 Toyota then shot straight into the tire barriers in his No. 5 Chevrolet, rattling the retaining wall in Turn 6. Larson and Gibbs were racing for second on Lap 34 of a scheduled 75 laps when his tires locked up as he grazed Gibbs' car and shot it straight forward at high speed.

Larson tried to drive his car back to pit road after a tow truck pulled the car out of the tires, but the damage was so severe he was forced to exit the car, ending his day. Larson, the 2021 Cup Series champion, came into the race as the points leader this season. Christopher Bell passed Ty Gibbs moments after the green flag waved for the restart of the Grant Park 165. Gibbs has fallen to second with Kyle Larson in third and Tyler Reddick in fourth early in the second stage. The Grant Park 165 NASCAR Cup Series race has resumed with the green flag waving on Lap 30 of a scheduled 75 - though the race is likely to end sooner because of darkness.

Following a red flag that lasted 1 hour, 43 minutes, cars have returned to the downtown Chicago street course under caution on Lap 27. The race will go green with a single-file restart. NASCAR officials had called drivers back to their cars in hopes of restarting the Grant Park 165, but moments before engines were refired, another rain cell landed in downtown Chicago and forced another delay. The race remains red-flagged as jet dryers continue to blow rain off the streets. NASCAR has announced the race will stop at 9:20 p.m.

ET (8:20 p.m. local) - regardless of how many laps have been completed - due to darkness. NASCAR officials have called drivers back to their cars in hopes of restarting the Grant Park 165 shortly. Jet dryers have been working diligently to blow standing water off the streets of downtown Chicago following a downpour. The race was red-flagged just after Stage 2 began, on Lap 26 of a scheduled 75 laps.

NASCAR officials brought all the cars down pit road and brought out the red flag, temporarily halting the race as the rain continued to fall in downtown Chicago. Tracker dryers headed out on the circuit to try to blow the standing water off the streets, so the race could resume - even under the rain. Nearly every driver had already been running on wet-weather tires. Chase Briscoe lost control of his car and spun in Turn 3, collecting the cars of Justin Haley and Brad Keselowski. The three cars slid into the tire barriers, bringing out the caution flag.

Briscoe, Haley, and Keselowski were all able to drive away from the incident, but their cars sustained significant damage. The Grant Park 165 on the streets of downtown Chicago was a challenging race for many drivers due to the changing weather conditions and the tight street course layout. The rain added an extra element of unpredictability, forcing teams to make strategic decisions on tire changes and driving techniques. Despite the challenges, Alex Bowman emerged victorious, ending his winless streak and securing a spot in the playoffs. The race showcased the resilience and skill of NASCAR drivers as they navigated the treacherous conditions to compete for the checkered flag.

As the season progresses, the competition is expected to intensify, with drivers vying for valuable points and playoff positions. Stay tuned for more NASCAR action as the road to the championship heats up.