Following the back-breaking accident that put his title aspirations in shambles, HMS superstar, Alex Bowman has come out to reveal how he broke the dismal news of his injury to his team boss, Mr. H. After a vicious Sprint car wreck earlier this year, NASCAR’s most-winningest team suffered a major setback when its #48 driver, Bowman was sidelined for almost seven months, months after Chase Elliott met with a snowboarding accident in Colorado.
The 30-year-old opened up about how he fought back to the top despite the awful injury. He also mentioned what it was like to relay the bad news to Rick Hendrick and Jeff Gordon amidst Chase Elliott’s unavailability.
Rick Hendrick had warned Alex Bowman not to be “dumb enough” to get hurt
Back in March, bad luck struck the Chevy camp at Hendrick Motorsports like a thunderbolt when its 2020 Cup Series champion, Chase Elliott suffered a broken left tibia after a snowboarding stint went wrong in Colorado. The #9 was sidelined for a good 6 races that ultimately led to a dismal championship race this year.
With its superstar getting sidelined, ill-fate struck the team a second time when Alex Bowman broke his back following a vicious Sprint car wreck that rendered him out of contention. Flipping on his head, the car was rag-dolled and tossed until Bowman landed on the ground with a bone-crushing crunch that still echoes in his ears.
Speaking on the Dirttrackr, the co-host asked Bowman what it was like breaking the bad news to his boss, who had already warned the #48 driver against injuries. Getting real about the frightful situation, Bowman said, “Unfortunately, I killed my Cup season, that was really a bummer, and calling Jeff and Mr. H I was terrified because when I first asked Mr. H about it, he was like, ‘Hey, you can do whatever you want but don’t be dumb enough to go and get hurt, and look what I did so.”
WATCH THIS STORY: Alex Bowman reveals guilt about how letting Rick Hendrick & Jeff Gordon down
Bowman further detailed the scenes that followed in the HMS camp and revealed how the team supported him through thick and thin, even celebrating his 30th birthday, pushing him around in his chair. He said, “They couldn’t have been more supportive like, they were incredibly supportive through the whole thing, you know, just helped me however they could. It was my 30th birthday, so the team had a surprise party for me the next day at the shop and they pushed me around in the office chair the whole time. It was pretty entertaining.”
The driver also recalled the exact moment when he crashed.
“Sounded like I was at the chiropractor” – Bowman vividly recalls his crash
Going back to the fateful day of his gut-wrenching crash, Bowman elaborated on the exact moment his vehicle went airborne for a brief moment before rolling on the ground multiple times. The 30-year-old vividly recalled the scene, saying, “I’m like, man, these things don’t hurt to crash at all. Like, way less than a cup car and then I, kind of like, hung in the air and I’m like, ‘I’m still moving pretty good here’, and when it landed, it sounded like I was at the chiropractor. Like that crunch noise.”
While the driver was able to move his toes and fingers when he tried wiggling them immediately after the crash, the scene quickly got dark when he got back to his trailer and tried getting his fire suit off. He said, “The EMT followed me back, and he’s like ‘You’re not okay, are you?'” “And I’m like, I don’t think so. So, yeah, I mean I knew something was wrong pretty quickly, you know. Once we got X-rays, and they communicated back and forth with other hospitals and all that. Realized my back was broken, and then just had to a bunch of more X-rays to make sure I could get home and that everything was stable.”
Alex Bowman Shuts Down Speculation Surrounding HMS’ Hand Behind Harsh Dirt Racing Decision
That being said, Alex Bowman seems to have recovered from the mishap as he’s now set his sights on the 2024 season. Do you think the driver will make a massive turnaround in 2024? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below.
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7pr%2FSnqWtoZGhubq%2Fz6ipratemLyue82aqpyZomK7psPSZqBmr5GoerWx0augn6GVmXqiuMSxZJunp6Kur3nSqaClpKNiwamxjJucmqajYryvecWamqKml2K%2Fqq%2FKZp%2BeppSntqS3jJqdrZ2iYq%2Bir8pmmaudkaC2r7OMrKeroZ6peqSt0WaYnJuZmbKvwIyhnKecop6wrHnMqKuoqqOlvLPA0mg%3D