As the Daytona 500 was winding down, chaos erupted on the track, turning the race on its head. Just when it looked like a top-10 finish was out of reach for some, a massive pile-up, ‘the big one,’ wiped out over 20 cars. But the whole shebang kicked off on lap 192, all thanks to Alex Bowman. While it seemed like he threw his teammate William Byron under the bus, yet, against all odds, the pair weaved through the mayhem with flying colors, clinching the first and second spots. Talk about a stroke of luck! However, as he was heard denying initiating the wreck, Bubba Wallace’s insider took a dig at him.

Alex Bowman’s denial has turned him into the butt of the joke

Alex Bowman claims he was in the dark about how ‘the big one’ kicked off, despite being right in the thick of it. Finding out he was the catalyst left him gobsmacked. “I can’t even see far enough (ahead) to see that Byron hitting Keselowski is what started it. I knew I had William in a spot that I didn’t want to have him in. But we’re all just sort of sandwiched up there.”

The chatter reached a fever pitch on Door Bumper Clear, where Bubba Wallace’s eagle-eyed spotter, Freddie Kraft, couldn’t resist poking fun at Bowman. “Alex did not know what caused the wreck. He said he didn’t know. Said he couldn’t see it. […] I would’ve if I was Alex, I, if that was me in that scenario, I would, oh that one’s on me for sure.”

Kraft didn’t stop there, adding, “[…] When Alex says he didn’t see it, he obviously saw himself pushing the 24 but he may not have saw what happened.” What really set the dominoes falling was Bowman giving his Hendrick Motorsports teammate William Byron a nudge from behind. The nudge sent #24 spinning into Brad Keselowski.

Keselowski’s car then veered off, colliding with his Ford buddies, Ryan Blaney and Joey Logano, roping in a total of twenty-three cars into the chaos. The wreck swept up big names like 2021 Cup Series champ Kyle Larson, two-time titleholder Joey Logano, 2017 victor Martin Truex Jr, and three-time Daytona 500 king Denny Hamlin.

But despite all being done, Alex Bowman only managed to cross the finish line in second place. On the other hand, one other controversy that has taken center stage regarding the ending moments of the race was if William Byron was actually the winner. 

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Was William Byron truly the winner or did NASCAR make a mistake?

The talk is all about the timing of the caution that made folks scratch their heads, wondering if NASCAR’s call to crown William Byron, from Hendrick Motorsports, as the champ was on the level.

The whole hullabaloo boils down to how NASCAR’s rulebook was interpreted when the race was winding down. The powers that be at NASCAR called it a day when the white flag was already waving, hinting that whatever flag came next would be the final curtain.

Read More: Daytona 500 Crash: Desperate Alex Bowman Wipes Off Half the Grid Triggered at HMS Teammate’s Expense

Shots from the sky, courtesy of NASCAR, in a now deleted tweet read, “We asked @SteveLetarte and @ToddBGordon to take a closer look at Monday’s finish of the #DAYTONA500.” The video showed William Byron in the lead when it mattered most, sealing his win despite the grumbles from Alex Bowman’s camp.

The ending was definitely a thriller! What do you think?