How a “Wake-Up Call” Might Have Saved the Day for Hendrick Motorsports & Alex Bowman in Las Vegas

Published 03/07/2022, 8:42 AM EST

On Sunday, Hendrick Motorsports bagged its second win of the season. This time, it was Alex Bowman who reached the chequered flag first. Along the way, he led a Hendrick Motorsports 1-2 ahead of defending champion, Kyle Larson. However, some have wondered whether the Rick Hendrick meeting played a role in the victory.

In the last race, Larson and Chase Elliott battled for the lead before they tangled. Obviously, since they broke the cardinal rule of racing of ‘don’t crash into your teammate’, Rick Hendrick intervened. At Las Vegas itself, Bowman managed to fend off a hard-charging Kyle Larson. However, he did not believe that such a situation like the one with Elliott, would happen again.

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What did Alex Bowman say about the meeting?

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He said, “Uhm, I don’t know. I don’t know that there was, like, really something Kyle could have done any differently, or even if he was trying to be dirty about anything. He was super tight on my door, side drafting me as hard as he could. He just ended up getting tight in three and four. I think the talk was a big wake-up call. Obviously when Mr. H calls a meeting like that, it gets your attention, it’s always going to. Anytime Mr. H talks, he’s got your attention, but especially in a situation like that. I think Kyle and I historically have always raced each other really clean. I think that this was no different.”

It was a relatively decent day in the office for Hendrick Motorsports. This was because all four cars ended up in the Top 10, with William Byron in 5th, and Chase Elliott in 9th. Admittedly, Elliott had to claw his way up the order after his car failed pre-race inspection, and he started at the back. Now, it is worth mentioning that the 2nd place finish was enough for Kyle Larson to re-take the championship lead. Elliott and Alex Bowman are 7th and 8th, with Byron a little further off on 21st.

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Danica Patrick and Clint Bowyer Credit Rick Hendrick Intervention for Clean Kyle Larson-Alex Bowman Racing in Vegas

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Dhruv George is a senior Motorsports author for EssentiallySports, having authored nearly 12000 articles spanning different sports like F1, NASCAR, Tennis, NFL, and eSports. He graduated with a PG Diploma in Journalism from the Xavier Institute of Communications. Dhruv has also conducted interviews with F1 driver Pierre Gasly and Moto2 rider Tony Arbolino.