MEXICO CITY — Alex Bowman endured significant pain in his right lower back and leg as he prepared for Sunday’s race at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, a result of a high-speed head-on collision the previous week in Michigan. Despite struggling to even sit comfortably in a chair during the drivers meeting, Bowman was determined to compete in the demanding 100-lap event on the 2.42-mile, 15-turn track.

Starting from 29th position, Bowman completed the race in just over three hours, finishing in an impressive fourth place, defying expectations given his physical condition.

Recovery Difficulties and Team Support Behind Bowman’s Return

Bowman openly acknowledged the pain and difficulty he faced during the week leading up to the race. He revealed that he was unable to walk on Wednesday, causing him to miss important simulation sessions and team meetings. Even sitting in his car on race day was painful.

“Running well probably made it easier than it could have been,” Bowman said. “Just proud of the whole team. I put us behind this week. In full transparency, I couldn’t walk on Wednesday, so I missed all my sim stuff, all my meetings. Just trying to get back going.” —Alex Bowman
“I had a lot of help from a lot of people to fix whatever the hell was going on, and thankfully enough, I was able to run all the laps this weekend.” —Alex Bowman

Crew chief Blake Harris expressed astonishment at Bowman’s ability to race under such conditions. Harris described how the driver’s recovery was uncertain up until the last minute, noting that he had to physically assist Bowman on Wednesday when walking became nearly impossible.

“To be honest, we didn’t know … Wednesday night for sure that he was going to be on the plane with us Thursday,” Harris said. “I thought his recovery was going well and Wednesday me and another guy had to basically carry him because he got to a point where he almost couldn’t walk.” —Blake Harris

Race Strategy and Critical Pit Decisions Drive Strong Finish

Throughout the race, Bowman’s crew worked strategically to gain track position despite the challenging circumstances. A pivotal moment came on Lap 62 when Bowman, running sixth at the time, made a green-flag pit stop. This came after an earlier decision on Lap 17 to switch from wet-weather tires to slicks, an aggressive move given the uncertain weather conditions.

Although Harris admitted the slick tires might have been applied too soon, the timing was crucial because no pit stops are permitted in the final two laps of each stage. This gamble allowed the team to gain valuable track position as other drivers delayed their stops, anticipating heavier rain.

“That gave us the first jump to track position,” Harris explained. “Then at that point, we knew a lot of guys thought a bunch of rain was coming, so we knew a lot of guys would pit and we stayed out. They pitted before (the end of) stage two, thinking they could go to the rain. We thought the rain was going to be like right at the time we were out of fuel.” —Blake Harris
“We started to get some of those sprinkles right as we were starting to run out of fuel.” —Nate Ryan

Following a caution caused by Carson Hocevar’s stalled car on Lap 66, only part of the field had completed their pit stops. Those who had pitted, including Bowman, moved to the front, while others like leader Ty Gibbs dropped back after their stops. Bowman restarted in third place and maintained a strong pace to secure a top-five result.

Bowman’s Determination Highlights Team Resilience

Bowman’s perseverance marked just his third top-10 finish in the past ten races, signaling a turning point for him and his Ally Chevrolet team. Throughout a challenging week of recovery and preparation, Bowman relied heavily on his team’s support and an alternate driver, Anthony Alfredo, was on standby but ultimately not needed.

“It feels good to get this No. 48 Ally Chevrolet team a run that they deserve,” Bowman said. “We’ve had a lot of fast race cars and just had days that haven’t gone our way. We’ve had issues and there’s been times that I’ve crashed the car, so to get them a good run after everything this week and how hard they’ve had to work is great.” —Alex Bowman

Despite the physical limitations caused by his injury, Bowman’s determination and the strategic decisions by crew chief Blake Harris contributed to this notable performance. The resilience shown by Bowman and his team in Mexico City reflects their commitment to overcoming adversity and rebuilding momentum following setbacks earlier in the season.