Bowman fights handling, gets damaged in late-race accident in Kansas

Alex Bowman and the No. 23 Dr Pepper Toyota Camry team finished 35th at Kansas Speedway on Saturday night.  Bowman fought the handling of his Toyota Camry early in the race, but his charge to the checkered flag was slowed by a late-race accident on the frontstretch.

 

Alex Bowman rolled off 33rd for the 5-Hour Energy 400.  Almost immediately after the green flag waved, the Sunoco Rookie contender called into his crew to report problems with the balance of his racecar.  Fighting a tight-center, loose-off condition while navigating the turns, Bowman and his team strategized the changes they needed to make.


Utilizing each opportunity they had to make adjustments, the Dr Pepper team got caught a lap down when the caution flag waved during a round of green flag pit stops early in the event.  Unfazed by the setback, the BK Racing group stayed focused on making their car better throughout the 400-mile event. 

 

On lap 188, Bowman’s charge was slowed as the No. 23 Dr Pepper Toyota Camry sustained front-end damage in a multi-car accident on the frontstretch.  The damage forced Bowman to pit road where his crew worked diligently to make repairs.  However, subsequent overheating problems forced the team to spend some additional time working on their racecar.  Unable to regain much track position following the incident, Bowman crossed the finish line in the 35th position. 

 

“This was a challenging weekend for us,” commented Bowman.  “We worked really hard throughout practice and qualifying to get our Camry dialed in, but we just couldn’t get the car exactly as we needed.  My Dr Pepper Toyota team did a great job working through adjustments, and I appreciate that they didn’t give up all weekend.  I’m excited that we’ll be racing in Charlotte for the next two weeks.  With so much track time, we can almost treat it like a test and will hopefully learn a lot throughout the two race weekends.”

 

BK Racing PR