Alex Bowman acknowledged that poor tire restarts during the race significantly impacted his team‘s performance. Speaking about the event, Bowman highlighted how running out of tire grip towards the end forced the Ally 48 team to adapt their strategy by staying out on track despite the challenges. While he did not point to a single mistake, he identified the cycle tire restarts as the primary struggle, noting a complete lack of grip in those moments compared to better traction on new or qualifying tires.
Efforts and Challenges Faced by the Ally 48 Team
Bowman praised the dedication of the Ally 48 team throughout the race day, emphasizing the effort to improve after a difficult previous couple of weeks. He expressed cautious optimism, noting that their approach was heading in the right direction as they looked ahead to the remaining seven races of the season. Despite setbacks, the team remains committed to continuously improving their race car and performance to contend better in upcoming events.
Looking Ahead: What Alex Bowman Sees for the Final Stretch
Discussing the lessons from the initial round of races, Bowman characterized the team as capable but currently underperforming compared to earlier in the season. He reflected on how the last races did not meet their expectations, especially given past successes at similar tracks. The evolving nature of tire performance and competition means constant adjustments are necessary, and Bowman stressed the importance of persistence as they face the closing stages of the season.
Determination to Overcome Recent Setbacks
Bowman expressed a sense of frustration with recent results but remained resolute in the team’s potential. He acknowledged the surprising dip in speed relative to their strong summer performances but emphasized the relentless work ethic of his crew. The focus remains on digging deeper to regain their competitive edge as the season progresses.
“I don’t think really one thing. I don’t think you can really point at something that cost us. Being out of tires at the end isn’t good, right, and honestly, we just played the hand that we could and stayed out.” — Alex Bowman
“If I had to pick one thing, our cycle tire restarts were just really poor. I couldn’t go at all. Zero grip.” — Alex Bowman
“Hats off to our whole Ally 48 team. They did a good job throughout the course of the day and trying to be better after a rough last two weeks, and I think we swung it the right direction, and we can continue to do that for the next, what do we have, seven weeks left. We’ve just got to keep digging.” — Alex Bowman
“Yeah, we’re a plenty capable race team a lot of the time, and just the last two weeks we’ve just not been very good.” — Alex Bowman
“I think this summer we were so fast every week that I’m a little surprised to be down on speed, but the guys work really hard, and we’ll keep digging on it.” — Alex Bowman
