Why Alex Bowman's Pocono Win Wasn't Just Good Luck

Alex Bowman was the first to deviate from the script on the choose lap with 20 to go and it was a significant factor in how he won the Pocono Organics CBD 325 on Saturday afternoon at Pocono Raceway.

Granted, it took a good push from Ryan Blaney behind him on the restart and some major misfortune from Kyle Larson on the final lap, but the end result may not have been entirely a matter of fortuity.

For almost 15 laps, a seemingly faster Larson sought a way under his Hendrick Motorsports teammate but was denied by a defensive clinic and a tall spoiler -- the signature feature of the high downforce, low horsepower rules package.

"If you don't have a car in front of you, your car makes way more downforce than if you have a car right in front of you," Bowman explained after the race. "I tried to take as much air away from him as I possibly could.

"A lot of mirror driving to see where he's running, trying to run similar lines as him to take the air away, keep him behind us."

The dynamic was best illustrated by No. 48 spotter Kevin Hamlin in the closing laps.

"You don't have to beat him; he has to beat you."

As long as Bowman kept the bottom lane covered, Larson wasn’t going to drive around him over the top. As a result, Larson dug deep to find clean air several times, cut the apron and finally capitalized on a bobble in Turn 1 coming to three laps to go.

But had the damage been done?

"Alex drove it a little tight off (Turn) 1. Keep your front (tires) on it. A lot of time left to go. Eight laps."

That was the message from crew chief Cliff Daniels to Larson four laps before they completed what they believed to be the winning pass.

Then, driving away and just one corner from the checkered flag, the front tires were no longer kept on the No. 5. Larson suffered a left front failure and smacked the wall, delivering Bowman the strangest win of his career, and snapping a three-race winless streak by his teammate.

Bowman had just apologized to his team for not being able to close out when he was suddenly taking the checkered flag and that wasn’t even the most surreal part of Saturday with another race to go on Sunday.

"This is is the strangest win I've ever been a part of," Bowman said. "I thought I was running second, which was still going to be a good day for us with how we struggled throughout the course of the day. Then he blows a tire, we win; can't do a burnout because I have to race the car tomorrow. I typically stand on the roof of the car; can't do that because I got to race the car tomorrow. I typically drink all the beers; can't do all that because I got to race a car tomorrow.