'Like nothing happened:' Larson, Bowman all square after Road America run-in
Chad Knaus, Hendrick Motorsports’ vice president of competition, said Sunday that he didn’t expect any lasting hard feelings between teammates Kyle Larson and Alex Bowman after their Sunday run-in at Road America. He added that “we’ll get home, talk about it, make sure …” According to Larson’s explanation, their on-track incident was a settled matter before the team even left Wisconsin.
Larson met with reporters Tuesday and further touched on the dynamic between the two teammates, both multiple-time winners this year in the NASCAR Cup Series. Their late-race battle for position on the 4.048-mile road course found a tipping point when Bowman, out of brakes in his No. 48 Chevrolet, failed to properly slow for Turn 5 and bumped Larson’s No. 5 Chevy into a spin.
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Bowman explained himself to Larson on pit road after the Jockey Made in America 250, a gesture he said was well-received, and that made a follow-up with Knaus back at the shop this week a moot point.
“There didn’t need to be a meeting,” Larson said. “Alex and I, we were fine after the race. I appreciate him coming down and talking to me. I knew it wasn’t on purpose, so it’s hard for me to be angry and upset at somebody, especially a teammate, when you know it’s not on purpose.”
Afterward, the incident was all but an afterthought on the team plane as Bowman and Larson shared a row for the flight back. A long post-race celebration for teammate Chase Elliott’s second win of the season gave them plenty of time to chat while waiting on the tarmac for other team members to board.
“Alex and I were fine. We flew home together, sat next to each other on the airplane and had to wait a couple hours …” Larson said. “So we were going about things like nothing happened, and I think that’s really important, especially as teammates. I pride myself in being a good teammate and I think part of that is getting over things quickly with your teammates.”
