Tucson's Alex Bowman leads race, Arizona's PIR connections
Is this Arizona’s time to shine in what for decades was the traditionally Southern sport of NASCAR?
There are some hopeful signs.
Tucson’s Alex Bowman starts on the pole in Sunday’s Can-Am 500 Sprint Cup Series semifinal at Phoenix International Raceway. That feat comes less than three months after Glendale’s Michael McDowell, 31, became the first Arizona driver to ever win a NASCAR national series event. He accomplished that in the Xfinity Series road-course race in Elkhart Lake, Wis.
McDowell qualified his No. 95 ON Semiconductors/Malwarebytes Chevrolet 26th in the 40-car field.
There are at least four others with Arizona connections involved Sunday: Scottsdale’s Danica Patrick, who qualified 16th in the No. 10 Nature’s Bakery Chevrolet. Cup Series Managing Director Richard Buck is from Phoenix. Kellen Mills, gas man on Joey Logano’s No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil Ford, is from Mesa and played football at Arizona State University. Wes Evans, jack man on Aric Almirola’s No. 43 U.S. Air Force Ford, also played football at ASU.
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Bowman, 23, will accelerate from his improbable first career pole position after spending his time driving nothing more than a simulator – essentially a super high-tech video game – helping Hendrick Motorsports with chassis setups. But when Dale Earnhardt Jr. – for whose Xfinity Series team Bowman had raced until there was no more sponsorship – was sidelined for the season with a concussion, Bowman got the call from crew chief Greg Ives to get into the No. 88 Nationwide Chevy.
“He said I needed to be on a plane (to New Hampshire Motor Speedway) in two hours,” Bowman said.
It sure beat getting fired on Twitter, which is what Cup team owner Tommy Baldwin Jr. did to Bowman after the 2015 season – one day after a face-to-face meeting during which, Bowman says, he got no indication of what was to happen.
“Tommy never called me, text me or said anything to me or anyone who has anything to do with me,” Bowman said. “I saw on Twitter that I was released. I guess he had to do what puts money in his pocket and I understand that.”
In eight races, as Earnhardt’s sub, Bowman has two top-10 finishes and raced more competitively than the numbers might suggest. Earnhardt's been perhaps his greatest advocate and applauded in the No. 88 pits Friday when Bowman turned the fastest lap (140.521 mph).
Yet, Bowman has no firm prospects for next season. Rick Hendrick already hired Camping World Truck Series rookie sensation William Byron for Earnhardt's Xfinity team. Bowman says he’s been contacted by a couple of team owners but, as yet, nothing is done.
“I guess I’ll still have a job driving the simulator,” Bowman said.
Stewart’s sign-off
Tony Stewart will receive a painting depicting various cars he’s driven at PIR during pre-race ceremonies. Sunday is scheduled to be the three-time Cup champion’s next-to-last race before concluding the NASCAR portion of his career.
Stewart’s average finish in 27 Cup races at the Avondale oval is 14th, with one win and 12 top-10s.
STEWART: Tony Stewart ready to walk away from NASCAR
Pit stops
--Kyle Busch was fastest in Saturday afternoon’s final Cup practice session. Kyle Larson spun exiting Turn 2 but didn’t hit the wall.
--DC Solar will be more than title sponsor of PIR’s next two spring Xfinity Series races. Mobile generators will allow fans to charge their personal communications devices. The track will have mobile solar light towers for safety and traffic control.
--Austin Cindric, Team Penske President Tim Cindric’s son, will race full-time next year in the Truck series in a Brad Keselowski team Ford F-150.
