NASCAR Cup Series driver Alex Bowman (48) during qualifying for the Shrines Children’s 500 at Phoenix Raceway. Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Alex Bowman says Bubba Wallace 'demolished' him in Chicago

By Samuel Stubbs | Last updated Jul 6, 2025 6:18 PM ET

As fog began to roll in between the skyscrapers of Chicago on Sunday afternoon, Alex Bowman and Bubba Wallace were throwing haymakers in the Grant Park 165.

Like two vintage Chicago mobsters fighting for control of the city, the two drivers, who do have a somewhat sorted history, went toe-to-toe with each other for a berth in Round 3 of NASCAR's inaugural In-Season challenge and a spot in the top-10.

Despite a decisive tire advantage, Bowman had a difficult time getting around Wallace, who was fighting every advance Bowman attempted to make.

This battle was intense. pic.twitter.com/f3Q4aNJjlC
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) July 6, 2025

A fierce but clean battle soon devolved into one that featured plenty of contact and eventually resulted in Bowman spinning Wallace in the closing laps. While Bowman hung on for an eighth-place finish, Wallace was relegated to 28th.

It's getting physical in this In-Season Challenge matchup between @BubbaWallace and @Alex_Bowman! pic.twitter.com/fQb9EpTKD9
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) July 6, 2025

"I thought we squashed our beef, but apparently not," Bowman told Jeff Gluck of The Athletic. "I followed the No. 45 (Tyler Reddick) past (Wallace), he ran me into the side wall in (turn) 8. (I) still felt like I passed him clean, then he absolutely just demolished me in into (turn) 12, I gave him a little bit going into (turn) 1. He demolished me again going into (turn 2), ran me into the outside wall."

Here’s @Alex_Bowman with his take on what happened: pic.twitter.com/MVwySnDICi
— Jeff Gluck (@jeff_gluck) July 6, 2025

"I'm just a pinball between him and the outside wall at that point," Bowman said. "Certainly not trying to crash anybody."

Wallace made contact with Bowman in Chicago in 2024 on the cooldown lap after Bowman spun Wallace earlier in the race. In 2019, Wallace threw a drink at Bowman after frustrations boiled over after a race at the Charlotte Roval.

Samuel Stubbs

Hailing from the same neck of the woods as NASCAR Hall of Famer Mark Martin, Samuel has been covering NASCAR for Yardbarker since February 2024. He has been a member of the National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) since October of 2024. When he’s not writing about racing, Samuel covers Arkansas Razorback basketball for Yardbarker

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