After a back injury and concussion, Alex Bowman joins the handful of drivers in 2024 to smash their winless streaks. Which driver could be the next to break theirs?
In another wet and wild Chicago Street course race, Alex Bowman ended his eighty-race winless streak by mastering the once again wet streets of Grant Park. He joins five other drivers who have won a race after long winless streaks, including teammate Chase Elliott, who broke a forty-two-race winless streak at Texas earlier this year.
It’s been a hell of a year but we never stopped grinding. Couldn’t do it without this 48 team @allyracing and @TeamHendrick… Let’s go get a few more! pic.twitter.com/SaAMrHUjox
— Alex Bowman (@Alex_Bowman) July 8, 2024
Back to Winning Health:
Bowman had not won a race since the first Las Vegas race in 2022. He lead the points for a few races and was eliminated in the round of 12 in the playoffs. At Texas, Bowman would hit the fence and be diagnosed with a concussion which would side line him for five races, returning to race the finale in Phoenix.
His 2023 would not be any better. An accident in his Sprint Car would leave him with a broken back. His absence in the car combined with an L1 and L2 penalties earlier in the season, would result in him missing the playoffs.
Bowman and new crew chief Blake Harris would rebound in 2024. The team would narrowly miss out on winning the 2024 Daytona 500, with a second place finish to teammate William Byron. Since Daytona, Bowman has recorded nine top ten finishes. Now, him and the 48 team are locked into the NASCAR Playoffs and sitting eleventh in the standings.
Who is next to break their streak?
When I think of drivers with long winless streaks who have been running up front, I think of three drivers: Justin Haley, Bubba Wallace, and Chase Briscoe. All three have wins in the Cup Series and have yet to win in 2024.
Justin Haley and Rick Ware Racing:
Many remember the infamous 2019 Coke Zero 400, where Kurt Busch pitted giving Justin Haley the lead when the sky opened up and he collected his first ever win due to rain. Since then, Haley spent seasons at Kaulig in both Xfinity and Cup, scoring multiple superspeedway wins for the team. He shocked the silly season in 2023, announcing he will be driving for Rick Ware Racing in 2024, along with a new partnership with RFK Racing.
The new technical alliance has brought some decent finishes for the young veteran driver, a top twenty at COTA was demoted to a last place finish when the car did not meet post race weight. But a pair of top tens at Darlington and Gateway have shown the driver from Indiana can wheel a car previously known as a back marker to the front of the pack.
When will Wallace break through?
In 2022, Bubba Wallace scored his second career victory, outrunning his 23XI boss Denny Hamlin. Since then Wallace has yet to find victory lane again, unlike his teammate Tyler Reddick. The driver of the #23 has lots of pace in 2024, three top fives and six top tens, but as it sits now, the team needs a win to make the playoffs and run for a title.
Can Briscoe give Stewart-Haas one last win?
The only driver at Stewart Haas Racing with a win is Chase Briscoe. Briscoe won at Phoenix in the spring of 2022. Since then the team has fallen off in terms of performance. Recently, SHR announced its closure at the end of 2024. Briscoe has shown traces of speed. He finished runner up to Christopher Bell at New Hampshire and fifth at Darlington. When the #14 Team is on it, they are a contender for race wins. But more often than not, they are off the pace.
It would be quite emotional, if in their final season, the iconic #14 Ford could get Tony Stewart and Gene Haas back to victory lane for one last time.
