{"id":5118,"date":"2018-06-29T10:37:17","date_gmt":"2018-06-29T14:37:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/?p=5118"},"modified":"2018-06-29T10:37:17","modified_gmt":"2018-06-29T14:37:17","slug":"nascar-an-interview-with-alex-bowman","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/2018\/06\/29\/nascar-an-interview-with-alex-bowman\/","title":{"rendered":"NASCAR – An Interview with Alex Bowman"},"content":{"rendered":"

Recently my colleague at WTBQ Radio, Taylor Sterling and I had a chance to sit down with Alex Bowman<\/strong> who drives the #88 Hendrick Motorsports<\/strong> Chevrolet.<\/p>\n

An Interview with NASCAR’s Alex Bowman<\/h2>\n

What\u2019s it like to drive Dale Earnhardt Jr.\u2019s old ride?<\/strong>
\nIt\u2019s a dream come true just to drive for Hendrick Motorsports. It\u2019s really cool.<\/em><\/p>\n

What gave you the desire to be a racecar driver?<\/strong>
\nMy Dad was a big racing fan. I got lucky to find someone crazy enough to let me race their car. I started racing Quarter Midgets to USAC Midgets and then went to stock car racing in 2011 and I haven\u2019t looked back.<\/em><\/p>\n

How old were you when you stepped into a Quarter Midget?<\/strong>
\nI was seven years old. I fell in love with it pretty easily.<\/em><\/p>\n

Two seasons ago you subbed for Dale Jr. as he healed from concussion issues. Last season you had to sit out the entire season. How frustrating was that for you?<\/em><\/strong>
\nIt was different for sure. I had some time for myself which was a little bit nice. It was nerve-racking not knowing what was going on or what was gonna happen. I\u2019m just really glad it worked out the way it did. I definitely had to be patient and I\u2019m pretty impatient so that was tough.<\/em><\/p>\n

The Chevrolet\u2019s have struggled to match the performances of the Fords and Toyota\u2019s this year with its new Camaro. Do you sense that the Hendrick organization has a good grasp of what\u2019s wrong or are you still struggling to find the answer?<\/strong>
\nI think we\u2019re a little off with more than just the Camaro body. Chip Ganassi Racing has been doing a better job than us. They\u2019ve been kind of kicking our (Hendrick) butts. We know we have a lot of work to do. Hendrick has a lot of really smart people working to make our race cars better. Nobody has given up. Everybody\u2019s working hard. <\/em><\/p>\n

We just heard from Bubba Wallace who also drives a Chevrolet. He indicated that his team really didn\u2019t know what was going on with their car. Your thoughts?<\/strong>
\nI think we thought it was all aero at the beginning. I think we\u2019re lacking a little bit in a lot of areas which adds up to missing by a lot. <\/em>
\nI think if we all just buckle down, me do a better job driving the race car, the chassis shop do a little better, body shop gets better, the engine shop gets better, that will all turn out to produce a better product at the race track.<\/em><\/p>\n

If you weren\u2019t behind the wheel of the #88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevy, what would you be doing?<\/strong>
\nMy Dad owns a small paint shop in Arizona. I\u2019d probably be working there or doing something automotive as I\u2019m mechanically inclined.<\/em><\/p>\n

I guess as a race car driver you\u2019d have to be mechanically inclined.<\/strong>
\nYou\u2019d be surprised by some of the guys out there but yeah I grew up having to work on my own stuff. If I didn\u2019t it wasn\u2019t going to the race track.<\/em><\/p>\n

Thanks for reading. Listen to WTBQ Radio on Monday and Friday mornings at 8:<\/em>45 as I join the gang on The Frank Truatt Morning Show discussing the world of NASCAR. Tune in to 1110AM, 93.5FM or streamed worldwide at wtbq.com. You can also follow me on twitter @Jimlaplante.<\/strong><\/p>\n

MAIN PHOTO:<\/strong>
\nEmbed from Getty Images<\/a>