Rick Hendrick star Alex Bowman escapes to an MCR concert in Las Vegas after heartbreaking week with NASCAR playoff DQ
Hendrick Motorsports driver Alex Bowman took a break and attended a My Chemical Romance concert in Las Vegas to unwind during the NASCAR race weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Last weekend, Bowman got disqualified at the Roval and was eliminated from the playoffs.
After qualifying third for the South Point 400 on Saturday, October 19, the #48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevy driver attended the When We Were Young Festival at the Las Vegas Festival Grounds, featuring New Jersey-based rock band My Chemical Romance. The band's lineup includes Gerard Way, Ray Toro, Frank Iero, and Mikey Way.
Bowman shared video clips on his Instagram Stories from the WWWY music festival, enjoying his time off the track with the crowd, vibing to the music in the open air. Here is a snapshot of the #48 HMS Chevy driver's recent Instagram Stories.
With the annual WWWY music festival coinciding with NASCAR's visit to Las Vegas Motor Speedway for the Round of 8 playoff opener, the 31-year-old HMS driver took the chance to unwind and regroup for the final stretch of the 2024 NASCAR season.
Bowman will start third on the grid for Sunday's race, making him the highest-qualifying Hendrick Motorsports driver. Among his HMS teammates still in the championship hunt, Kyle Larson will start fifth, William Byron ninth, and Chase Elliott 18th.
Catch Bowman and the other HMS drivers live in action at the South Point 400, scheduled for this Sunday, October 20, at 2:30 PM ET. Catch the action live on NBC, PRN, and SiriusXM.
Alex Bowman narrates disastrous sequence of events following disqualification
Speaking to the media at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Alex Bowman shared that he had already made it home when he learned about his disqualification for failing the post-race inspection. His crew chief, Blake Harris, broke the news to him over a phone call, and Bowman later received the official confirmation through a tweet from Bob Pockrass.
Heartbroken by the news, Bowman tossed his phone into the pool, expecting his phone to erupt with notifications. However, his iPhone unexpectedly dialed 9-1-1 and triggered a car crash alert. Fortunately, local authorities were not alarmed, as the phone lost service at the bottom of the pool.
"The next thing I got was [Bob Pockrass’] tweet and I proceeded to throw my phone in the pool and my phone proceeded to call 9-1-1 and tell them I was in a car crash. My Sunday night wasn’t very good. It couldn’t happen to anybody else that way. Just a part of life, moving on and focused on going fast this weekend," Alex Bowman told Pockrass and the media.
Hendrick Motorsports vice chairman Jeff Gordon called the situation embarrassing, with the team deciding not to appeal the disqualification. As a result, Joey Logano advanced in the playoffs at Bowman’s expense, with the Round of 8 beginning at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.