Matt Johnson
Alex Bowman enters the NASCAR race tonight at Daytona on the playoff bubble, having fallen just short of a playoff-clinching win last weekend at Richmond. One reason he couldn’t get the win last weekend might’ve been because of an intentional block by another driver.
Speaking to reporters on Friday, Bowman said he spoke to Noah Gragson, who admitted that his blocking of Bowman late at Richmond was “payback” for an incident at Nashville (June 1).
Related: NASCAR Standings, see where Alex Bowman and Noah Gragson sit in points
“I talked to Noah leaving the track. He just said he did it on purpose because of Nashville….After Nashville, as soon as I got to my phone when I got out of the car and tried to apologize. That was on me…He felt like he needed to do that.”
Alex Bowman on Noah Gragson admitting to intentionally blocking him at Richmond
In the Cracker Barrel 400 at Nashville Superspeedway on June 1, Bowman overdrove the corner on Lap 113 and drove into Gragson. The collision caused significant damage to both the No. 48 and the No. 4, causing them to finish at the back of the field and end with 1 point each.
Gragson, age 27, evidently bided his time until there was an opportunity he liked to get “payback” on Bowman. That chance came late in the Cook Out 400 at Richmond, with Gragson intentionally blocking Bowman late in the race so he couldn’t try and catch up with eventual race-winner Austin Dillon.
Related: NASCAR starting lineup for Daytona, see where Noah Gragson and Alex Bowman start
It’s a bit odd to hold a three-month grudge over an unintended mistake that the driver apologized for, but Gragson’s forwardness to Bowman about it indicates he has no regrets. Perhaps Bowman could get payback, but there’s unlikely to be a scenario where Gragson is racing for something of high importance anytime soon.
