Aric Almirola capitalized on a race restart to clinch victory in the GOVX 200 NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Phoenix Raceway. However, his aggressive final-lap maneuver, which sent Alex Bowman into the wall, has sparked debate. Almirola edged out Bowman by a mere 0.045 seconds, marking the second-closest finish at the track.
The bold move has been met with mixed reactions, but Almirola defended his actions, insisting he did nothing excessively wrong. He explained that his priority was simply to reach the finish line first.
“I just knew I needed to get from there to here first,” Almirola stated. “I knew I was going to use him up a little bit, but I was trying to win the race. I feel like it was warranted. I didn’t feel like I did anything overly egregious. I just throttled up, and it was a drag race to the start-finish line.”
Bowman, on the other hand, was visibly frustrated by the way the battle unfolded. While acknowledging Almirola’s superior speed, he expressed disappointment over the way his race ended.
“I would’ve hoped he would’ve given me a lane on exit, but he just drove like I wasn’t even there,” Bowman said. “He was definitely faster than us, but I was trying to take advantage of the restart and go for the win. Instead, I got shoved into the fence, and my car is completely wrecked. It’s a tough one, but I appreciate the hard work from the HendrickCars.com team. Everybody did a great job. It was my first time working with Adam, and it was a lot of fun. I really wish we could’ve brought home a win for Mr. Hendrick.”
Despite his frustration, Bowman admitted that such incidents are part of the sport. He also pointed out that his car’s brakes had become an issue late in the race, making it difficult to match Almirola’s entry into the corners.
“I was really loose going in. I think I melted the brakes while running behind the 7 car in the final stint,” Bowman explained. “I couldn’t enter the corner the way Aric could. I don’t know if he made me aero loose or if I just lost it myself, but I nearly spun out in Turn 1. My best shot was to take the outside line off the corner, but suddenly, that lane disappeared. It’s frustrating, but that’s just part of big-time auto racing.”
