Fans Point Fingers at Rick Hendrick & Co. After Massive Blunder Demolishes HMS Driver’s Championship Hopes

Alex Bowman charged into the Enjoy Illinois 300 from a modest starting spot of 25 and made no significant progress, finishing 26th. But this was Bowman’s race as much as the next driver who was running in the top 5. Early race snapshots offered some spark. On lap 83, Bowman tangled with Denny Hamlin for third after the restart, even clearing Hamlin off turn 4. And by the next two laps, he was still in the mix before Hamlin slipped past to reclaim the third spot.

At 93, Bowman held a top-five position until Ryan Blaney passed him for four. But as stage one concluded, he was running 18th, and stage two proved to be even more of a struggle; he dropped to 24th, and by the time stage two wrapped up and lap 152 rolled around, Bowman had pitted the pack in a mid-pack, spectacular position.

ANOTHER bad pit stop for Alex Bowman. Oh man. He was P7 before that caution; now P27.

— Jeff Gluck (@jeff_gluck) September 7, 2025

This marked another disaster of a pitstop for Alex Bowman’s crew. It seemed like they dropped the jack before the left rear tire was fully on. He was running P7 before the caution, and this pitstop pushed him down to 27th. This was after installing the left rear tire, significantly delaying the stop, dropping him outside the top 15, and wiping out potential stage points.

After finishing 26th and earning 11 playoff points at Gateway, Bowman now finds himself well below the cushion enjoyed by top contenders. Experts are blunt: Bowman entered the Round of 16 tied for last in the playoff standings, 19 points below the elimination line, a steep hole to climb out of with just one race in Bristol remaining to advance to the Round of 12. And let’s just say the internet was not here for it.

The sentiment from the stands and screen was unmistakable. Disappointment turned to outright fury. One fan’s words encapsulated the collective angst perfectly: “Unacceptable. A+ organization making pity mistakes. It’s not Rick Ware dammit. Absolute joke.” And underlying it all was the lingering disbelief at how far Alex Bowman had fallen from grace. One fan noted, “Remember, fans were about to riot because he deserved a playoff spot more than SVG and Dillion because ‘consistency.’”

Alex Bowman earned a reputation in the past for smooth, reliable performance. As early as 2020, he emphasized the importance of being consistent. That consistency translated into solid finishes in 2021, and a playoff run culminated in a top-six points finish. Fast forward to 2025, and he still remained consistent; even though he is winless, a handful of consistent top-five and top-10 finishes landed him in the playoff standings. But this playoff stretch has flipped that script.

Another added the simplest, yet most dramatic verdict, saying, “Just fire that whole pit crew.” The frustration reached structural critique, saying, “Fire that entire crew. Can’t have it back-to-back weeks. Can’t have a crew chief who has poor setups.” Some even questioned Bowman’s future at HMS, boldly asking, “Who drives the 48 next year?” And now, as Bowman heads to Bristol, all eyes will be on the HMS driver, where his fate and future in the playoffs hang by a thread.

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