
He spent most of 2017 testing and doing simulator work for Hendrick, then was named the replacement for Earnhardt when he retired ahead of the 2018 season. He got a break with Hendrick Motorsports in 2016 when he drove 10 races as the injury replacement for Dale Earnhardt Jr. Honestly, our teammates have kicked our butts for quite a while now,” he said.īut that discredits how far Bowman has come since he sat out most of 20 because he was tired of driving underperforming cars and wanted to work his way in with a powerhouse team. “These last couple months have been painful. So in that regard, Hamlin was somewhat correct when he said Bowman “gets his ass kicked by his teammates every week.” Bowman, who was eliminated from the playoffs at the end of the second round, didn’t really deny that part of Hamlin’s critique. Reigning Cup champion Chase Elliott and title favorite Kyle Larson in a pair of Chevrolets will square off against Toyotas driven by teammates Hamlin and Martin Truex Jr. The championship will be decided Sunday at sold-out Phoenix Raceway, where Hendrick has two of his four drivers into the winner-take-all finale. “If he’s a hack, I’d like to have more of ’em.” I think when you’re in the middle of a disappointment and you’re frustrated and mad, you might say things that you wouldn’t say normally.


Denny’s won two,” team owner Rick Hendrick said Tuesday. Bowman has insisted the contact that spun Hamlin from the lead was accidental, but Hamlin still attacked Bowman’s talent level. It was Hamlin’s post-race assessment of Bowman that really irked the folks at Hendrick Motorsports.
