Bowman and Wallace Bury the Bump Over Dinner

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As fierce as the Chicago Street Course battle between Alex Bowman and Bubba Wallace appeared at the time, it won’t have a lasting impact on the drivers’ relationship.

Bowman and Wallace, opponents in the second round of the In-Season Challenge, were fighting for position late in last Sunday’s race. After repeated contact between their cars, Wallace’s Toyota spun off the front bumper of Bowman’s Chevrolet.

Bowman advanced to the tournament quarterfinals with an eighth-place finish to Wallace’s 28th. But if there was any animosity after the race, there’s none now.

“He bought me dinner on Thursday, which was super nice of him, “Bowman said. “So, I’m appreciative of that. I think we probably raced a little bit unnecessarily hard in that situation, but we talked, and I think we’re all good.

“The TV feed made it look worse than it really was off of (Turn) 2 there. I certainly didn’t intentionally crash him, and unfortunately, the coverage was pretty rough. We talked about it, and I think we’re good going forward.”

Bowman and Wallace happened to be staying at the same place in California, and they were seated next to each other at the hotel restaurant.

“That’s always how it works, right?” said Bowman. “Whenever you run into somebody, you’re always magnetic for the next couple of weeks.”

On Saturday at Sonoma Raceway, Wallace echoed Bowman’s sentiments.

“My dinner was paid for, so I just pay it forward,” Wallace said. “I felt like I made us look like fools last week, and I took the responsibility, so the least I could do was buy him dinner. Bowman and I, I can say truthfully, we’re fine moving forward.”