Alex Bowman’s overcorrection comes with with two very expensive passengers at Charlotte

October 11, 2026 Greg Engle 2026 Chase, Featured 0


While Kyle Larson was busy winning Stage 1 at Charlotte Motor Speedway Sunday, Bubba Wallace, Alex Bowman and William Byron were busy discovering that sometimes the shortest route to the garage is through the wall.

With three laps remaining in the opening stage, Wallace’s No. 23 23XI Racing Toyota and Bowman’s No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet were battling for fifth when things went spectacularly sideways exiting Turn 2 on Lap 77.

Bowman, running low, had been struggling with a tight car on corner exit. Then, apparently without consulting the laws of physics, the Chevrolet snapped loose when he got back to the throttle. Bowman caught it with what turned out to be a little too much enthusiasm, overcorrected and shot up the track into Wallace, who was running the high line.

Wallace hit the outside wall hard before sliding down the backstretch and backing into the inside wall. Bowman’s Chevrolet was heavily damaged, too, while Byron’s No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet got caught in the mess and suffered right-front damage.

Three drivers. Three wrecked race cars. Three afternoons abruptly brought to an end before the race had even reached the end of its first stage. Wallace worried everyone as he took his time getting out of what was left of his car. After a few minutes he did climb out and gingerly walked to a waiting ambulance.

Wallace and the other two were evaluated and released from the infield care center. Wallace, Bowman and Byron were scored 37th, 38th and 39th, respectively. In a race where every point matters in the 10-race Chase, it was the sort of result nobody wants, particularly when the damage is inflicted before the race has properly warmed up.

Wallace, who entered Charlotte 10th in the Chase standings, 137 points behind Larson, was left to survey the wreckage of a race that had looked considerably more promising just moments earlier.

“There was no warning,” Wallace said. “I saw it in the last second — the 48 (Alex Bowman) come up and clip us. No hard feelings, that is just racing.”

Wallace explained that he had been trying to stay ahead of Bowman while setting himself up to get onto pit road smoothly. Then Bowman’s Chevrolet got loose, and Wallace found himself along for a rather unpleasant ride.

“The first hit wiped our brakes out. The second hit got me good,” Wallace said. “But we are good. Still got nine fingers and nine toes (laughter), so we are fine.”

That is one way to look at it. Another is that Wallace’s afternoon had just been reduced to a lengthy walk back to the hauler.

Bowman was equally clear about who was responsible. The driver admitted he had been caught off guard by how sharply the car snapped loose, and then made matters worse by overcorrecting.

“I just got loose,” Bowman said. “Honestly, I had been really tight. I don’t know, as soon as it got to the exit of the corner, it snapped and it kind of didn’t stand a chance. Unfortunately, I grabbed too much wheel, overcorrected it and got in those two guys’ (Bubba Wallace and William Byron) way.”

Bowman said he had been running well and believed the No. 48 Ally Chevrolet had the speed to contend. Instead, his race ended with two other drivers paying the price for his mistake.

“It’s one thing to get loose and crash, but to ruin their days too really sucks,” Bowman said. “It’s on me. I just didn’t hang onto it well enough. I was just caught off guard.”

Byron, who entered the race 12th in the Chase standings and 160 points behind Larson, had been running in the top five when the wreck unfolded. He saw Bowman get loose and tried to avoid the collision, but the No. 48 came back off the wall and left him with nowhere to go.

“I was running the top and I lifted right away, but I couldn’t get low enough because he kind of came back off the wall,” Byron said. “I hate it for this No. 24 Valvoline Blood Cancer United Chevrolet team. We had a top-five run going, so it’s just unfortunate.”

Unfortunate is one word for it. Expensive, in terms of both points and playoff momentum, would be another.

Larson, meanwhile, collected the Stage 1 win and continued his day without the need for a tow truck. Wallace, Bowman and Byron were left to contemplate how a fight for fifth had turned into a three-car retirement party.

In the Chase, every race is an opportunity to gain ground or lose it. At Charlotte, three contenders managed to do the latter before the opening stage was even finished.

 

Greg Engle
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