NASCAR CUP SERIES DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY DAYTONA 500 MEDIA DAY TEAM CHEVY DRIVER QUOTES FEBRUARY 11, 2026 |
Alex Bowman, driver of the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet – 2026 DAYTONA 500 Media Day Quotes: | MEDIA RESOURCES: Photo Gallery | Race AdvancesChevrolet Newsroom |
| First feel in the car, did anything stand out or was it just making sure everything is connected and ready to go? “Yeah, I think we were a little more aggressively in qualifying trim than I was probably prepared for. But, yeah, excited to see where we stack up tonight.” Some people had conversations last year that this race didn’t have the prestige that it once did. Curious where you stand on that. Does it still feel prestigious to you and if not, what needs to happen to get it back to how this race was once viewed? “Yeah, I think for me the prestige is still there. It’s still the Daytona 500 and the pageantry is still there. Driving the race car part when you are rolling around all day and saving fuel, that is the bummer to me, and I wish we could fix that. I am not smart enough to fix it and I wish, and I think we all wish, the speedway racing was a little different than it is. But, you are still at the Daytona 500 and that is not going to change just because the style of racing is different. To me at least. So, yeah, doesn’t mean it any less to me for sure. I am still trying to win one and hopefully we can get it done.” NASCAR says you are no longer allowed to put your hand outside the window net. Does that matter or do you think that it ever mattered when you did do it?“Yeah, I mean, its kind of been different year to year. Sometimes you have a car that drives very easily, and you can do it easily and other times you have got your hands full and you can’t do it. You always have an engineer telling you that you need to do it, exactly what position to put your hand in and all that. But I am glad that I can just keep two hands on the steering wheel for this one.” It seems like it would be more nerve-wracking doing it at Atlanta than at maybe Daytona and Talladega?“Yeah, for sure. Atlanta typically is a little sketchier to qualify at. The difference is that Daytona 500 qualifying is like you are much more in qualifying trim than you are at Atlanta or Talladega or even the second Daytona race. For the guys going for the pole, this is sometimes the more sketchier one. Here or Atlanta.” This year how much nicer is it going to be to have a points system that rewards consistency and your team’s consistency as opposed to the last time you were here and trying to hang onto a playoff spot? “Yeah, I think this system suits us better than the previous system. So, I am thankful for that, but for me it’s really just trying to go out and win races. The end of last season was a bummer, so we are just trying to turn things around and get pointed in the right direction and get the season started off on a high note. But I definitely think we can excel in this system.” Does the new system change your approach and preparation in racing here and then going to Atlanta or are you just like superspeedways are superspeedways?“I really don’t think it changes much in these two races, but I would say it will change for the second Daytona, right? With it not being a cut-off race. That will be different, but the rest of it is just business as usual. So, just going to work and trying to score the most points possible, execute at a high level and try and win the race.” Looking down the road at Chicago, I am pretty sure you are the only one to be able to win at both the oval and the street course. Are you excited to get back to the oval this year?“Yeah, it’s a super-tricky racetrack and maybe wasn’t quite as tricky with the old car, but with the characteristics of the Next Gen car, its going to be a tough place to get a hold of. Looking forward to the challenge and obviously great memories of the last time we were there. It seems like it was forever ago. So, just will be special to go back there and excited for it.” What do you visualize after that final green flag stop for fuel in stage three. I mean how do you get your mindset for what is probably the most chaotic laps of the season?“Yeah, just really dependent on the situation. If you are in front of the group you are with, you are just trying to make the right moves and guide that group the right way and back up to speed and kind of go from there. If you are in the middle, you are just kind of following along, and if you are in the back, you are just trying to control the runs from behind the best you can. So, it’s just very situational. I feel like we have kind of been in all of those situations in the past. But yeah, track position is just so difficult to gain here at Daytona and Talladega now. It’s interesting in how the race plays out and just trying to save fuel and make that last pit stop as short as possible. You really put a lot of emphasis on your green in and out and go from there.” How does going into a contract year weigh on a driver?“I mean it’s the same stuff. If you look at the internet, every year has been a contract year for me. So, it doesn’t really feel any different to me. Yeah, just excited to get to work.” You gave your teammate Chase Elliott a huge shove into the final corner at Atlanta that ended up getting him the win. Is a move like that even feasible at Daytona? “Yeah, its pretty different. I don’t feel like we build those big runs at a track like this like we do at Atlanta. Atlanta, you have that little more slow down in the corners, so that changes it up a little bit. But I feel like Atlanta races like the speedways did with the old car. Like a little more 2019, 2020 speedway racing than what we have seen with the Next Gen. Whereas at these tracks you are just stuck in line and the runs are pretty small. So, yeah, glad that one worked out and hopefully I get it back.” |
NASCAR CUP SERIESDAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAYDAYTONA 500 MEDIA DAYTEAM CHEVY DRIVER QUOTESFEBRUARY 11, 2026 |
Alex Bowman, driver of the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet – 2026 DAYTONA 500 Media Day Quotes: | MEDIA RESOURCES: Photo Gallery | Race AdvancesChevrolet Newsroom |
| First feel in the car, did anything stand out or was it just making sure everything is connected and ready to go? “Yeah, I think we were a little more aggressively in qualifying trim than I was probably prepared for. But, yeah, excited to see where we stack up tonight.” Some people had conversations last year that this race didn’t have the prestige that it once did. Curious where you stand on that. Does it still feel prestigious to you and if not, what needs to happen to get it back to how this race was once viewed? “Yeah, I think for me the prestige is still there. It’s still the Daytona 500 and the pageantry is still there. Driving the race car part when you are rolling around all day and saving fuel, that is the bummer to me, and I wish we could fix that. I am not smart enough to fix it and I wish, and I think we all wish, the speedway racing was a little different than it is. But, you are still at the Daytona 500 and that is not going to change just because the style of racing is different. To me at least. So, yeah, doesn’t mean it any less to me for sure. I am still trying to win one and hopefully we can get it done.” NASCAR says you are no longer allowed to put your hand outside the window net. Does that matter or do you think that it ever mattered when you did do it?“Yeah, I mean, its kind of been different year to year. Sometimes you have a car that drives very easily, and you can do it easily and other times you have got your hands full and you can’t do it. You always have an engineer telling you that you need to do it, exactly what position to put your hand in and all that. But I am glad that I can just keep two hands on the steering wheel for this one.” It seems like it would be more nerve-wracking doing it at Atlanta than at maybe Daytona and Talladega?“Yeah, for sure. Atlanta typically is a little sketchier to qualify at. The difference is that Daytona 500 qualifying is like you are much more in qualifying trim than you are at Atlanta or Talladega or even the second Daytona race. For the guys going for the pole, this is sometimes the more sketchier one. Here or Atlanta.” This year how much nicer is it going to be to have a points system that rewards consistency and your team’s consistency as opposed to the last time you were here and trying to hang onto a playoff spot? “Yeah, I think this system suits us better than the previous system. So, I am thankful for that, but for me it’s really just trying to go out and win races. The end of last season was a bummer, so we are just trying to turn things around and get pointed in the right direction and get the season started off on a high note. But I definitely think we can excel in this system.” Does the new system change your approach and preparation in racing here and then going to Atlanta or are you just like superspeedways are superspeedways?“I really don’t think it changes much in these two races, but I would say it will change for the second Daytona, right? With it not being a cut-off race. That will be different, but the rest of it is just business as usual. So, just going to work and trying to score the most points possible, execute at a high level and try and win the race.” Looking down the road at Chicago, I am pretty sure you are the only one to be able to win at both the oval and the street course. Are you excited to get back to the oval this year?“Yeah, it’s a super-tricky racetrack and maybe wasn’t quite as tricky with the old car, but with the characteristics of the Next Gen car, its going to be a tough place to get a hold of. Looking forward to the challenge and obviously great memories of the last time we were there. It seems like it was forever ago. So, just will be special to go back there and excited for it.” What do you visualize after that final green flag stop for fuel in stage three. I mean how do you get your mindset for what is probably the most chaotic laps of the season?“Yeah, just really dependent on the situation. If you are in front of the group you are with, you are just trying to make the right moves and guide that group the right way and back up to speed and kind of go from there. If you are in the middle, you are just kind of following along, and if you are in the back, you are just trying to control the runs from behind the best you can. So, it’s just very situational. I feel like we have kind of been in all of those situations in the past. But yeah, track position is just so difficult to gain here at Daytona and Talladega now. It’s interesting in how the race plays out and just trying to save fuel and make that last pit stop as short as possible. You really put a lot of emphasis on your green in and out and go from there.” How does going into a contract year weigh on a driver?“I mean it’s the same stuff. If you look at the internet, every year has been a contract year for me. So, it doesn’t really feel any different to me. Yeah, just excited to get to work.” You gave your teammate Chase Elliott a huge shove into the final corner at Atlanta that ended up getting him the win. Is a move like that even feasible at Daytona? “Yeah, its pretty different. I don’t feel like we build those big runs at a track like this like we do at Atlanta. Atlanta, you have that little more slow down in the corners, so that changes it up a little bit. But I feel like Atlanta races like the speedways did with the old car. Like a little more 2019, 2020 speedway racing than what we have seen with the Next Gen. Whereas at these tracks you are just stuck in line and the runs are pretty small. So, yeah, glad that one worked out and hopefully I get it back.” |