Following a two-hour rain delay and a "sudsy" race, the 2024 NASCAR Chicago Street Race officially has a winner.
Sunday, driver Alex Bowman claimed victory in another wet and crash-filled race. Rain delays forced the race to end early, with NASCAR rules dictating racing must conclude by 8:20 p.m. CT. The time limit meant the race still fell short of the planned 75 laps.
Bowman was in the lead at the moment 8:20 p.m. CT struck. With that, the white flag was waved, followed by the coveted checkered flag.
"We have a trophy to take home and I know it means a lot to this team," Bowman said. "They put me in position to win the race. And man, I broke my back, had a brain injury and we've kind of sucked ever since. And you start to second guess if you're ever going to get a chance to win a race again and last one, we won."
Bowman, who broke an 80-race win drought and marked his first street race win, notably won the last NASCAR Cup Series race at Chicagoland Speedway.
Bowman had not won a race since 2022. His triumph not only was his first in 80 races, but also punches his ticket into the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs. He also completed a fascinating feat, as he won the final race at Chicagoland Speedway in 2019 for his first career victory in the Cup Series.
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The race was an eventful one, with some of the favorites to win, including returning champion Shane van Gisbergen and Kyle Larson, falling out due to crashes.
Racers navigated some wet conditions at the start, with the rainy weather posing an interesting challenge for drivers and crews as they were forced to decide which tires to use for the race. Rain initially only began in some parts of the course while other portions remained dry, but as the race went on, the wet weather worsened.
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One driver described the conditions as "sudsy" while puddles were visible along the course.
With numerous crashes reported, a red flag was waved during Lap 26 as crews worked to remove puddles from the course. But just after 7 p.m., cars began moving onto the track once again -- this time on a countdown.
Van Gisbergen, Larson, Christopher Bell and Ty Gibbs held the leads for much of the race, but crashes and pit stops paved the way for a new group of racers to take the lead.
With minutes left to spare, Alex Bowman, Joey Hand and Brad Keslowski were the front runners. But in the final laps, it was Bowman and Tyler Reddick in a race to the finish.
Bowman started off his post-win interview not with celebration, but with an apology for his role in a move that spun fellow racer Bubba Wallace.
"But first off, like we talked earlier, I have to apologize again to the 23 guys. Just messed up and trying to get my windshield wiper on, missed a corner and ruined their day. So I hate that. I'm still embarrassed about it," Bowman said.
Wallace, in turn, doorslammed Bowman's car during a victory lap.
Bowman still plans to enjoy the victory celebrations.
"We're going to drink so much bourbon tonight," he said.
