Alex Bowman’s collection of impressive cars is growing ⁠—and so is he

GT

Alex Bowman loves to work on cars when he’s not competing in the Cup Series.

NASCAR drivers have many ways to decompress during the grind of the Cup Series season. Some head to the nearest golf course. Others compete in iRacing.

Seven-time winner of the Trophy Series, Alex Bowman heads to his race shop and spends his time picking up his impressive collection of vehicles.

Hendrick Motorsports’ full-time driver competes in the Cup Series, but also runs ABR, Inc., which is in the business of Sprint cars and works on a mixture of street and drift cars. Bowman used racing vehicles to compete on dirt across the country, but he also spent a great deal of time working on them and fostering a love for mechanics that began during his childhood.

“Think [love of mechanic work] Maybe I started spending time in my dad’s store. “He and I are totally opposites,” Bowman told Heavy in a recent interview.

“I can’t leave anything alone, and he wants everything as it was. He doesn’t want to mess with anything. If he buys a great car, he’ll never drive it. He’ll stop him in his garage and look at him. I’ll put miles on everything and change everything. And I have to mess with everything.” something “.

“So I think a lot of that came from really forcing me to work on and maintain my race cars from a really young age. My dad was always really busy, I would come home from school, do my homework and then spend the whole rest of the day in the garage getting the race cars ready. for the weekend.

“Obviously, I just don’t do it on the cup side anymore. I can’t work on anything. If I did, things would fall all the time. So I feel like I still have the urge to work on things, which is really how I started ABR with Sprint Car, Midget, and all the street car projects. I’m constantly messing around with something if I’m bored.”

All the latest NASCAR news straight to your inbox! Subscribe to Heavy on the NASCAR newsletter here!

Subscribe to the NASCAR Heavy Newsletter!

Growing up working on race cars was practical, and Bowman made his fair share of mistakes while educating himself. So far, mechanically serious issues have been avoided.

The manufacturing aspect was the hardest as Bowman tried to get the cars ready for the Chile Nationals Powell and other prestigious events. He knew he didn’t have the patience required to make a concoction, so he found others who could help with this important task.

Bowman owns a variety of vehicles

Sprint cars are only part of the Bowman Collection, which also includes:

• Two Chevrolet Corvettes – One Drift and a 1200 HP Street Wagon
• 1966 Chevrolet C10 With LS7 Changed
• Porsche GT3
• 1991 Oldsmobile Custom Cruiser
• Mercedes-Benz E63 wagon

There is something for everyone and many of them are in various stages of the building process. The Custom Cruiser is the latest addition after Bowman bought it in early 2022, and the crew still turns it into an overpowering beast.

These cars represent a huge change from what Bowman drove to North Carolina early in his NASCAR career. He previously had a Chevrolet Cobalt as his daily driver – a generally reliable car – but has reached a point where he can enjoy an eclectic mix of high-powered cars to suit his personal tastes.

Does Bowman have a favorite car in his collection?

not exactly. Everyone can play a certain role.

The truck, which he worked on with a Texas construction worker, is great for exhausting on the way to the store or grocery store, as well as for relaxing cruises outside of the day. It’s different from a Porsche, an E63 wagon, or any of its other vehicles.

“I feel like it really depends on your point of view,” Bowman told Heavy. “I mean, I think a lot of people think my truck is the coolest thing I’ve ever had, something that I had absolutely nothing to do with construction. My Corvette is a really cool car, and it’s the fastest thing I’ve ever sat in. It’s crazy, but it’s really good. My car Drifting is really cool.

“I think everything I have is great. In a way, I think there’s a car for every day. So I drive a lot of different things and run things really fast. But I definitely think everything I own serves a purpose.”

Bowman has a love for one part of the building process

GTAlex Bowman loves to collect his Chili Bowl cars.

As someone who spent hundreds of hours working in the store, Bowman discovered his favorite and least-favorite parts in the process. Wire is a suitable example.

Bowman has spent some time recently trying to terminate the wires in his pontoon car. The amount of work and knowledge required can be a bit stressful, and there is so much going on, that he has no fun in this part of the job on the cars.

On the flip side, Bowman’s favorite part happens as the Cup Series drivers prepare for the Office season. He and ABR began work on the vehicles they would take to Tulsa, Oklahoma, for the annual Chili Bowl Nationals Festival. This indoor event is the “Super Bowl of Midget Racing”, and the biggest names in motorsports appear to compete.

“My really favorite thing to do is every year — pretty much every year — we start from scratch and make new cars for the Chili Bowl,” Bowman said. Like, the final assembly on those cars is my favorite.

“When you bend things together and everything fits, and you pull everything back and powder everything and you get everything anodized and made everything nice — this final assembly and this beating for two and a half weeks before you go to Tulsa — that’s always my favorite” .

Bowman and ABR will soon turn their attention to the Chilli Bowl cars. For now, he will continue to focus on accumulating points before the Cup Series qualifiers begin on September 4. And he’ll also do what he really loves – working on his cars while his constant companions Finn and Roscoe sit nearby.

read the following: Alex Bowman doubles down with support for animal shelters [Exclusive]