Everyone Worried as HMS Driver’s Spine-Chilling Crash Forces NASCAR to Throw the Red Flag

Alex Bowman came into Michigan with his chin up, shoulders back, and his focus locked in. Despite a wreck and a poor 36th place finish just one week earlier in Nashville, Bowman wasn’t dwelling on the damage. He spoke with confidence before the FireKeepers Casino 400, saying, “I feel like our fastest race cars have all been on weeks that we haven’t finished the races, unfortunately, for a pretty big variety of different reasons at this point. But we’re continuing to plug away at it. I think we’re in a pretty good spot,” as he looked ahead.

He believed his No. 48 crew had what it took to flip the script. That mindset came in spite of a rocky streak filled with setbacks. His optimism was real. However, all the positives that Bowman carried into Michigan came crashing down, literally. His race ended shockingly during Stage 2. The violent impact left fans frozen and Jeff Gordon and other HMS members visibly shaken. As the red flag came out and safety crews rushed in, one thing was certain: Bowman’s Michigan curse had returned, and this time it sent tremors through the Hendrick Motorsports camp.

Alex Bowman’s Michigan curse continues!

The HMS driver entered the Michigan race 12th in the NASCAR Cup points standings, 213 points out of first. But things took a disastrous turn for him and his playoff chances. It happened on Lap 68. Just as the field restarted following a caution, chaos erupted again. Austin Cindric clipped Cole Custer’s No. 41, sending him up the track. In a split second, Custer’s car collided with Bowman’s front left. The No. 48 machine went straight into the outside wall, nose-first, at terrifying speed. The crash was brutal.

Bowman’s car lifted briefly off all four wheels before smashing down, lifeless, against the barrier. The impact was so severe that NASCAR immediately threw the red flag. Safety crews sprinted to Bowman, who had radioed in, “That one was really f***ing big.” Jeff Gordon, who oversees Hendrick Motorsports, watched in horror from pit road. Replays showed the SAFER barrier doing its job, but even that couldn’t erase the image of the crumpled front end of Bowman’s Chevy.

The red flag is out at @MISpeedway after this incident involving multiple cars.@Alex_Bowman exited the No. 48 under his own power. pic.twitter.com/hP4HV8rbKN

— NASCAR (@NASCAR) June 8, 2025

This is a developing story.

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