“The Business Failed”: Alex Bowman Remembers His Father’s Sacrifices for Him to Continue Racing

Alex Bowman does not come from a family with racing pedigree, which placed him on the outside from the very beginning. His rise demanded extraordinary effort and sacrifice from his parents to help him reach the Cup Series. His father, Sean Bowman, owned a car body repair shop in Tucson, Arizona, where Alex spent much of his childhood.

Those long hours alongside his dad instilled a strong work ethic in Bowman and taught him essential mechanical skills, allowing him to work on his own race cars. The Bowman household lived frugally out of necessity, with Sean reportedly selling off possessions to keep Alex racing during those formative years.

Beyond that, Sean devoted countless hours to preparing go-karts and hauling his son to short-track events across the region. Alex has since acknowledged that his family stood firmly behind him despite enduring significant hardships. His father’s commitment went far beyond simply chaperoning races, a fact underscored when his business collapsed and he still refused to abandon his son’s aspirations.

Alex spokeabout the financial strain his racing caused during his conversation with HOT ROD Pod. “The business failed then, second mortgage on the house, like he was all in, and it still wasn’t enough. I mean, getting started in racing. It’s only gotten worse and worse and worse.

“So, certainly didn’t have the zeros in the bank account… we didn’t have enough commas to make it. But certainly he tried everything he could and uh sacrificed a lot.”

The weekly struggle tested both father and son. Alex described racing Sunday afternoons somewhere in central California, occasionally as far north as Northern California, then scrambling to reach school Monday morning. Numerous nights saw the father-son duo driving straight through darkness without rest, bypassing home entirely to drop Alex off at school before the first bell.

Sean logged marathon shifts in his garage and flipped classic automobiles for quick profit rather than indulging any personal automotive passion, all to generate additional income. He surrendered sleep and comfort so his son could chase racing dreams while maintaining academic obligations simultaneously.

Those lean times occasionally left Bowman completely tapped out financially. The experience branded him with a saving mentality that persists today, ensuring he maintains reserves for unexpected circumstances.

Fast forward to the present, and Bowman reportedly pulls down between $3.5 million and $4.5 million annually following a contract extension inked in 2023 that locks him into Hendrick Motorsports through the 2026 season. But without Sean Bowman’s tireless dedication, reaching the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports cockpit would have remained a fantasy for Alex rather than a reality.

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