“I always circle this place”: Alex Bowman credits 7-time NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson for the success at his statistically best track

Hendrick Motorsports' Alex Bowman commented on his success at Dover Motor Speedway. Bowman credited part of that success to the influence of his former teammate and seven-time champion Jimmie Johnson.

The 1‑mile oval in Dover has earned the No. 48 Chevy driver one win with five top-five and six top-10 finishes. In a video shared by ESPN's Kelly Crandall on X, Bowman shared how Johnson helped him succeed at his statistically best track.

"I always circle this place. I love this racetrack. I enjoy it. I learned a lot from being teammates with Jimmy here. I was pretty terrible until then, and I learned a lot from him. We went on a run where we didn't finish outside the top five for forever, like until last year, really. Yeah, it's been a good place for us," Alex Bowman said.

Bowman took over the No. 48 car in 2021 after Johnson retired from full-time racing in the Cup Series. He has since led a total of 142 laps and earned an average finish of 17.1 at Dover. Moreover, over his last six starts at the track, the 32-year-old has finished inside the top five five times. That run included a victory in May 2021, when Bowman led an impressive 98 laps and held off teammate Kyle Larson.

Meanwhile, Johnson has 10 wins and nearly 3,000 laps at Dover. Hendrick Motorsports as a whole has also been dominant at Dover for decades. The team has collected 22 wins, 81 top-fives, 127 top-10s, and more than 7,600 laps led.

Alex Bowman is 'pretty confident going to' Dover

Alex Bowman missed the 2023 Cup Series race at Dover after he suffered a back injury from a crash at West Burlington, Iowa. However, last year, he delivered a strong performance at a track after starting from ninth. Bowman moved through the field and crossed the finish line in eighth place without leading any laps.

"This is just a place where I feel like maybe it's a little more natural or maybe I have a better idea of exactly what I need to be successful. I can say that all I want, and we can unload and struggle this weekend, but I feel like it's a place that I'm pretty confident going to," Alex Bowman said (via Seedway Digest).

Bowman is ranked 12th in the Cup points standings with no wins but 10 top‑10 and four top‑five finishes so far this season. He is one spot ahead of Ryan Preece on the playoff cut line with six races left in the regular season.

The AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 400 Cup race is scheduled to start at 2 pm ET on Sunday (July 20).

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Edited by Tushar Bahl