Those cheers, the ones you can hear over the engines, are part of Talladega Superspeedway legend. For decades, the chorus of uplifted voices has largely belonged to the family Earnhardt, first saluting the No. 3 before that backing swayed to the No. 8 and then No. 88.
Alex Bowman doesn’t share the last name, but as Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s successor this season in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, he carries clout and an endorsement from Junior himself. This weekend, he’ll find out if the longtime stronghold of the Earnhardt fan base throws its boisterous support behind him.
“I hope so. Obviously, hopefully some of the 88 fans stick around and keep cheering for the 88 car,” says Bowman, who turns 26 years old Wednesday. “There’s nobody forcing them to do that, so we’ll have to wait and see, but my job is just to give them something to cheer for.”
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Spending time at the front of the pack in Sunday’s GEICO 500 (2 p.m. ET, FOX, MRN, SiriusXM) would likely help Bowman’s case. Hendrick Motorsports cars showed strength with the new Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 model at the series’ most recent race where engine horsepower is restricted — the season-opening Daytona 500. All four cars landed in the top 10 on qualifying day, with Bowman topping the list for the pole position.
Bowman has five previous premier-series starts at the 2.66-mile Alabama track, the most recent coming in the No. 88 while Earnhardt Jr. recovered from concussion symptoms in the second half of the 2016 season. Though Hendrick cars have flexed their muscles before at Talladega, Bowman still says there’s some trepidation among the closely woven packs inherent in that style of racing.
“I wouldn’t say I dread it, but I don’t think there’s 38 or 39 drivers here this weekend, I don’t think any of them are going to say they like it,” Bowman said. “It’s very stressful not to just be able to control your own destiny and you can so easily get caught up in somebody else’s mess, but I definitely know it’s a weekend that we can capitalize on and be very strong as well.
“I talked to Dale because I thought Dale liked that style of racing and he doesn’t even like it. I mean, he’s really the best there’s been at it in a long time, and if he doesn’t even like it, that tells you how stressful it can be.”
To Bowman’s point, trouble is easy to find at Talladega, but it’s true even off the track. One of the venue’s other trademarks is the irreverent party atmosphere in the infield, which draws several big-name drivers out of the garage and onto the boulevard, a thoroughfare for mischief.
Bowman’s strategy there isn’t much different than his on-track approach: Steer clear.
“Definitely not. I’m going to keep to myself and hang out and stay out of trouble,” Bowman says. “I am just trying not to be an HR nightmare … for everybody at HMS. So I’m going to stay in my bus and stay out of trouble.”