A 26th-place finish in Sunday’s race at World Wide Technology Raceway was not the result Alex Bowman and the No. 48 team wanted. However, with Bowman back full time following an injury, the team appears close to a breakthrough via it’s pit-road acumen – especially given Sunday’s performance.
RELATED: Gateway results
Spearheaded by Donnie Tasser (front changer), Andrew Bridgeforth (rear changer), Scott Riddle (tire carrier), Allen Holman (jackman) and Jacob Conley (fueler), the No. 48 team put on a stellar showing reminiscent of Richmond two months earlier. Let’s take a look.
In terms of average four-tire stop, Bowman’s No. 48 crew clocked out an average time of 9.743 seconds at Gateway, good enough for first on the year among all races. In fact, the mark stands out as the only time under 10 seconds for the duration of a race.
The only average four-tire stop time somewhat close is Hendrick Motorsports teammate William Byron’s No. 24 Chevrolet. The No. 24 team established a swift pace in its own right via a 10.008-second average time during the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Although Sunday’s on-track finish might not have been a preferable one, Bowman will look to capitalize on any sort of momentum. And if pit-road statistics are an indicator, perhaps the remedy will start from the pit box.
After all, each Hendrick Motorsports team — Bowman’s included — has shown a knack for thriving on brisk pit-road stops.
See below to analyze additional pit-road statistics through last weekend’s race at Gateway, courtesy of Racing Insights.
TEN FASTEST FOUR-TIRE PIT STOPS IN 2023
| Rank | Track | Driver | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Richmond | Corey LaJoie | 9.309 seconds |
| 2 | Charlotte | William Byron | 9.383 seconds |
| 3 | Charlotte | Ty Gibbs | 9.443 seconds |
| 4 | Charlotte | William Byron | 9.504 seconds |
| 5 | Kansas | Bubba Wallace | 9.509 seconds |
| 6 | Charlotte | William Byron | 9.541 seconds |
| t-7 | Kansas | Ty Dillon | 9.543 seconds |
| t-7 | Kansas | Daniel Suárez | 9.543 seconds |
| t-9 | Darlington | Kevin Harvick | 9.576 seconds |
| t-9 | Kansas | Josh Berry (No. 48) | 9.576 seconds |