What’s Happening?

Keen-eared listeners of Door Bumper Clear may have noticed a remark to a driver who was “one of the other guys that was potentially on the chopping block.” Many online sleuths deduced that the driver who “went out and won a race” may have been the No. 48 of Alex Bowman.

Why Bowman?

The audio references Justin Haley, Corey Lajoie, and Spire Motorsports’ No. 7. Host Freddie Kraft’s other clues include a situation involving three drivers and two seats.

Justin Haley has been a hot topic this season. In the RWR No. 51, Haley has outperformed any driver the team has ever put on track. This has led to speculation that he could perform well wherever Haley goes in 2025 if it were a quality ride.

So who is the third driver, the one who “went out and won a race”? Well, two names came to mind for many fans.

First was Daniel Suarez. Suarez entered 2024 on a cold spell, including 19th place average finish last season. However, in a contract year, Suarez won at Atlanta earlier this season.

Subsequently, Suarez earned an extension with Trackhouse Racing two weeks ago. However, with Suarez winning early in the season, it may be a driver whose cold spell lasted further into the season.

One driver who matches all these points is Alex Bowman. Bowman entered the season in a long losing stretch. Since his four-win 2021 campaign, Bowman had eight top-fives in 64 races. This stretch was complimented by an 80-race losing streak that began in Las Vegas in the spring of 2022.

Bowman snapped his long winless streak at Chicago, and in doing so, he may have retained a spot with Hendrick Motorsports.

What could have happened?

The only two seats known to be open are the No. 7 at Spire Motorsports and an unknown entry at Front Row Motorsports. However, in the podcast, Kraft refers directly to the No. 7 but not the FRM entry.

If the seat were filled with the driver who won out, the logical conclusion as to who the other team was would be Bowman’s No. 48. The rational thought that could come from this is that Bowman signed an extension through 2026.

However, performance can always be a factor in a driver change. Take Trevor Baynes’s late days in the No. 6, for example. While Bowman is far from the number accrued by Bayne, a contract doesn’t necessarily mean that much.

The speculation game is always fun, and out of this metaphorical scenario, some have speculated that Justin Haley could have been the driver of the No. 48. But what about Bowman? With the No. 7 open and the existing relationship between Spire and HMS, it could have opened the door for Bowman to drive that car.

We may never know whether this rumor was true, as the rumored driver, Bowman or Suarez, appears locked into place. Leaving this as another Silly Season rumor to look back on in the future.

What do you think about all this? Let us know on Discord or X what your take is, and don’t forget you can also follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.