As Dale Earnhardt Jr. watched his substitute Alex Bowman lead Sunday’s race at Phoenix International, it brought back feelings he used to experience watching his late father race, Earnhardt said on his weekly podcast.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. admits he was nervous watching Alex Bowman nearly win at Phoenix
Bowman was battling for the lead with two laps remaining before an accident ended his bid for a first career victory.
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Bowman led a race-high 194 laps and was battling with Matt Kenseth for the lead when the two bumped entering Turn 1 just after a restart with two laps remaining. The contact sent Kenseth spinning into the outside wall, while Bowman fell to sixth, a career-best result for the 23-year-old driver.
“Man, this whole day has been miserable, watching that race,” Earnhardt said on The Dale Jr. Download on Monday. “I don’t know how you fans do it. For the longest time, I haven’t felt that way since watching Dad race. I remember it so clear now, all the nerves and sick feelings in your stomach.”
Kenseth was leading when he came down the track and clipped Bowman, who was positioned in the bottom groove. Just before the incident, Kenseth had been told by his spotter he was clear but Bowman had closed the gap by the time Kenseth reacted, which Kenseth didn’t realize.
“I know [Bowman] feels like he had the best car, and he did,” Earnhardt said. But you can’t control a lot of things. ... I know he certainly regrets getting into [Kenseth] and regrets how it ended for Matt and for him.
“But man, that sucked.”
Earnhardt hasn’t raced competitively since July 9 after he began experiencing symptoms related to a concussion he unknowingly sustained in a crash the month previous. In his absence, Hendrick Motorsports named Bowman and Jeff Gordon to share driving Earnhardt’s No. 88 car, with Bowman driving the majority of the races.
Being an observer rather than a participant has provided Earnhardt a new perspective. Watching as a fan is something he had forgotten, but he plans on putting that experience to use when he returns next season. He is targeting a return for the 2017 season-opening Daytona 500.
“I just can’t believe how the day went,” Earnhardt said. “It was hard being a fan. I really got a new appreciation for what that’s like. I got caught up in what I’ve been doing the last several years and had forgotten what that was like.
“I’m seeing so many new perspectives, a lot of them unintentionally, that’s changed the way I see everything about it and will be different when I get back in the car and try not to forget what I’ve learned.”
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