After being spun out of the lead while racing him for the win in October at Martinsville, Denny Hamlin seethed that Alex Bowman was “a hack” in a bitter post-race interview. If developments since then are any indication, being a “hack” is something that Bowman and his fans embrace — so long as it helps a good cause.
Following his win at Martinsville Speedway and that run-in with Denny Hamlin, Bowman’s official store began taking preorders for a new T-shirt that simply reads “HACK” in the purple colors of his No. 48 Chevrolet. The shirts have proven to be an instant success, with over 2,300 preorders having come in as of Wednesday afternoon.
Thanks to the success of the shirts, Bowman announced that a portion of the sales will be donated to local animal shelters.
With seven laps to go at Martinsville, a side-by-side battle for the lead between Bowman and Hamlin ended poorly when Bowman slid up the racetrack on the entrance of Turn 3, clipping Hamlin in the left rear and sending him spinning out of contention. Hamlin was furious afterwards, interrupting Bowman’s victory burnout before making the comments that have spawned Bowman’s new T-shirt.
“He’s just a hack. Just an absolute hack,” Hamlin remarked. “He gets his ass kicked every week, and he’s f—ing terrible. He’s just terrible. He sees one opportunity and he takes it, but obviously he’s got the fastest car every week and he runs 10th.”
This is the second time this season that Bowman has celebrated a win with a T-shirt. After his first win of the year at Richmond, Bowman released a “Nobody likes us anyway” shirt based on a response to his crew chief, who had teased him over a lackluster burnout. Bowman’s win at Martinsville was his fourth of the season, shattering his career best mark after winning a single race in both 2019 and 2020.
