Doug Bowden

Bowden at Ajax Superspeedway in 2021

### Awards

2017 ASCA Craftsman Series Rookie of the Year 2019 ASCA Ajax Cup Series Rookie of the Year

## ASCA Ajax Cup Series Career

### Poles

3

**Doug Lucas Bowden** (born March 8th, 1997) is an American professional stock car racing driver. He currently competes full-time in the ASCA Ajax Cup Series, driving the No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for Ronnie Woods Motorsports. He is the 2017 Craftsman Series Rookie of the Year, and 2018 Craftsman Series Champion. He also won the 2019 ASCA Ajax Cup Series Rookie of the Year.

Bowden is the only son of 2008 Ajax Cup Series Champion Tico Bowden.

## **Early Racing Career**

Bowden began his racing career at the age of 6 after his father Tico Bowden bought him a go kart as a birthday present. Racing predominately at his home track of Belltown Speedpark, he won a total of five track championships and won 28 races throughout his karting career.

At the age of 15, Bowden began racing late models across the short tracks of Michigan, winning a total of 23 races over a three year period. After this, he was officially signed to Tico Bowden Motorsports as a developmental prospect in 2015.

## **ASCA National Series**

**Craftsman Series**

On May 27th, 2016, Bowden was named to the inaugural ASCA Next Class designed to help young drivers progress up the ASCA ranks much easier. He had just made his Craftsman Series debut three days earlier on May 24th in the Axalta 100 at Blu-Ray Motor Speedway, replacing Blaise Irwin in the No. 2 for Tico Bowden Motorsports who was fired for poor performance. Bowden would run the final two races in the car as well, even scoring his first career top 5 in the Geico 100 at Belltown in the season finale.

Bowden began his full-time career in the Craftsman Series in 2017, once again behind the wheel of the No. 2 for Tico Bowden Motorsports. He would win his first career pole for the TreatMyPC.com 150 at Computer Motor Speedway, leading the opening 16 laps and finishing 4th. Despite a qualifying crash before the season concluding Geico 100, Bowden drove from 16th to 6th, clinching ASCA Craftsman Series Rookie of the Year honors as a result and finishing 6th in points.

In 2018, Bowden began the season with four straight top 5 finishes, including a 2nd place finish to Randle Woods in the inaugural Tudor's Buiscuit World 100 at West Virginia. Another 2nd place result later in the season in the TreatMyPC.com 150 was followed up by Bowden's first career victory in a photo finish over Ryan Dixon. That race also featured more controversy between Bowden and Woods after the two got together trying to lap Luke Braun, resulting in Woods' 2nd DNF of the season. The following week Bowden would finish 13th in the inaugural Nationwide 100 at the Michigan Road Course, while Woods would go onto win the race, flipping the points lead back to Woods with only two races remaining. Bowden would finish the season strong, winning the pole for the penultimate race of the season in the Body Armor 125, leading the opening 76 laps and finishing 3rd while also going onto win the Geico 100 at Belltown to lock up the 2018 ASCA Craftsman Series Championship by just six points over Randle Woods.

Bowden has proceeded to make select Craftsman Series starts for Ronnie Woods Motorsports from 2019-2021 with a best finish of 2nd in the TreatMyPC.com 150 to Greg Healey.

**Ajax Cup Series**

Bowden was thrust into Ajax Cup Series action early in the 2018 season in the No. 2 for Orkedi Bros Racing, making his Cup debut filling in for the injured Nick Orkedi in the Arris 200 at The Stoneyard, finishing 15th. He would run the following four races as well with two top 10 finishes and a best finish of 6th in the inaugural Little General 200 at The Stoneyard. He would also run the inaugural Apple 225 at Computer Motor Speedway for Ronnie Woods Motorsports in the No. 25, finishing 22nd after a late race crash.

After the 2018 Amp Energy 200, Ronnie Woods Motorsports announced that they had signed Bowden to a four year contract to replace the departing Randle Woods, renumbering his No. 5 to the No. 24 while teammate Todd Kidd switched to the No. 9.

**2019**

Bowden began his full time tenure driving for Ronnie Woods Motorsports with a bang, winning the pole for the season opening Ajax 200 and leading the opening three laps. However, he was involved in a 12 car accident with 25 laps to go and finished 14th as a result. He would score back to back top 10 finishes the next couple races, finishing 7th in the Arris 200 and 10th in the Advocare 200. The following week he would lead 46 laps in the AutoZone 200 at Belltown, but would cut a tire while leading and finish 16th. Bowden would finally score his first career Ajax Cup top 5 with a 3rd place finish in the Colgate 199, and backed that up with a 5th place effort in the Panasonic 200 at Blu-Ray. He would lead 97 laps in the season ending Ajax Season Finale, but a late race speeding penalty relegated him to a 3rd place result. Despite this, Bowden would clinch the 2019 ASCA Ajax Cup Rookie of the Year Award by 9 points over Jared Ayers.

Bowden would conclude his rookie season with 3 top 5's and 8 top 10's, garnering a current career best 9th place points finish.

**2020**

Bowden began his sophomore campaign extremely strong, scoring 3 top 5 finishes in the opening 3 races and sitting 2nd in points after the Advocare 200, a career best night for Bowden leading 108 laps and scoring his first runner up finish. However, a blown engine in the following week's Arris 200, a crash in the Subway Grand Prix, a 12th place result in the inaugural Coors Light 175 and another blown engine in the Windows 300 dropped Bowden from 2nd to 10th in points in a matter of 5 weeks. He would bounce back with a 3rd place result in the Colgate 199 after starting 22nd and winning the pole for the Panasonic 200, leading the opening 21 laps and once again finishing 5th. An accident while running 2nd with Nick Orkedi in the Northern 200 led to a 15th place result and another DNF, and more disappointment would follow in the Ajax Season Finale as Bowden would lead a career high 114 laps, but would once again blow a tire while leading and finish 16th for his 5th DNF of the season.

Bowden would close out the year with 7 top 5's and 8 top 10's, and finished 10th in the final standings after losing a tiebreaker to Dan Rodgers.

**2021**

The 2021 season would start off as a total nightmare for Bowden, who sat 15th in points after the Arris 200 with a best finish of 11th in the opening four races. He would bounce back with a 3rd place finish in the Coors Light 175, but would not score another top 10 finish until his 5th place run in the Windows 300, leading his first 59 laps of the season in the process. A 4th place effort in the Colgate 199 was followed up by back to back DNF's in the Panasonic 200 and Amp Energy 200 which dropped him to 13th in the standings. Bowden was involved in a scary crash during the Apple 225 at Computer Motor Speedway, when his teammate Todd Kidd spun down the track in front of him and Bowden hit him at 160 miles per hour. While Bowden was able to walk away unharmed, his teammate Kidd suffered a separated shoulder in the process. The following week however, he would score his first career Cup victory in his 51st career start in the Fastenal 200, making an extremely controversial move turning Norm Lester into the outside wall with three laps to go and taking the checkered flag under caution. Many fans booed Bowden for his move during his burnouts and in victory lane, prompting Bowden to make the iconic tweet "I don't give a shit and I don't give a Hoover damn" about what the fans think after the race. For the third straight year, Bowden would lead the most laps in the Ajax Season Finale with 114, but would finish 4th.

Bowden would score 1 win, 5 top 5's, and 7 top 10's throughout the course of 2021, and finished 11th in the final standings.

## **In Popular Culture**

Bowden served as a special guest analyst during the 2020 Tinder 125 for *ADRA TV.*

Bowden has been a driver in all of the *ASCA Racing* series of games by 313Games which were released beginning in 2019.

## **Personal Life**

Bowden was born the younger of two children in Belltown, Michigan. He is currently enrolled as a part time student at Liberty University, majoring in communications.

He has received the nickname "Blissful Bowden" ironically due to his occasional temper outbursts.