Auto Club 400: NASCAR Driver Alex Bowman Made Promise to Get No. 88 Tattoo Prior to Sunday’s Victory

NASCAR driver Alex Bowman secured the victory in Sunday’s Auto Club 400, marking his first career win in Southern California. This was a historic moment for the driver of the No. 88 Chevrolet, but Bowman now has to follow through on a previous promise. It’s time for him to find a tattoo parlor.

Following his victory at the Auto Club Speedway, Bowman revealed that he might be getting his number tattooed on him. He had apparently made a promise with his friend that he would go under the tattoo gun if he won the Auto Club 400. He faced 20-1 odds at the time.

“I promised my buddy Aaron that we would all get matching 88 tattoos if I won, and I think I have to go get a tattoo now, but that will be a good time,” Bowman said following his victory.

The Aaron that he referenced is Aaron Gillespie, drummer of the rock band Underoath and lead singer of the band The Almost. His identity was mentioned by NBC Sports, but Gillespie confirmed the tattoo wager on Twitter by retweeting the video and writing: “yaasss.”

“Pretty much everybody from Underoath was at Daytona,” Bowman said about his tattoo promise. “We’ve been talking about it for the last two weeks. Apparently, I have to get a neck tattoo, which I’m not really sure that that’s going to happen or not, but yeah, next time we’re all together, I guess we’re all going to get tattoos.”

While the size and the location of the No. 88 tattoo has not been revealed, Bowman will likely have some time to think about the decision. He has a packed schedule for the foreseeable future, including the upcoming FanShield 500 at Phoenix Raceway in Arizona. Will he have time to stop by a tattoo parlor between traveling and practicing for the upcoming race?

If Bowman’s No. 88 Chevrolet continues to function as well as it did at Auto Club Speedway, he may need to avoid making any further tattoo promises. He held a five-second lead over fellow driver Ryan Blaney with four laps remaining on Sunday, but his lead only increased.

Blaney’s Kobe Bryant tribute car suffered a tire issue, so he was forced to pit road. This left the closest driver nearly 10 seconds behind Bowman. This assured the victory for Bowman, as well as his impending date with a tattoo gun.

(Photo Credit: Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images)