Thirty-six weekends out of the year, Alex Bowman pushes the 110-inch wheelbase of the #48 Ally race car to its limits. But in-between practice and races, you'll find him relaxing in his 510-square-foot home away from home: A Prevost bus.
We caught up with Bowman (and his dog Finn) just outside of turn three at Martinsville Speedway for a behind-the-scenes look at the comforts and costs of his weekend at the track.
#48's home away from home
The bus was previously owned by former NASCAR champion Kevin Harvick and once housed a member of the PGA Tour. These days, you'll find Bowman's dog Finn snoozing on the couch and a firesuit hanging in the closet.
The bus features a living area, full-size bathroom with a shower, bedroom and kitchen. Outside, there's an outdoor area with a TV, fridge and awnings, where Bowman and Finn hang out when the weather's nice.
On race weekends, Bowman spends a lot of time at the table on his laptop, reviewing performance data with his team.
Chef Alex in the kitchen
The kitchen is one of Bowman's favorite parts of the bus— with a caveat.
"I’m a big food guy, but not a great cook,” he said.
The microwave is Chef Alex's best friend—aside from Finn. His freezer stays stocked with healthy prepackaged meals, a $75 weekly expense. It costs another $25 for coffee and snacks. And Finn has to eat too, with $50 a week going to dog food and toys.
But his biggest expense for life on the road is filling up the tank with diesel fuel, which totals $925 each time.
One way Bowman can prep for those $1,075 in recurring expenses is with an Ally Bank Savings bucket. The feature allows him to create a bucket within his account, in this case a "Track weekend" bucket, and set aside money he knows he'll need ahead of time for life on the road.
Beauty sleep at the track
Bowman finds it easy to sleep on the bus since the bedroom does not have many windows and stays dark.
“Honestly, even when there's a truck race the night before we run, the sound puts you to sleep.”
Waking up is more challenging for Bowman. Even with a sunrise alarm clock, he tends to oversleep.
“I really don’t have much of a morning routine, I'm more of a get-up-and-go guy."
Life on the road
While it may not be home, there isn’t much that's missing from Bowman's life on race weekends.
“Life on the road really isn’t too bad on this thing, but I am glad I don’t have to drive it. I'd love to have this horn on my racecar though!”
The views, information or opinions expressed are solely those of the individuals involved and do not represent those of Ally.
