By Jerry Jordan, Editor
DAYTONA BEACH, Fl. – Alex Bowman always said he would by a new Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 after he won his first NASCAR Cup Series race but team owner Rick Hendrick brought the first-time winner’s car-buying experience to a whole new level.
When the Chicagoland Speedway race winner couldn’t find exactly what he wanted at any of Hendrick’s multiple dealerships in the Charlotte area, Mr. H. offered to let Bowman take his private helicopter over to Jeff Gordon Chevrolet in Wilmington, N.C. – if he bought the car that day. A move Bowman joked that may have been figured into the fine print of price for his new ride.
“That was interesting, so it was like, ‘if we get you the helicopter, will you buy it today?’” Bowman said, of the conversation with Hendrick. “It was like a whole new level of car salesman on that one. I was like, okay. So, yeah, it was interesting. It was a lot of fun. It’s pretty neat when you get to do stuff like that.”
But Bowman said he wasn’t quite sure whether Hendrick comped the helicopter ride or if it was somehow figured into the purchase price of his new ZL1, which he took possession of a drove back to Charlotte over the next three and a half hours. He did stop short of giving out the final price tag or if he received a Hendrick Friends and Family deal.
“I feel like the helicopter ride might have gotten incorporated in some kind of doc fee, you know when you buy a car, you get price one and then there’s like doc fee, tax, title, license, registration,” Bowman joked. “I feel like there might have been a hidden fee there that I missed for ‘helicopter ride.’ So, I very well could be paying for it.”