Jeffrey Hrunka - Motorsports Today Contributor
One driver that has gotten publicity for all of the wrong reasons has been, Alex Bowman, driver of the #48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro. Although he was one of the most consistent drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series this season, there were a slew of drivers rumored to take over his ride.
Similar to most rumors, this proved to not be true as he has confirmed that he is staying with Hendrick Motorsports for next season. However, is there any validity behind these rumors heading into the future? Let’s take a deeper dive into Alex Bowman’s career with Hendrick Motorsports up to this point.
2018-2020: The Early Years
After Dale Earnhardt Jr. suffered a concussion midway through 2016, Bowman would get the nod to split starts with Jeff Gordon, in the #88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet SS, while Earnhardt Jr. recovered. His best performance came at Phoenix Raceway where he won the pole, led 194 laps and a sixth-place finish after contact with Matt Kenseth in the closing laps. This performance was enough for him to earn the full-time call-up after Earnhardt Jr. retired in 2017.
In his first season in the #88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro, Bowman claimed 5 Top-5s, 11 Top-10s and led 71 laps en route to a 16th place finish in the overall standings. He was able to advance to the Round of 12, being one of two drivers from the team to do so. This was a year plagued by a slow Chevrolet chassis as the manufacturer struggled with the new body.
Bowman added to this success a year later with a win in the 2019 Camping World 400 at Chicagoland Speedway, beating out current teammate Kyle Larson. This punched his ticket into the playoffs, where the then 27-year-old made the Round of 12.
He finished the season with a 12th place points finish, 1 win, 7 Top-5s, 12 Top-10s and 200 laps led.
Bowman’s 2020 season would be his most successful from a postseason standpoint as he won the Auto Club 400 at Auto Club Speedway to lock himself in the playoffs. He made the deepest run to date, advancing to the Round of 8.
Through 36 races, he had 6 Top-5s, 15 Top-10s and led 440 laps. He finished the season sixth in the standings, which is his career-best season end points finish.
In his three years driving the, #88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro, Bowman separated himself as the clear No.2 on the team. He consistently outperformed an aging Jimmie Johnson and an inexperienced William Byron.
2021-2023: Replacing a 7-Time Champion
With the retirement of Jimmie Johnson, Bowman was slated to take over the famous #48 Chevrolet Camaro that Johnson made famous. With this change he was set to carry the torch of the seven-time champion.
In 2021, Bowman had his first multi-win season, claiming victories at Richmond, Dover, Pocono and Martinsville. He claimed 8 Top-5s, 16 Top-10s, and made the Round of 12 but failed to get further as he was eliminated and finished 14th in the driver standings.
With the introduction of the Next-Gen car in 2022, the transition was not kind to Bowman as he took a step back in performance. He took home the victory in the Pennzoil 400 at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, which proved to be the only real highlight in his otherwise disappointing 2022 campaign.
A concussion at Texas Motor Speedway in the Round of 12 saw him miss five races and eliminated his hopes of a deep playoff run. He ended his season with 1 win, 4 Top-5s and 12 Top-10s and a 16th place points finish.
It only got worse in 2023, as Bowman broke his back in a sprint car while racing in the High Point Limit Racing in April of that year. While injury only sent him out the car for three races, it took a toll on him for the rest of the season.
He was only able to accumulate 4 Top-5s, 10 Top-10s and a best finish of third with the majority of these stats coming before he was injured. Bowman finished the season 20th in points, his worst since joining Hendrick Motorsports.
The Next Gen car hadn’t played nice to Bowman as whenever he seemed to have the hang of the car. An injury sent him catching back up to the rest of the pack again. However, he would finally find his footing in the following season.
2024: Mr. Consistent
For the first time in six seasons, Bowman started out the season not demonstrating consistency as his streak for Daytona 500 front row starts ended at six as the team looked to build their car for better race pace. This showed dividends as he started his season half a car length short of a victory in the sport’s most prestigious race.
This consistency varied throughout the rest of the regular season as his performance fluctuated all spring. Bowman locked himself into the postseason with a race-shortened victory in the Grant Park 165 at the Chicago Street Course.
In the playoffs he took this performance a step further accumulating 1 Pole, 5 Top-10s and 7 Top-15s through ten races. A DQ at the Charlotte Roval for being underweight ultimately ended his playoffs and sent 2024 NASCAR Cup Series Joey Logano back above the cutline into the Round of 8.
Bowman finished his season with 1 pole, 1 win, 8 Top-5s, 17 Top-10s and finished ninth in the final points standings. While he was fourth behind his other three teammates, a top-10 points finish inside the points standings is nothing to be afraid of.
Conclusion: Bowman is Overhated
All the rumors of Bowman being replaced have only gotten more popular with his teammates consistently reaching victory lane. Outside of his injury, Bowman has proved his worth as he has consistently made the Round of 12 with a win every season, excluding years he was injured.
While he’s been Hendrick Motorsports’ reliable number two driver through the early part of his career, that is in the past as the team has the best driver lineup in the NASCAR Cup Series. He has proven his worth as a winner and a few underdog runs by other drivers in the series isn’t evident enough for them to make a change.
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