On July 23, 2026, Alex Bowman was revealed to have signed a one-year contract extension to remain as the driver of the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports (HMS) Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 entry for the 2027 NASCAR Cup Series season. It was also revealed that he would then retire from full-time racing following next season’s conclusion.
A day later at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (July 25), Bowman and Jeff Andrews, President and General Manager of Hendrick Motorsports, took center stage of the DEX Imaging Media Center to both confirm the news and answer questions from the media. During Bowman’s press conference, it was also a time when the Tucson, Arizona, native took a moment to reflect on his roller coaster journey to campaign in most of his full-time Cup Series competition for Hendrick Motorsports, an organization with the most victories (322) and championships (15) all time to date.
It was a little over a decade ago (July 14, 2016) when Bowman took center stage in the Cup Series field when he was named an interim competitor for Dale Earnhardt Jr. at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. By then, Bowman, who had competed the previous two seasons with BK Racing and Tommy Baldwin Racing (2014-15), had lost his ride with the latter organization and was competing in select O’Reilly Auto Parts Series events with JR Motorsports. During this time, he mentioned that he was selling seats to manage through everyday life, including paying rent.
Nevertheless, an opportunity presented itself for Bowman when Earnhardt Jr. was battling concussion-like symptoms that cut his 2016 season short after 18 of 36 races. As an interim competitor for Hendrick Motorsports in 10 of the final 18 events in 2016, Bowman recorded an average-finishing result of 19.7, posted an average-qualifying result of 12.3 and notched a trio of top-10 results. His biggest moment came when he achieved his first career pole at Phoenix Raceway in November and led a race-high 194 laps until a late-race restart incident involving Matt Kenseth relegated him to sixth place in the final standings.
After Bowman filled in for Earnhardt Jr. at the Clash at Daytona International Speedway and notched a strong third-place result in February 2017, a big moment for Bowman occurred five months later (July 20, 2017) when he was named to drive for Hendrick Motorsports on a full-time basis for the 2018 Cup Series season. The announcement occurred three months after Earnhardt Jr. announced his retirement from full-time racing after the 2017 season.
Over the two years leading up to his first full-time Cup Series campaign as a Hendrick Motorsports driver in 2018, Bowman described his career with the organization as a journey filled with ups and downs both on and off the track. Amid the journey, he reflected on the memories, achievements, teamwork, friendships and support he garnered.
“[Driving for Hendrick Motorsports] hasn’t gone exactly how I would have hopes, I guess, in some ways,” Bowman said. “At the same time, I’ve learned so much. I’ve grown so much as a person. I’ve got to be teammates with some incredible people; learn from some awesome people and be a part of an amazing organization. It’s been a lot of fun. Even though the stat sheet might not read what I want it to read, it’s still been great in a lot of ways.”
Prior to Hendrick Motorsports, Bowman finished as high as 13th on the track, recorded only four top-20 results, led only three laps and was mired outside of the top-30 mark in the standings. Since driving for Hendrick, including his interim roles in 2016, the Arizona native notched eight victories, seven poles (three of which occurred for the Daytona 500 in 2018, 2021 & 2023), 49 top-five results, 116 top-10 results, 1,530 laps led and campaigned as a Playoff competitor seven times. Within his current 307 starts with Hendrick, Bowman piloted the Nos. 88 and 48 entries that were previously driven by icons Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jimmie Johnson.
Throughout his campaign, Bowman was sidelined for multiple races on multiple occasions due to health issues. In 2022, he was absent for five of the final six races due to battling concussion-like symptoms from an accident at Texas Motor Speedway. The following season, he missed three events due to recovering from a broken vertebra following a sprint car accident at West Burlington, Iowa. This season, he missed four events due to vertigo.
Through each of his injuries and absences, Bowman managed to recover and return to Cup Series competition, including this season. Bowman denied that the injuries he sustained throughout his racing career led to his decision to retire. Even when the decision to retire became official, he noted that it was one he wanted to make to conclude his racing career on his own terms and therefore campaign for a final season with Hendrick Motorsports in 2027.
“I think for me – health-wise, mental health-wise, kind of everything – this is what I needed to do that was best for me and things I want to do outside of the car,” Bowman said. “I think also, if it was my choice, I wouldn’t have made a retirement announcement. I would have just raced until the end of next year and disappeared, but that’s not how this sport works.”
“I think I really want to end on a more positive note than kind of how this year has been, so that gave me a little more motivation to come back and go one more year (2027),” Bowman added. “I think it is better for me, personally. It’s better for Hendrick Motorsports.”
Currently, Bowman is ranked in 29th place in the 2026 driver standings with 292 points, and he is 203 points below the top-16 cutline to be in Chase contention with four races remaining until the regular-season stretch concludes. His latest victory dates back to the Chicago Street Course event in July 2024 as he looks ahead ot cap off the remainder of the 2026 season and his final full 2027 season on a strong, positive note.
“To end up at Hendrick Motorsports for a decade, it’s been incredible,” Bowman said. “It’s been a lot of fun, and it means a lot to have the support of everybody at HMS.”
Prior to his final full-time campaign in 2027, Alex Bowman’s 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season resumes this Sunday, July 26, at Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the Brickyard 400. The event’s broadcast time is slated to commence at 2 p.m. ET on TNT Sports, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Radio Network, SiriusXM, and HBO MAX.
