Alex Bowman cleared to return to NASCAR Cup Series
CONCORD, N.C. — Alex Bowman has been medically cleared to return to the NASCAR Cup Series and will race the No. 48 car this Sunday at Bristol.
Hendrick Motorsports confirmed the 32-year-old Tucson, Arizona native will return after missing the last four races due to vertigo. Bowman first experienced symptoms during the March 1 race at Circuit of the Americas, causing him to exit the race at lap 71 of 95.
Since then, Bowman has been working with doctors to get better. He has also tested a street car with Hendrick to see if he’s okay to drive.
On Tuesday, he ran laps at Ten Tenths Motor Club road course in Concord. The next day, he took part in pit stop practice, simulator testing and completed a medical evaluation, leading to clear him for competition without restrictions.
“I’m grateful for the support I’ve had from Hendrick Motorsports, my sponsor Ally, our fans and the medical team throughout this process,” Bowman said. “It’s been tough being out of the car, but we all wanted to make sure I was 100% ready before returning. I feel really good, and I’m excited about being at the track with my team and getting back to racing.”
“We’re proud of Alex and the way he’s handled this situation,” said Jeff Andrews, president and general manager of Hendrick Motorsports. “He’s put a lot of work into his recovery and followed the medical team’s plan every step of the way. From the outset, our goal was to prioritize his health and have him return when he was fully recovered and medically cleared. We’re looking forward to seeing Alex back in his race car this weekend.”
Justin Allgaier drove the No. 48 Ally Chevrolet for Bowman at Las Vegas, Darlington and Martinsville. Anthony Alfredo filled in at Phoenix.
Bowman previously missed five races in 2022 and multiple issues in 2023 due to health issues.
Bowman is now 36th in points, 144 points below the Chase cutline, with 19 races until the Chase begins. He will have to make up an average of 7-9 points per race on the cutline to make the Chase.
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Jonathan Fjeld View All
Jonathan Fjeld is the co-owner of the The Racing Experts, LLC. He has been with TRE since 2010.
A Twin Valley, MN, native, Fjeld became a motorsports fan at just three years old (first race was the 2002 Pennsylvania 500). He worked as a contributor and writer for TRE from 2010-18. Since then, he has stepped up and covered 24 NASCAR race weekends and taken on a larger role with TRE. He became the co-owner and managing editor in 2023 and has guided the site to massive growth in that time.
Fjeld has covered a wide array of stories and moments over the years, including Kevin Harvick's final Cup Series season, the first NASCAR national series disqualification in over 50 years, Shane van Gisbergen's stunning win in Chicago and the first Cup Series race at Road America in 66 years – as well as up-and-coming drivers' stories and stories from inside the sport, like the tech it takes for Hendrick Motorsports to remain a top-tier team.
Currently, he resides in Albuquerque, N.M., where he works for KOB 4, an NBC station. He works as a digital producer and does on-air reports. He loves spending time with friends and family, playing and listening to music, exploring new places, being outdoors, reading books and writing among other activities. You can email him at fjeldjonathan@gmail.com