Bowman retirement will open up top ride

Alex Bowman and Hendrick Motorsports announced a one-year extension Thursday for him to drive the No. 48 Chevrolet and then retire at the end of the 2027 season. It opens up one of the top rides in the NASCAR Cup Series. Bowman, 33, is a rarity these days as a driver who progressed from lower-tier teams to drive for a top organization at Hendrick. The Arizona native is a former USAC Midget car national champion, who moved to stock cars in 2010. He won eight races in the ARCA Series before making his O'Reilly Series debut in 2012. His first Cup race was the 2014 Daytona 500 for BK Racing. He moved to Tommy Baldwin Racing a year later, but got his big break in 2016 as an interim driver for Dale Earnhardt Jr. who was suffering from concussion issues. Bowman had a strong effort at his home track of Phoenix where he won a first career pole and led a race-high 197 laps. When Earnhardt retired from the Cup Series in 2017, Bowman was named the new driver for the 2018 season. He won the first of three Daytona 500 poles in 2018 and began a record streak of six straight front row starts for the "Great American Race." Bowman scored a first career win in 2019 when he passed Kyle Larson in the closing laps to win at Kansas. His performance increased more in 2020 when Bowman dominated at California and ultimately finished sixth in the drivers standings. His best season to date was 2021 when took over the No. 48 after the retirement of seven-time champion Jimmie Johnson. He won four races, although he was 14th in points after being eliminated earlier in the NASCAR playoffs. Nicknamed "Bowman the Showman," he won early in the 2022 season at Las Vegas. Unfortunately, his upward career trajectory was halted with a crash at Texas. He missed four races with a concussion and again eliminated early in the playoffs. More health problems occurred in 2023 when Bowman suffered a back injury at a sprint car race outside of NASCAR. He failed to make the playoffs that season, but started off 2024 with a runner-up finish to teammate William Byron in the Daytona 500. Bowman held off a fast-charging Tyler Reddick to win the Chicago Street Race, and then won the pole position for the Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol. He appeared to advance to the Round of 8 in the NASCAR playoffs, but his No. 48 car was disqualified in post-race inspection. He won two poles in 2025, including a second at Bristol for the Food City 500, but failed to win a race and finished a disappointing 13th in points. Ironically, Bristol is the same track where Bowman returned to action in 2026 after missing four races with vertigo. Bowman is currently 29th in the driver standings after missing the races. He has posted three top-five and four top-10 finishes in 17 races. To date, he has eight career wins, definitely not up to the expectations at Hendrick Motorsports. REPLACEMENT DRIVER Connor Zilisch, despite his struggles in the No. 88 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet, has been listed as the odds-on favorite to take over the Hendrick ride by some journalists. Corey Day, who drives for Hendrick Motorsports in the O'Reilly Series, is another strong contender. Things could obviously change over the next 12-16 months, and drivers throughout NASCAR's national series could become candidates. The No. 48 car is still one of the preeminent rides in the sport, and a driver currently with another top Cup team not on the radar could make the move. It will be an interesting story to follow with this such a rare occurrence. The last time drivers retired from the sport in their early to mid 30s while in top rides were Junior Johnson, Ned Jarrett and Fred Lorenzen in the 1960s. Carl Edwards retired in 2017 at 36 years old after suffering a hard crash at Homestead-Miami Speedway the November before.