Alex Bowman has experienced the highs and lows of NASCAR Cup racing throughout his career, starting with small teams like BK Racing and Tommy Baldwin Racing before joining Hendrick Motorsports, the sport’s leading organization, for the past eight seasons. Known for his determination, Bowman was chosen by Dale Earnhardt Jr. to take over the iconic No. 88 car after the 2017 season, following a year when Bowman did not have a ride. He had initially filled in for Earnhardt during the 2016 season while Junior was sidelined due to a concussion.
Despite occasional doubts about his future with Hendrick Motorsports, especially after missing the playoffs and finishing 20th in the 2023 season standings, Bowman has consistently secured contract renewals. When asked by Jeff Gluck of The Athletic about his motivation to keep pushing, Bowman said,
“Probably just continuously trying to be better,”
emphasizing his ongoing desire to improve despite the pressures he faces.
Challenges with Maintaining Consistency on the Track
Consistency has been a major challenge for Bowman, even after joining a top-tier team like Hendrick Motorsports. With eight Cup wins under his belt, he has shown flashes of brilliance but also noticeable struggles, often winning one race and finishing near the back in the following events. For instance, in the first 20 races of 2025, Bowman finished second at Homestead but then dropped to 27th at Martinsville, 35th at Darlington, and 37th at Bristol. Similarly, he was fifth at Kansas but placed 29th, 36th, and 36th in the races at Charlotte, Nashville, and Michigan, respectively.
Reflecting on these ups and downs, Bowman acknowledged the difficulty of staying competitive in today’s NASCAR Cup Series, saying,
“So it’s just the grind of continuing to try to train harder, find new things, and be faster.”
He noted the sport’s rapid advancement over the last decade with everyone improving and driving each other to higher levels.
Bowman further explained the closeness of competition, adding,
“All the tools we all have access to now, everybody’s gotten so much better and everybody pushes each other. The field is so close. All the cars are the same.”
The Significance of Bowman’s Struggles in Today’s NASCAR
Bowman’s ongoing battle for consistency highlights the increasing difficulty of competing in the NASCAR Cup Series, where marginal differences can greatly impact results. His candid reflections reveal how challenging it is to sustain performance week after week in a sport where winning one race does not guarantee success in the next. As the field becomes more competitive and technology evens out equipment differences, drivers like Bowman must constantly adapt and improve.
This evolution within NASCAR underscores the pressure that drivers face and the relentless effort required to stay near the front. Bowman’s experience represents the broader challenges within the sport, where even highly skilled and well-funded drivers confront a narrow margin between victory and disappointment. As the season progresses, Bowman and others will need to maintain focus and innovation to secure consistent results in an ever-tightening competition.
Our Reader’s Queries
Q. Did Alex Bowman have a brain injury?
A. “Ever since I hurt my back and suffered a brain injury, our performance hasn’t been great,” Bowman mentioned on NBC after winning.
Q. How did Alex Bowman get brain injury?
A. In 2022, Bowman’s season started by qualifying second in the Daytona 500. However, he crashed on lap 63, hitting Harrison Burton’s car as it flipped.
