“This rumor is certainly annoying,” Bowman said Wednesday during NASCAR Playoff Media Day.
“Of course, my contract runs until the end of 2026. I can only tell you what my bosses told me, which is that there are no plans to change anything. Yes, the rumors are just rumors. I hope they follow through with their announcements, so my rumors will obviously end. Yes, as far as I know, I will be driving the No. 48 car next year.”
Bowman, who earned a spot within the 2024 playoffs with a win at Chicago Street Course, trails his teammates in a lot of the season stats. It was an honest season for him, but Hendrick Motorsports is predicted to perform at a level above most of its rivals. It’s been greater than two years since Bowman last won a race before Chicago. He also missed 2022 with a concussion and 2023 with a back injury, which proved to be significant setbacks.
Alex Bowman, Hendrick Motorsports, Ally Chevrolet Camaro
Photo: Danny Hansen / NKP / Motorsport Images
When asked if there was any likelihood he can be at HMS, Bowman added, “I don't think so. I trust my bosses and that's what they told me. So yeah, other than that I'm focused on being strong for the next 10 weeks.”
These rumors, although unfounded, prompted Bowman to hunt confirmation of his position inside the team.
“Yeah, I mean, for me — it’s a rumor I’ve been hearing for a month,” he explained. “It got to the point where I picked up the phone and called everybody and everybody said, ‘Absolutely not.’ So that’s all I have, and I have no reason to believe anything else. There’s no — ‘Oh, you have to do this to keep your job.’ Like it’s absolutely not — everything’s fine.”
“A miserable month”
Bowman first drove for Hendrick Motorsports as a fill-in for the ousted Dale Earnhardt Jr. at the top of the 2016 season. He became a full-time driver for the powerhouse organization in 2018 and has won eight races since then. Half of those wins have are available a single season (2021) and he has only finished higher than twelfth within the standings once.
“We have to play better. It’s been a terrible month,” said Bowman, who enters the playoffs with five consecutive finishes of sixteenth or worse. “We haven’t played at a high level at all, so we have to play better the next 10 weeks. But we have to do it for ourselves and for our playoff run — for Ally and the No. 48 team. There’s no ‘You have to do this to keep your job.’ As far as I know, I’m not worried about that at all.”
