Last week, just prior to NASCAR’s activities beginning at Indianapolis, Alex Bowman announced that next year will be his final full-time in NASCAR’s Cup Series. Bowman, the driver of the #48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, will be 34 by the end of the 2027 season.
It couldn’t have been easy to say “My full-time NASCAR career is coming to a close” but Alex Bowman has made the right decision.
During the announcement, Bowman said that he had always expected to leave full-time competition in NASCAR at this point in his life and career. After missing four races earlier this year after suffering from vertigo, Bowman had toyed with the idea of retiring at the end of the 2026 season but his performance this year (29th in points with three top-fives, equal to the number of DNFs in 2026) caused him to delay his departure for a year.
When I first read the announcement of Bowman’s impending retirement, it didn’t really surprise me. Bowman has spent the last several years having to answer questions about his status at Hendrick Motorsports (HMS). Between a number of injuries and often suffering from a lack of performance on track, Bowman always seemed like he was the fourth of the Hendrick Motorsports’ four Chevrolets on every race weekend. If Hendrick was going to bring someone in from the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series or Craftsman Truck Series, to say nothing of a smaller Cup team, it seemed obvious that it would be the #48 that they ended up in.
Earlier this season, Track Talk was one of several outlets that speculated that the late Kyle Busch, prior to his tragic passing, would leave Richard Childress Racing at season’s end to take over the ride. Anyone who has ever been in the situation where they believe, rightly or wrongly, that they may be on the verge of being replaced, can tell you that such a situation can be mentally draining. Every subpar performance leaves you questioning just when the axe will fall.
In announcing his retirement after signing a one-year extension with HMS, Bowman can rest easy. His job is secure for the rest of his full-time career. The stress of worrying about his future can be put behind him. At the same time, he can look forward to perhaps being able to get some relief for those nagging injuries that have plagued him over the last few years. He doesn’t have to grin and bear it, get back in the race car, and hope no one notices how much pain he’s in.
At the same time, he understands that the bout with vertigo likely impacted his ability to drive the car for some time after his return to the #48. Sitting 29th in points is definitely not where Bowman wants to be as he approaches the end of his career. He can continue to recover, taking the small victories where he can get them and focusing on being the best Cup driver he can be for 2027. I’m sure he’d love to get another win or two, but even just returning to a more competitive form would be the best way to wrap up his career.
Bowman’s announcement and the timing of his retirement also speak to his loyalty to HMS. He admitted that his choice would have been to race until the end of next year and disappear. Instead, Hendrick has the opportunity to weigh all of their options over the next season and a half. While it is expected that Connor Zilisch, currently racing for Trackhouse Racing, might be the leading candidate to replace Bowman, Corey Day’s success in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series this season, with wins at Talladega and Dover, combined with Zilisch’s struggles in the Cup Series, may make the decision a little more difficult for HMS. But this is what Bowman’s announcement gives them: time to see if Zilisch can rebound or if Day is the real deal.
For any athlete, it is difficult to say, “I have to move on.” Some have that decision made for them. In the end, Alex Bowman has given himself an opportunity to end his NASCAR career on his terms and be able to plan how he will write the next chapter of his life and career.
johnmilner.ca 