Alex Bowman has been sidelined for the last four NASCAR Cup Series races.
After making a premature exit in the Cup race at Circuit of The Americas last month, it was revealed that the driver of the No. 48 had been diagnosed with vertigo. The Arizona native proceeded to miss the Cup races at Phoenix, Las Vegas, Darlington, and Martinsville.
Yet, the 32-year-old is set to get back behind the wheel. It was announced on Wednesday, April 9 that Bowman is cleared for NASCAR competition and will race in Sunday’s Food City 500 at Bristol.
Alex Bowman on NASCAR return: ‘Grateful for the support’
In a statement released by Hendrick Motorsports, Bowman expressed his gratitude to be returning to competition this Sunday.
The eight-time Cup Series winner said it has been difficult being out of the No. 48 car, but added that he needed to be completely healthy to get back into action.
“I’m grateful for the support I’ve had from Hendrick Motorsports, my sponsor Ally, our fans and the medical team throughout this process. It’s been tough being out of the car, but we all wanted to make sure I was 100 percent ready before returning. I feel really good, and I’m excited about being at the track with my team and getting back to racing,” Bowman said.
Per the HMS release, Bowman got some seat time in a streetcar at the Ten Tenths Motor Club road course in Concord on Tuesday. On Wednesday, the HMS driver took part in pit stop practice.
Finally, Bowman did simulator testing and had a medical evaluation prior to his clearance for Sunday’s Cup race at Bristol.
Jeff Andrews, president and general manager of HMS, expressed pride in Bowman’s road to recovery and how he has handled the trying times.
“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,” Andrews said.
In Bowman’s absence, Anthony Alfredo piloted the No. 48 in the Cup race at Phoenix. Justin Allgaier took over the No. 48 car for the Cup races at Las Vegas, Darlington, and Martinsville.
Alex Bowman enters Bristol with work to do
Prior to his vertigo diagnosis, the 2026 season was not going Bowman’s way.
Bowman kicked off the 2026 campaign with a 40th-place finish in the Daytona 500. He followed up with more troubles at EchoPark Speedway, posting a 23rd-place finish.
At Circuit of The Americas, Bowman tallied a 36th-place effort after exiting the race on lap 71 of 95. Myatt Snider took over for Bowman for the remainder of the race.
On top of missing the last four races, Bowman only has 23 points to his name in 2026. Entering Bristol, the driver of the No. 48 is 144 points below the Chase cut line.
With 20 races left in the regular season, there is still time for Bowman to make up ground. However, it will certainly be a challenge for the Cup veteran.
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