In the last four NASCAR Cup Series races, Chase Elliott has been without Hendrick Motorsports teammate Alex Bowman on the track.
Bowman, the driver of the No. 48, has been sidelined the last four races due to a vertigo diagnosis. The symptoms began a week prior to the Arizona native’s absence in the Cup race at COTA, which forced him to exit the race prematurely.
In the wake of Bowman’s return to the driver’s seat for Sunday’s Food City 500 at Bristol, Elliott weighed in on the difficulties his teammate has had to endure.
Chase Elliott on Alex Bowman’s struggles: ‘Hate some of the things he’s had to endure’
On Saturday at BMS, Elliott spoke to the media and addressed his HMS teammate’s NASCAR return.
The driver of the No. 9 had nothing but positive things to say about Bowman as a teammate, and is sympathetic to some of the obstacles that have hindered him throughout his Cup career.
“He’s been a great teammate to have at HMS. Certainly, I just hate some of the things he’s had to endure throughout the course of his career. A lot of times, [it] seems unfair, but I think he has handled it with a lot of class. The work he’s put in to get back and to get back this fast and also be willing to do that, that takes a lot of commitment and also a lot of courage, too, from his perspective for what he went through at COTA,” Elliott said.
Bowman’s 2026 hiatus is not the first time he has had to come out of the Cup car.
After suffering a concussion in a September 2022 crash at Texas, Bowman missed out on five straight NASCAR Cup Series races.
In April 2023, Bowman suffered a fractured vertebra in his back following a sprint car accident, forcing him to miss three points-paying races and the All-Star Race that year.
Elliott is not a stranger to being sidelined from NASCAR competition, either.
In 2023, the 2020 Cup Series champion missed six races after suffering a fractured tibia in his leg due to a snowboarding accident. That same year, Elliott was suspended one race after intentionally wrecking Denny Hamlin in the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte.
Elliott hopeful for Bowman’s 2026 season
Elliott is pleased to have Bowman back in the driver lineup this weekend in Bristol.
Whatever it might entail, the Georgia native wants to see Bowman have a solid run in the Food City 500, as well as the remainder of the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season.
“Happy to have him back. I hope they have a great weekend and ultimately want to see him just be healthy and have a good, strong rest of the year, wherever that takes him,” Elliott said.
If Bowman wants to have a shot at making The Chase, he will have to go to work quickly.
Entering Bristol, the eight-time Cup Series winner has only scored 23 points in 2026. He is 144 points behind the cut line for the Chase.
The Food City 500 is scheduled for today (Sunday, April 12), and is set to get underway at 3 p.m. Eastern time.
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