NASCAR
Alex Bowman Back Behind the Wheel of No. 48 in Coca-Cola 600
CONCORD, N.C. – Hendrick Motorsports’ Alex Bowman, driver of the No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, will return to the NASCAR Cup Series this weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway after recovering from a fractured vertebra.
Bowman, 30, suffered the compression fracture on April 25 while racing a sprint car at 34 Raceway in West Burlington, Iowa. On Tuesday, he drove a Cup Series car for 170 laps during a NASCAR-approved medical evaluation test at North Wilkesboro Speedway.
Before getting injured, Bowman had the series-best average finish through the opening 10 races of 2023. After missing three points-paying events, driver 48 is 17th in the Playoff standings, just five points behind the transfer spot. 13 races are left in the regular season for Bowman to either win his way into title contention or make up the points deficit.
“It’s a boost for all of us to have Alex return to the No. 48 car this weekend at our home track,” said Rick Hendrick, Owner of Hendrick Motorsports. “He’s still 17th in points, which says a lot about how well the team performed at the start of the year. Alex has worked hard to rehab the injury and come back strong, and I look for him to continue having a championship-caliber season.”
Josh Berry subbed for Bowman in all three points events plus the All-Star Race. The Tennessee native had a best finish of 10th at Dover on April 30. In last week’s NASCAR All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro, the 48 was 15th after winning the All-Star Open. Berry, 32, will return to his primary duties driving the No. 8 Xfinity Series Chevrolet for JR Motorsports.
“Josh is an absolute pro,” said Jeff Andrews, President and General Manager of Hendrick Motorsports. “His talent and hard work allowed the team to continue operating at a high level while Alex recovered. We can’t say enough about the great job he did under some challenging circumstances. We’re grateful to Josh and our partners at JRM for their support.”
Bowman remains eligible for the 2023 Playoffs, since NASCAR has granted him a medical waiver. Being so close to the all-important Playoff cut line, Bowman must carefully balance aggression vs. points racing. Bowman will enter Charlotte’s Coca-Cola 600 not having won in the past 46 races.
Written by Peter Stratta
Be sure to follow us on Twitter
Be sure to follow the writer on Twitter
Photo Credit to Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images for NASCAR
