NASCAR Cup Series driver Alex Bowman has been medically cleared to compete in Sunday’s Viva Mexico 250 at Autodromo Hermanos Rodríguez in Mexico City, Mexico, Hendrick Motorsports said in a pre-race advance.
The Tucson, Arizona-native will indeed be driving his typical No. 48 Ally Financial Chevrolet in Sunday’s groundbreaking event for the NASCAR Cup Series, which will be the first non-exhibition event outside of the United States since 1958, and the first in Mexico.
In last Sunday’s FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway, Bowman was involved in a multi-car accident at Lap 67, which saw his Hendrick Motorsports machine get hooked up the racetrack viciously into the Turn 2 SAFER Barrier.
Bowman was able to climb from the battered No. 48 under his own power and was subsequently checked and released from the infield care center.
After being evaluated this week for back pain following his hard crash at Michigan, Bowman will compete in the event. However, Anthony Alfredo, who does the majority of the team’s simulation work, will be on standby in case Bowman needs a relief driver at any point this weekend.
When speaking to SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90) earlier this week, Jeff Gordon, Vice Chairman of Hendrick Motorsports, spoke to whether or not Bowman would be able to compete in Sunday’s event in Mexico City, saying the organization “[felt] confident that [Bowman] would be in the car.”
The 32-year-old driver has a history of injuries, which have kept him sidelined from the NASCAR Cup Series for two multi-race stints over the last three seasons, most recently in 2023.
At the tail-end of the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series campaign, Bowman suffered a major impact at Texas Motor Speedway that caused a concussion, forcing him to leave the cockpit of the No. 48 for six events.
The following Spring, while competing in a sprint car race in West Burlington, Iowa, Bowman suffered a compression fracture to his vertebra in an accident with Conner Merrill, which forced him to sit out for three weeks.
Bowman, now cleared by medical professionals to compete, will get the opportunity to take on Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez this weekend in Mexico City, with two practice sessions on Friday (1:30 PM ET and 3:00 PM ET), qualifying on Saturday (Noon ET), and the race on Sunday (3:00 PM ET).
Coverage for all NASCAR Cup Series on-track sessions will take place on Prime Video.
