Alex Bowman has laid out his timeline for the remainder of his full-time NASCAR Cup Series career. Amid speculation that 2026 could be his final season, Bowman and Hendrick Motorsports announced on Thursday that the driver has reached a one-year contract extension to remain the driver of the No. 48 Chevrolet for the duration of the 2027 NASCAR Cup Series season.
At the conclusion of the 2027 season, Bowman will step away from full-time competition in the NASCAR Cup Series.
“I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about what’s next, and this feels like the right decision at the right time,” Bowman said in a team press release. “The sport asks a lot of you, and I’ve learned it’s important to listen to your body and make the right choices for yourself. To say I’m incredibly grateful to Mr. Hendrick, our partners at Ally and Chevrolet, and everyone at Hendrick Motorsports would be an understatement. They believed in me and gave me the biggest opportunity of my life.
“My focus now is on making the most of my time on the racetrack and competing for wins. We still have a lot to accomplish, and I want to close my career on a high note for our team and our fans. To have the chance to do that with this organization and these people is really special.”
The decision to return for one final season will give Bowman, who missed four races earlier this season after a bout with vertigo, a chance to end his career on his own terms.
Bowman, 33, has recorded eight victories over the course of his 378-race NASCAR Cup Series career; all eight triumphs have come behind the wheel of a Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet.
“Alex has meant so much to our organization for a long time,” said Rick Hendrick, owner of Hendrick Motorsports. “He’s overcome adversity, won big races and represented our team and partners with professionalism, personality and class. Alex is a tremendous talent in the race car and an even better person outside of it. We’re proud he’ll have the opportunity to finish his full-time career with us on his terms. He’s family.”
Bowman began his NASCAR Cup Series career in 2014, driving for BK Racing. A year later, he moved to Tommy Baldwin Racing. After two lackluster seasons driving for severely under-funded organizations, Bowman got the opportunity of a lifetime in 2016.
When Dale Earnhardt, Jr. suffered a concussion mid-season, Bowman shared the No. 88 Chevrolet for the duration of the 2016 season with the legendary Jeff Gordon. Bowman would score top-10 finishes at Chicagoland Speedway and Kansas Speedway before truly turning in an eye-opening performance at Phoenix Raceway in November 2016.
Bowman, a native of Arizona, would secure the pole position for the Can-Am 500, and would go on to lead 194 of the 324 laps. In the end, Bowman would settle for a sixth-place finish, but a star was born that day.
As Dale Earnhardt, Jr. chose to wrap up his career at the conclusion of the 2017 season, Earnhardt hand-picked Bowman to serve as his successor in the No. 88 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports.
Bowman would score his first career win at Chicagoland Speedway in 2019, driving the No. 88 Chevrolet.
In 2021, Bowman’s No. 88 Chevrolet was renumbered to the No. 48 as Jimmie Johnson retired from full-time NASCAR Cup Series competition at the conclusion of the 2020 season.
Bowman’s eight career Cup Series wins have all come at different racetracks.
The Hendrick Motorsports driver has scored victories at Chicagoland Speedway, Auto Club Speedway, Richmond Raceway, Dover Motor Speedway, Pocono Raceway, Martinsville Speedway, Las Vegas Motor Speedway, and the Chicago Street Course.
Bowman ranks 29th in the NASCAR Cup Series championship standings after 21 races have been completed this season.
