Alex Bowman is in the final season of a three-year contract extension with Hendrick Motorsports as driver of the team’s No. 48 Chevrolet.
What comes next — whether that includes a return in 2027 or otherwise — has yet to be determined. But sorting next year’s plans hasn’t been Bowman’s No. 1 priority, he said in a Tuesday teleconference.
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Entering Sunday’s eero 400 at Chicagoland Speedway, Bowman sits 29th in the points standings with two top fives and three top 10s, all after missing four races earlier this spring due to vertigo. His future plans have not been announced, but his focus currently remains on righting the performance of the No. 48 team in the remaining half of the NASCAR Cup Series season.
“I’m just trying to do my part to try to help (Hendrick Motorsports) be the best it can be right now and obviously trying to get things turned back around on the 48 side of things,” Bowman said Tuesday. “But yeah, definitely not — I don’t feel like I’m racing for my job or anything like that by any means. Really just kind of week-to-week focused on trying to get pointing back in the right direction.”
Bowman, who finished 10th last week at Sonoma Raceway for his best finish since May 3 at Texas Motor Speedway, added he doesn’t have a specific timeline set to solidify plans for 2027 or beyond, but discussions behind the scenes have continued at Hendrick.
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“It’s been interesting,” Bowman said. “Obviously, we’ve had a lot of different conversations and kind of trying to figure out what the best thing to do is, so I would say sooner rather than later, for sure. But really, I guess I haven’t really thought about (it). Like, it hasn’t been the first thing on my mind by any means, and really just been working hard at trying to get things pointed in the right direction. But definitely, (I) think sooner rather than later.”
After missing races in three of the past five seasons for medical reasons, Bowman says he feels OK after 11 races back from his most recent absence. But his results have also left him disappointed, scoring just two wins since the Next Gen debuted in 2022 and winless since the Fourth of July weekend at the Chicago Street Race in 2024.
No matter what comes next, Bowman is carefully considering his options both for himself and his current team.
“I think for me, I just want to make the right decision for myself, I guess,” Bowman said. “And yeah, certain things haven’t gone how we want them to go. And honestly, I’m at a point in my life where I’m super blessed to be in a position where I don’t have to do this forever. So I’ve just got to make the right decision, and I want Hendrick Motorsports to make the right decision and everybody to be on board with whatever we do. I think I have a lot of faith in Rick (Hendrick, team owner) and Jeff (Gordon, vice chairman) and everybody to guide all of us the right way, and whatever happens, happens.”
This story will be updated.
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