Alex Bowman sidelined for at least 3 more NASCAR races

Hendrick Motorsports driver Alex Bowman will miss at least the next three NASCAR Cup Series races while he recovers from vertigo.

Bowman had to exit the March 1 race at Circuit of the Americas because he was not feeling well. He was replaced mid-race and diagnosed with vertigo, and has missed races at Phoenix and Las Vegas since.

Myatt Snider drove the No. 48 Chevrolet at COTA, Anthony Alfredo drove at Phoenix and Justin Allgaier drove Sunday at Las Vegas.

Allgaier will fill in for Bowman again starting this weekend at Darlington Raceway, then at Martinsville Speedway and Bristol Motor Speedway.

"Alex continues to experience symptoms, so we are following the guidance of the medical team and giving him the time he needs to recover,” said Jeff Andrews, president and general manager of Hendrick Motorsports. "We see how hard he’s working to get back behind the wheel, and we’re looking forward to his return when he’s medically cleared. Everyone at Hendrick Motorsports is 100 percent behind Alex.”

Bowman is 36th in the Cup standings, 232 points behind leader Tyler Reddick and 94 points behind Shane van Gisbergen, Daniel Suárez and AJ Allmendinger, who are tied for 16th place. The top 16 drivers qualify for NASCAR's playoffs.

Bowman is coming off a 2025 season where he made the postseason and finished 13th in the standings. The 32-year-old from Tucson, Arizona, has eight wins, 46 top fives and 112 top 10s in 364 Cup starts over 12 seasons.

His best finish in the final standings was sixth in 2020 for Hendrick Motorsports, where he has been as a full-time driver since 2018.

Bowman was also supposed to drive in NASCAR's second-tier series for JR Motorsports in the No. 88 Chevrolet at Darlington on Saturday. Kyle Larson, Bowman’s Hendrick teammate and winner in the same car Saturday at Las Vegas, will replace him.

Associated Press