It’s certainly true that Alex Bowman has had his share of injuries and illnesses that have interrupted his career as a NASCAR Cup Series driver.
But that’s not the primary reason Bowman has decided to leave the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet after one more season in the car.
“I don’t think physical health is a number one contributor here in this situation for me,” said Bowman, who most recently suffered a bout of vertigo at Circuit of the Americas in March and remained out of his car for four races. “Obviously, I’ve had my fair share of injuries, but I can still do it.
“I still feel like I can do it, and I think with everything that we’ve figured out through the course of this season, everybody helping me in the athletic center with PT (physical therapy) every day, I think I’m in a good spot there and can continue doing it. I think for me, much more of it is things I want to do outside of the race car, other goals I have in life and stuff I want to do.”
Bowman and fiancé Chloe Henderson are building a house in rural North Carolina and looking forward to establishing what Bowman calls a normal life. The decision to retire from full-time racing after next season brings clarity to his situation.
“I think, for me, coming out and saying it and being like ‘Next year’s it’ makes it easier to be all-in for the next 53 weeks,” said Bowman, 33, who agreed to a one-year contract extension through 2027. “I mean, I’m ready to rip. I’ve always been all-in. I’m not worried about not wanting to do the work. I think that has never been a problem for me, and I’m excited to have 53 more chances at it…
“I would love to end on a really high note. Like, I mean, everything goes perfect and we go win a championship and I can walk out that way—that would be amazing, right? That’s not going to make me want to stay. I think for me—health-wise, mental-health-wise, kind of everything—this is what I needed to do that was best for me and things I want to do outside of the car.
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