SPEEDWAY, Ind. — As Alex Bowman begins to plan for all times after NASCAR, Hendrick Motorsports should start getting ready for all times after Alex Bowman in its No. 48 Chevrolet.
Bowman will step away from full-time Cup Sequence competitors after the 2027 season, he and the crew introduced Thursday, bringing the eight-time winner again for subsequent yr’s marketing campaign on a one-year contract extension.
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His impending departure means a uncommon, coveted opening at NASCAR’s winningest group, backed by Hendrick Motorsports’ 15 NASCAR Cup Sequence championships and 322 race victories.
The quick focus lies upon Bowman himself, who emphasised in a Friday press convention at Indianapolis Motor Speedway that retiring inside this timeframe was at all times a part of his long-term plan. Bowman, 33, has missed elements of three seasons previously 5 years, together with a four-race absence this spring as a consequence of vertigo. The bodily toll of these accidents will not be driving his determination to step away, Bowman mentioned, however it’s reinforcing that the time is true.
“I believe with what went on in March, I really feel like in my head, I had checked out this yr being it fairly a bit and talked about that,” Bowman mentioned. “However yeah, simply attempting to make the perfect determination for me and clearly the perfect determination for Hendrick Motorsports. I believe I actually need to finish on a extra constructive be aware than how this yr’s been, in order that gave me just a little extra motivation to return again and go yet one more yr.”
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Bowman’s dedication to drive for one more full season permits Hendrick Motorsports to seek out its subsequent potential star at an organization with a historical past of excessive achievers: seven-time champion Jimmie Johnson; four-time champ Jeff Gordon; two-time Daytona 500 winner Dale Earnhardt Jr.; defending and two-time champion Kyle Larson. The following yr and a half stays Bowman’s to write down, however crew president and common supervisor Jeff Andrews will probably be one of many main gamers liable for signing that crew’s subsequent driver.
“We’re lucky sufficient that we don’t undergo this all that usually at Hendrick Motorsports,” Andrews mentioned Friday. “And when these cycles do occur, clearly there’s a course of there of on the lookout for somebody for the precise match, not solely from a efficiency standpoint, however for our firm and our tradition. And so once more right now, as you talked about, is about Alex and the close to future will probably be about Alex and his story, and we’ll start that course of on what’s subsequent for the 48 crew in 2028 very quickly.”
Alex Bowman appears to be like on within the Indianapolis storage.
Extra time within the financial institution with Bowman behind the wheel permits extra alternatives for younger prospects across the sport to develop earlier than touchdown in one of the crucial fascinating seats in motorsports.
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Connor Zilisch, a rookie at Trackhouse Racing, has rapidly garnered probably the most consideration as a attainable alternative at Hendrick Motorsports when Bowman departs. One supply confirmed Hendrick is considered one of many groups within the storage which have taken an curiosity in Zilisch regardless of his rookie-year struggles. Zilisch’s time within the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Components Sequence was spent at JR Motorsports, a Hendrick-affiliated program, establishing an early relationship inside the Chevrolet powerhouse.
Zilisch has had a depressing stretch of races on the Cup degree, ending outdoors the highest 30 in 5 of the final eight races. However his expertise and potential are nicely established, evidenced by a 10-win slate within the O’Reilly Auto Components Sequence one yr in the past and a rousing resume to accompany the stats. With extra time to flourish within the Cup Sequence — maybe bolstered by the upcoming slate of full 50-minute observe periods — Zilisch might become Hendrick’s subsequent long-term driver.
One other prime prospect is Corey Day, who at present drives for Hendrick Motorsports within the O’Reilly Auto Components Sequence. Day has received at each Talladega Superspeedway and Dover Motor Speedway this season and has rapidly grown right into a authentic contender as a stock-car racer, adapting to the craft after years spent within the dirt-racing scene. By way of 21 begins this yr, Day sits fourth within the standings with six prime fives and 14 prime 10s to his credit score and simply three races remaining within the common season. Day’s improvement has come beneath Hendrick’s watchful eye and would subsequently be a possible contender for the No. 48 seat in 2028 if progress continues.
The cellphone has already begun ringing at Hendrick Motorsports as drivers and brokers across the storage acknowledge the uncommon alternative that has offered itself for the 2028 season. Till then, Alex Bowman will be capable to write his last chapter in his personal phrases, utilizing the following yr and a half to doubtlessly depart on a excessive be aware.
