By EssentiallySports,Rajnish Kumar
Copyright yardbarker
When time trials are canceled, grid positions are determined by NASCAR’s metric formula, composed of owner points position, finishing position from the previous race, and fastest lap rank from the previous race. At the time, Bowman was 60 points above the current elimination line entering the last regular-season race.
Even just last year, he broke an 80-race drought by winning at the Chicago street race on wet tires after a late-race pass on Joey Hand and held off a charge by Tyler Reddick, who was on the faster slicks. But 2025 is a different story.
After Bristol, he shared, “I’m proud of the effort. We’ve never gone out the first round, so that’s frustrating. But after the last two weeks, just being top-10 and being pointed in the right direction feels good.” Entering Bristol was pretty much a do-or-die event for Bowman when it came to advancing to the Round of 12 in the playoffs. After all, there was a mistake-laden 40-second trip to pit road in the playoff opener at Darlington Raceway. Then there were additional pit errors that cost him dearly in the second race at World Wide Technology Raceway, leaving him with a mountain to climb at Bristol.
Starting 15th on the grid, he soon started making moves up the road. He even led five laps of the race along with a third-place finish in Stage 2, but there was only so much he could do after restarting third with four laps remaining on old tires. As a result, Christopher Bell ended up blowing by him.
The contract situation further amplified the pressure. Signed in 2023 and set to end in 2026, it fueled speculation about his HMS future. Bowman added lightly on shared burnout, “Yeah, they’re not all me. I can’t take credit for all. Yeah. And the guy that runs the shop next door to me, I’d say we’re 50-50 on the burnout parts.”
As Bowman navigates this mental hurdle, voices from the NASCAR community weigh in on his path forward. One veteran analyst offers a clear push for patience.
Kyle Petty backs Alex Bowman for a fresh chance
Kyle Petty stepped up to advocate for Alex Bowman, suggesting Rick Hendrick give him another opportunity to shine at HMS. Petty’s perspective draws from HMS’ history of one car often trailing, a pattern since Jimmie Johnson‘s exit in 2020. He pointed out:
“That’s always been the MO at Hendrick Motorsports. They always have one car that lags behind a little bit. 48 team, seems to be the team since Jimmie Johnson left, that lags behind a little bit.”
Petty added, “Now should they get rid of him….it’s Rick’s decision, not our decision….The sponsor likes him, Rick likes him, the team likes him, he adds something to the combination, and he helps the whole group move forward. So let’s give him another shot.”
Back in February 2023 when Bowman signed his contract extension, Hendrick also locked in his sponsor, Ally, to a five-year extension through 2028. The financial-services firm has a full-season primary sponsorship with Bowman and the No. 48 Chevrolet. Ally has been the primary sponsor of the No. 48 team for a while now. This substantiates the value Bowman brings, and a new deal might enhance that.