Bowman Inks Cup Extension With Hendrick; Retiring After 2027

Alex Bowman (Christian Wilson/SWN photo)

By Thomas Hughes, SWN Staff Writer

CONCORD, N.C. (July 23, 2026) — Hendrick Motorsports and 33-year-old driver Alex Bowman announced Thursday evening that he will retire from full-time NASCAR Cup Series competition at the conclusion of the 2027 season.

At that point, Bowman will wrap up a full decade of full-time competition for Chevrolet’s flagship organization after signing a one-year contract extension.

Bowman won at least once with HMS in four consecutive seasons spanning from 2019-‘22.

“I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about what’s next, and this feels like the right decision at the right time,” Bowman said. “The sport asks a lot of you, and I’ve learned it’s important to listen to your body and make the right choices for yourself. To say I’m incredibly grateful to Mr. Hendrick, our partners at Ally and Chevrolet, and everyone at Hendrick Motorsports would be an understatement. They believed in me and gave me the biggest opportunity of my life.

“My focus now is on making the most of my time on the race track and competing for wins. We still have a lot to accomplish, and I want to close my career on a high note for our team and our fans. To have the chance to do that with this organization and these people is really special.”

Bowman has earned eight victories at the Cup Series level, where he split time with Hendrick’s No. 88 and No. 48 cars. Bowman started his Cup Series career with BK Racing and Tommy Baldwin Racing in 2014 and 2015, where he finished 35th and 33rd in the standings.

In 2016, he became Hendrick Motorsports’ simulator driver, and he filled in for full-time driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. when the legend was forced out of the car due to a concussion that ultimately led toward the end of Earnhardt Jr.’s career.

Bowman’s strongest finish that season was a sixth-place effort at Kansas.

Following that season, Bowman was tabbed to take over for Earnhardt in the No. 88 Chevrolet, where he made the NASCAR Playoffs in each of the next five seasons. Bowman’s strongest season came in 2020, where he made it to the Round of 8 and finished sixth in the final point standings at year’s end.

In the 2021 season, Bowman won a career-high four races, though he finished 14th in the standings as a result of inconsistent race-to-race finishes.

In 2022, Bowman suffered the first of three major injuries sustained during his Cup Series career, suffering a concussion that took him out of five races. A year later, Bowman — the points leader at the time — was out of three races due to a fractured vertebra in his back from a sprint car crash.

This past season, Bowman suffered from vertigo during the Circuit of the Americas race and parked the car before the race’s conclusion. He ultimately missed four races before he was cleared to return for the Bristol spring race in March.

At the time of writing, his 21.8 average finish position is his lowest since 2015 at TBR.

Bowman’s move allows Hendrick Motorsports to plan for the future and what comes next. The Athletic reported Thursday that Trackhouse Racing’s Connor Zilisch is at the top of Hendrick’s wish list to take over for Bowman’s seat after the 2027 season ends.

Zilisch has struggled this season in the No. 88 Chevrolet, currently compiling 213 points en route to a 34th-place standing — second-to-last of the full-time runners and only ahead of Rick Ware Racing’s Cody Ware.

Bowman currently sits 29^th in the Cup Series standings with 292 points; he is 203 points behind Team Penske’s Austin Cindric, who holds the final provisional spot to make the Chase for the Championship.

Team owner Rick Hendrick remarked that he’s “proud that [Bowman] will have the opportunity to finish his full-time career” with HMS on his own terms and that he’s family to the organization.

“Alex has meant so much to our organization for a long time,” Hendrick said. “He’s overcome adversity, won big races and represented our team and partners with professionalism, personality and class. Alex is a tremendous talent in the race car and an even better person outside of it. … He’s family.”