Alex Bowman’s Future at HMS Remains “Up in the Air”

What’s Happening?

With NASCAR Silly Season starting to heat up, one of the most important potential openings in the garage is reportedly still undecided, as Alex Bowman and Hendrick Motorsports have yet to come to an agreement for 2027.

The 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season served as another important mark in the career of Hendrick Motorsports driver Alex Bowman.

Bowman, a decade since he first raced for the team as a substitute for Dale Earnhardt Jr., is on a contract year with the team, and as of press time, has yet to make any plans for the 2027 season.

For the most part, many fans agree that the smart thing for HMS to do is keep Bowman for the time being and let him hold down the seat until a long-term replacement can be found.

Support for this idea has stretched since the start of the season. But since then, other rumors have suggested a long-term replacement might already be on the minds of HMS executives.

While Bowman seemed like a solid bet to return to the No. 48 for at least one more season, just a few weeks ago, reports from NASCAR insiders suggested that HMS is interested in signing on Trackhouse Racing rookie Connor Zilisch and HMS prospect Corey Day to take over the car in place of Bowman.

Now, with these discussions being almost a month ago, very little has come of it since.

In fact, from the start, many fans felt each had its pitfalls, suggesting that Day could use another year in stock cars, and Zilisch’s potential signing has one too many obstacles in its way for HMS to replace Bowman.

Nevertheless, it appears the hushed talk surrounding Bowman is not a guarantee he is coming back, as NASCAR insider Jordan Bianchi of The Athletic claimed in a recent YouTube video; Bowman’s future is up in the air.

In this video, uploaded as a reaction to Jesse Love’s signing with Wood Brothers Racing, Bianchi suggested that the decision would lie with Bowman rather than his team, specifically saying that HMS and sponsor Ally would like to see Bowman back behind the wheel of the No. 48 in 2027.

“A lot has been discussed about Alex Bowman and his status with the team and whether Alex is going to come back for 2027 or not. That is still up in the air. Nothing has been settled, but the team would like to see Alex Bowman return next year. He has proven that in the right situation, he can win races, and the sponsor Ally likes him a lot.” — Jordan Bianchi

Bianchi then noted that Bowman’s lengthy injury history could be the catalyst for future decisions surrounding the No. 48 team.

Since he first raced full-time with HMS in 2018, Bowman has missed multiple races in three separate seasons: 2022, 2023, and 2026. His most recent spell this spring was the result of a vertigo diagnosis and not a direct injury suffered in the car.

In regard to the decision, the debate could be about Bowman stepping away from full-time racing, with Bianchi saying, “It’s going to be his decision primarily whether he wants to continue to do this or not. If he decides he wants to continue to race full-time in the Cup Series, the 48 car is probably the best spot for him.”

If Bowman were to leave HMS, the problem would once again be finding a suitable long-term replacement.

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