What’s Happening?

Alex Bowman has had a rather unusual 2024, on and off the track. However, the rumor mill of the past month has, to the shock of many, brought Alex Bowman to the forefront.

• Alex Bowman has driven for Hendrick Motorsports since 2018. Since then, he has had eight wins with the team. Bowman originally was in the No. 88 with the endorsement of Dale Earnhardt Jr. but moved to the No. 48 after the retirement of Jimmie Johnson.
• Several questions surrounded Bowman entering this year, mostly involving him being on the proverbial “hot-seat”. However, Bowman rebounded from a tough 2023 season, winning at Chicago. However, that hasn’t left his name out of the rumor mill.

What’s the Rumor?

The saga begins on the Aug. 12 edition of Dirty Mo Media’s Door Bumper Clear. Freddie Kraft, a host of the show, made mention of a driver who almost lost their ride but won and is no longer at risk.

Bowman came to many minds, seeing his recent struggles and his teammates’ recent success. Of course, this was just hearsay and no longer mattered as Kraft claimed that the alleged driver was safe due to winning this season.

We covered these comments in depth at the time. However, it seemed unlikely that Bowman would be out at Hendrick for many reasons.

While the rumor mill is fun, Bowman is an unlikely candidate for the free agent market. Ally, a now longtime sponsor of Hendrick Motorsports, reportedly loves their driver. Besides sponsor security, there are also no real candidates to replace Bowman at HMS.

Fortunately, Bowman blew off the rumors, ignoring what most thought, at least, was a lifeless rumor. But this week, Bowman’s name got brought back up, yet again in familiar territory.

How Alex Bowman became the talk of NASCAR media days

On this week’s Sept. 3 episode of Door Bumper Clear, Brett Griffin said in regards to who he thinks won’t advance in the playoffs, “I’ll say Alex Bowman is out, and he may be out of more than just the playoff if he’s out first round.”

Co-host Freddie Kraft immediately sounded like he agreed with Griffin, saying, “There’s a reason they haven’t announced any drivers in certain cars yet.”

Kraft was potentially referring to Justin Haley and Spire Motorsports, who, despite rumors, have yet to announce anything. One of these rumors, ungrounded as it is, was that Haley would slide into the No. 48 with Bowman in the No. 7 at Spire.

This move makes no sense, as Bowman is a proven winner and is under contract until 2026. Contracts don’t mean that much, of course.

For example, Kasey Kahne’s swift exit from HMS in 2017 was similar. But Bowman, unlike Kahne, recovered well this season from his 2023 drought despite some tough runs leading up to the Playoffs.

These rumors, however, leave Bowman as one of the sharp talking points of NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs Media Day.

At the event for NASCAR media, reporters asked many questions of Bowman, none more upfront than Alan Cavanna of MRN, who directly asked Bowman about his 2025.

In response, Bowman said to Cavanna:

“Yeah. That rumor has certainly been annoying… definitely. Obviously, my contracts through the end of 26, and all I can tell you is like, what my bosses have told me and that that’s there’s… there’s no plans to change anything. And, yeah, rumors are just rumors, so hopefully, they’ll get their announcements done. So my rumors stop, obviously. And… yeah, as far as I know, I’m running the 48 next year.” — Alex Bowman

Bowman had to acknowledge and squash these rumors once and for all. Doing so protected him, his team, and his sponsor from further questioning.

Bowman enters the playoffs in 12th, matching his career-high finish in 2019. The playoffs schedule is wild this year, including some tracks Bowman is skilled at, so look out for the No. 48 in the playoffs and in 2025.

What do you think about all this? Let us know on Discord or X what your take is, and don’t forget you can also follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.