What are Hendrick Motorsports’ Options for the No. 48 in 2027?

What’s Happening?

The future of Hendrick Motorsports’ No. 48 is the talk of the town in the NASCAR Cup Series Silly Season Rumor Mill, so what are HMS’s options for this car heading into 2027?

Alex Bowman’s time at Hendrick Motorsports has seen quite a bit of success and consistency. Still, the past few years of the Alex Bowman experience have not been the best.

Aside from heartbreaking injuries that have caused him to miss 12 races over the past five seasons, Bowman has also failed to match his impressive win total from his early years with the team, only scoring two trips to victory lane since NASCAR introduced the Next Gen Car in 2022.

His performance has been cause for debate over the past few years, and though he consistently contended for the postseason, rumors have followed each of his seasons in the No. 48 that the team might opt to move on.

Now, on a contract year, those rumors are heating up for Bowman, all while Hendrick’s top prospect, Corey Day, has found a groove in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series.

With rumors that HMS is considering promoting Day as early as next season, the NASCAR online Community is in the midst of a heated debate over what the next step is for the team.

Of course, HMS has quite a few options moving forward, all of which could pay off in some form or fashion.

Keep Alex Bowman

The first option is likely the most obvious to some: bring back Bowman for at least one more year, and let Corey Day get even more seat time in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series.

In the meantime, Bowman would keep the spot warm and allow HMS time to make the switch instead of jumping straight into the fire. Even then, Bowman might bring home a win or two, something HMS would gladly welcome.

Promote Corey Day

While it seems obvious to many that Day is not ready for the next step, seeing as he is just a few years into racing on asphalt, and has had some controversy early on in his full-time O’Reilly Auto Parts Series career, there is a strong case for promoting the 20-year-old for 2027.

Most important of all is that the transition from the NASCAR OAP Series car to the Cup Series Next Gen Car has been a challenge for recent call-ups like Ty Gibbs and Connor Zilisch.

During the latest episode of  Door, Bumper, Clear, NASCAR Hall of Famer Kurt Busch said he thought HMS promoting Day for 2027 was the right move, saying the team should allow him to learn in the Next Gen car instead of the OAP Series car.

A Third Option

While keeping Bowman in the car is a safe option, who’s to say that he wouldn’t take another, more stable, long-term offer to race for another team?

This Silly Season is expected to be wild, with several drivers in what was rumored to be a free-agent class of over 20 already re-signing with their respective teams. That chaos could open a door for Bowman to move to potentially greener pastures, leaving HMS in need of a driver.

If Hendrick still wanted Day to get more reps in the OAP Series before a promotion, they could turn to a veteran free agent or even find someone who just needs a ride.

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