Alex Bowman, driver of the No. 48 Ally Financial Chevrolet Camaro for Hendrick Motorsports, has been ruled out for the next four weeks (three races) as he continues to recover from ongoing vertigo symptoms.
The 32-year-old driver will be absent from events at Darlington Raceway (March 22), Martinsville Speedway (March 29), and Bristol Motor Speedway (April 12). That will bring the total of events missed for the Tucson, Arizona-native up to five, after also skipping Phoenix and Las Vegas.
Bowman first began experiencing symptoms of vertigo during the NASCAR Cup Series event at Circuit of The Americas (COTA), where the Hendrick Motorsports team had to rush around the garage to find a driver to get in the No. 48 — which ended up being FOX Sports pit spotter, Myatt Snider.
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2024 NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series champion and former NASCAR Cup Series full-timer (2014 and 2015) Justin Allgaier, will serve as the interim driver of the Ally-sponsored Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 over the next three races.
“Alex continues to experience symptoms, so we are following the guidance of the medical team and giving him the time he needs to recover,” said Jeff Andrews, president and general manager of Hendrick Motorsports. “We see how hard he’s working to get back behind the wheel, and we’re looking forward to his return when he’s medically cleared. Everyone at Hendrick Motorsports is 100% behind Alex.”
Allgaier, 39, started 22nd and finished 25th in Sunday’s Pennzoil 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, rebounding from multiple speeding penalties during a round of green-flag pit stops in the opening stage of the race, and multiple unlucky attempts at trying to take the wavearound and return to the lead lap.
“Justin is a true professional and someone we have tremendous confidence in,” Andrews said. “He’s had success at the upcoming tracks, and we appreciate him stepping in to help the No. 48 team. We’re also grateful to our partners at JR Motorsports for understanding the situation and making Justin available.”
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In 85 NASCAR Cup Series starts, Allgaier has recorded a pair of top-10 finishes — an eighth at Bristol driving for HScott Motorsports in 2015 and a ninth in the 2025 DAYTONA 500 with JR Motorsports. These starts will mark the fourth, fifth, and sixth for Hendrick Motorsports at NASCAR’s top-level.
The Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway will take place on Sunday, March 22 at 3:00 PM ET on FOX Sports 1, Motor Racing Network, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/onsi/racing-america as Vertigo Symptoms Keep Bowman Out for Three More Races.
