Alex Bowman signed a one-year contract extension with Hendrick Motorsports and will retire from NASCAR Cup Series racing after the 2027 season, the team announced on July 23.
Bowman, 33, missed four races this season while battling vertigo. He has four top-10 finishes in 17 starts and will likely miss the NASCAR playoffs/Chase for the first time since 2023.
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“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 via Hendrick Motorsports’ announcement. “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.”
2027 will be Bowman’s 10th full-time season with Hendrick Motorsports in the Cup Series. He has totaled eight wins and 49 top-5 finishes through nine seasons entering this weekend’s Brickyard 400 race at Indianapolis.
Bowman has been a fixture in the Cup Series since his age-21 season, when he drove for BK Racing. After a year with Tommy Baldwin Racing at the back of the field, Bowman vaulted onto center stage in 2016 when driving for Hendrick as a substitute driver for Dale Earnhardt Jr. in the No. 88. The Tucson, Arizona, native recorded three top-10s in 10 starts in relief of Earnhardt, then was named the full-time driver for the 2018 season upon Earnhardt’s retirement.
Bowman has battled injuries throughout his Hendrick Motorsports tenure, including a concussion in 2022 and a back injury in a sprint car crash in 2023. But he’s been successful overall at Hendrick, with seven playoff berths in eight seasons before the 2026 campaign.
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The news creates a rare thing in NASCAR — a full-time opening with the Cup Series’ all-time winningest team, and more than a year before it has to be filled.
This story will be updated.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Alex Bowman, 33, to retire from NASCAR Cup Series after 2027 season
