Alex Bowman is back in the No. 48 car for Hendrick Motorsports at Bristol Motor Speedway, the team announced. It is Bowman’s first NASCAR Cup Series event since he parked the No. 48 car at Circuit of the Americas after not feeling good. Now, the Hendrick Motorsports driver is pushing for a spot in the Chase.
With 19 races left in the regular season, Bowman is 144 points behind the Chase bubble. This means the driver of the No. 48 car would have to gain roughly eight points per race to make up enough ground. Meanwhile, the No. 48 car is 100 points behind the Chase bubble in the owner standings.
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It will be an uphill battle for Bowman, who has to get back in the groove of racing in NASCAR every week. There will likely be an adjustment period for Bowman, and he probably needs to win a few races. If the driver of the No. 48 car has some consistent runs, he could put himself back in the Chase picture.
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This article originally appeared on Motorsports Wire: Alex Bowman facing uphill battle to make the Chase in 2026
