Hendrick Motorsports has announced that Alex Bowman has medically cleared to return to his No.48 Ally Chevrolet and will race in this weekends ‘Food City 500’ at Bristol Motor Speedway for the NASCAR Cup Series.
The 32-year old Tucson, Arizona native has missed the last four events at Phoenix, Las Vegas, Darlington, and Martinsville while recovering from vertigo. The last time Bowman set foot in a car was at Circuit Of The America’s, where he would exit the race on lap 71 when he began to experience symptoms. Since then, the fourth HMS entry has been driven by both Anthony Alfredo (Phoenix) and O’Reilly Auto Parts Series champion Justin Allgaier (Las Vegas, Darlington, Martinsville).
“I’m grateful for the support I’ve had from Hendrick Motorsports, my sponsor Ally, our fans and the medical throughout this process,” Bowman said in a press release. “It’s been tough being out of the car, but we all wanted to make sure I was 100% ready before returning. I feel really good, and I’m excited about being at the track with my team and getting back to racing.”
Bowman will return to the grid sitting 36th in points, the last of any full-time driver in the field. With the new championship format in place for this season, the team has previously announced intentions to file a waiver in order for Bowman to qualify for ‘The Chase’.
Despite this setback, the team continues to help the veteran get back to the swing of things.
“We’re proud of Alex and the way he’s handled this situation,” said Jeff Andrews, president and general manager of Hendrick Motorsports. “He’s put in a lot of work into his recovery and followed the medical team’s plan every step of the way.”
