3 potential replacements for Alex Bowman at HMS if needed

Alex Bowman is in his seventh full season driving for Hendrick Motorsports in the NASCAR Cup Series. The Tucson native joined the Chevy team as the replacement for Dale Earnhardt Jr. in 2017. Currently, he drives the No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, which he took over following the retirement of former HMS driver and 7-time Cup Series champion, Jimmie Johnson.

Last year was a bumpy ride for the speedster, especially after he suffered a back injury while driving in a Sprint Car at 34 Raceway in April 2023. He missed four Cup Series races following the incident. When he returned from the injury at the Coca-Cola 600 in May, he was 17th in points. Although he delivered one top-5 and four top-10 finishes after that, he missed the playoffs.

Bowman recently snapped an 80-race winless streak by emerging victorious in this year's Grant Park 165 at the Chicago Road Course. Although he is in the playoffs this year, Bowman finished 19th or worse in his last five races. With that said, some fans might speculate about his replacement in the future. Here are the top 3 possible replacements for Alex Bowman at Hendrick Motorsports:

1. Carson Kvapil

Carson Kvapil before practice at the Slinger Nationals on July 12, 2022 (Source: Imagn)

Carson Kvapil is the son of the 2003 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series champion, Tavis Kvapil. The 21-year-old made his CARS Tour debut in 2022 as the driver of the No. 8 Pro Late Model.

The same year, he earned a pair of CARS Tour championships (driver and owner) for JR Motorsports, a race team jointly owned by Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kelley Earnhardt Miller, and Hendrick Motorsports owner Rick Hendrick. Last year, Carson bagged his second straight Late Model Stock Tour championship title.

Carson joined JR Motorsports' Xfinity Series program as a part-timer behind the wheel of the No. 88 Chevrolet this season. He finished 14th in his last race, at Darlington Raceway on August 31.

2. Sam Mayer

Sam Mayer celebrates after winning the ARCA Menards Series West General Tire 200 race on June 07, 2024, at Sonoma Raceway (Source: Getty)

Sam Mayer delivered his first career victory in 2020 in a Truck Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway. The Wisconsin native currently pilots the No. 1 Chevrolet for JR Motorsports full-time in the Xfinity Series, in which he is a six-time winner.

Mayer's first victory as an Xfinity Series driver came last year in July at Road America. The following month, he picked up two more wins at Watkins Glen International and Charlotte Motor Speedway road course. He won his fourth race at Homestead-Miami in October.

However, Mayer's 2024 win at Texas Motor Speedway stands out from his other accolades. His 0.002-second margin victory over Ryan Seig was the closest finish in the history of the Xfinity Series.

3. Justin Allgaier

Justin Allgaier during an autograph session before the Zip Buy Now, Pay Later 250 NASCAR Xfinity Series race on June 8, 2024, at Sonoma Raceway (Source: Getty)

Justin Allgaier drives the No. 7 Chevy for JRM full-time in the Xfinity Series. He bagged his 25th career Xfinity win at Michigan International Speedway last month. With that, he passed his boss Dale Earnhardt Jr., and etched his name as 10th in all-time series wins.

Furthermore, Allgaier boasts the most number of top-10 finishes in Xfinity history (275). Throughout 12 seasons as a full-time Xfinity Series driver, the Spaulding native has never dropped below 7th in the Xfinity Series standings.

Allgaier won the Xfinity Series regular-season championship in 2018. He has also competed in the Cup Series and was named Sunoco Rookie of the Year in 2009.

Alex Bowman signed a contract extension with Hendrick Motorsports in 2023 that will keep him on the team through 2026. This means he is perhaps not going to get replaced anytime soon or at least before 2026.