Alex Bowman to become 4th Hendrick Motorsports driver this season to race in the Xfinity Series after Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott 

Alex Bowman will drive the number 17 Xfinity Series Chevy for Hendrick Motorsports at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. By doing that, the NASCAR Cup Series regular will be the fourth and also the final HMS driver to run an Xfinity Series race in 2024.

This year, Alex Bowman's teammates, Chase Elliott, and Kyle Larson have already run and won one Xfinity Series race each. On the other hand, William Byron has competed in two Xfinity races this season at Darlington and Phoenix, where he finished 11th and 23rd, respectively.

Reflecting on Alex Bowman's upcoming Xfinity duty, Hendrick Motorsports posted,

"The No. 17 @hendrickcars Xfinity car is hitting the track again this weekend. This time @alex_bowman is behind the wheel."

The number 17 NASCAR Xfinity Series entry has been to the victory lane multiple times in the past. NASCAR Hall of Famer Darrell Waltrip won nine races (including the 1989 Daytona 500) between 1987 and 1990 as the wheelman of the famous machine. Even team owner Rick Hendrick's late son, Ricky Hendrick, drove the car on several occasions. Needless to say, the #17 is an embodiment of history for Hendrick Motorsports.

"The No. 17 is a big part of our story, and it would be special to see it win, and win often, during our 40th anniversary season," Rick Hendrick said via Hendrick Motorsports.

After next week's race, Hendrick Motorsports will be halfway through their 2023 Xfinity schedule. The #17 Xfinity Camaro will then make trips to the Chicago Street Course on July 6, Pocono Raceway on June 13, Darlington Raceway on August 31, and Watkins Glen International on September 14.

"I hate the racetrack"- Alex Bowman reveals intention behind racing in New Hampshire

In a recent podcast on GoPRNLive, Alex Bowman revealed that it's not his love for the 1.058-mile racetrack in Loudon, New Hampshire, that motivates him to race on it. He simply wants to get better and be more competitive at it.

Speaking of the same, the #48 speedster said, (1:31)

"I'm terrible at New Hampshire. I'm actually just pretty excited to get there and just continue to try to improve . I'm gonna run the Xfinity car and I'm not doing that because I like it because I hate the racetrack. I'm doing that to try to get better. Just trying to be more competitive there."

"I was pretty fast there the first couple years of my (tenure) at Hendrick and have really struggled since so trying to get our hands wrapped around what I need to be successful there," he added.

Alex Bowman has just one top-10 finish from the twelve starts that he has made at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Moreover, he has never led a lap at the racetrack. The last time he competed there was back on July 17, 2023, when he recorded a P14 finish after having started 25th.

Besides the Xfinity Series race on Saturday, Alex Bowman will also run the Cup Series USA Today 301 on Sunday. Both races can be watched live on the USA Network with radio updates on PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR radio. The Cup Series race will run on Peacock as well.