Alex Bowman is 'determined to be back' after concussion, says his NASCAR crew chief 

Alex Bowman’s crew chief at #48 Hendrick Motorsports team, Greg Ives, said that he was expecting Bowman to be back in action for the elimination race of the Round of 12 at Charlotte Motor Speedway road course. This follows his absence from the recently concluded Talladega race due to concussion-like symptoms. Xfinity Series driver Noah Gragson replaced him last week and managed to post 19th place finish.

Last week ahead of the qualifying race, Ives stated that he was optimistic for Bowman’s return as he wants to come and finish the 2022 NASCAR season on a high note. He went on to say that last month was good for them and had good momentum in the first round of the playoffs. He later said that to qualify for the next round, Bowman will do everything to make a comeback and his goal is to see his partner this week at the track.

Ives said:

“I feel like, you know, he’s determined to be back. He wants to come and finish the season off strong. We had a good month, good momentum going in the first round and have a little setback here. But I feel like he’s gonna do everything he can to make sure he’s back. And right now, that’s 100% my goal for him is to be at the Roval.”

On Thursday, his team announced that Alex Bowman will not be competing at Talladega Superspeedway. NASCAR confirmed that he was granted a medical waiver to remain eligible for the Round of 8.

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Alex Bowman’s crew chief talks to NASCAR officials about safety issues with Next Gen car

Alex Bowman’s crew chief Greg Ives revealed that he had conversations with NASCAR Senior Vice President Scott Miller and other sports officials about the safety issues, particularly driver security and rigidity concerns with the rear of the Next Gen car.

Bowman said:

“Ultimately, I said I was gonna help improve it, and you’ve got to act on those words. And so, I reached out to Scott Miller, and not only through the process of the driver change but I wanted to just kind of go over a few things that potentially maybe could help or what I saw or experienced with the car, those type of things and just have that dialogue open.”

A wreck at Texas Motor Speedway and an absence from the Talladega race put Alex Bowman’s championship hope in danger. If he is able to return this week at Charlotte Motor Speedway, then he will be in a must-win situation to advance into the Round of 8.