Alex Bowman to miss NASCAR Charlotte Roval race raising playoff elimination concerns

Hendrick Motorsports has announced that Alex Bowman will not return to competition at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course this weekend due to continued concussion-like symptoms. This will be the second consecutive weekend that he will not be driving the #48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 due to an injury following a crash he suffered at Texas Motor Speedway.

According to Hendrick Motorsports, the Tucson, Arizona-native was examined by a physician on Tuesday in Charlotte. Subsequently, he was found to have not recovered from his injury and hence was ruled out this weekend.

In a social media post, Bowman said:

“With my health continuing to be my number one priority, I will not return to racing this weekend at the NASCAR Cup Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. I am continuing to make strides in my recovery to make sure I can return to the competition at 100%.”

He continued:

“I appreciate Noah (Gragson) stepping into the No. 48 Chevrolet again and will be cheering hard for my Ally Racing team this weekend. Thank you to everyone for your support during this time. It has not gone unheard or unseen and I'm overwhelmed by your support.”

See the tweet below:

Alex Bowman, who advanced into the Round of 12, could be one of the four drivers eliminated from the 2022 championship battle following Sunday's Bank of America Roval 400. The 29-year-old is currently ranked 12th in the playoff standings, 54 points below the cut-off line.

Xfinity Series driver Noah Gragson, who qualified seventh and finished 19th in the #48 car last Sunday at Talladega Superspeedway, will once again be the substitute driver for Bowman this weekend at Roval.

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Hendrick Motorsports’ president talks about Alex Bowman’s health

Jeff Andrews, the president and general manager of Hendrick Motorsports, said Alex Bowman’s health will be their top priority. He went on to say that Bowman has a long career ahead of him and they are not putting pressure on him to return until he is 100% fit.

Andrews said:

“Alex’s health is our first priority. We’re focused on supporting his recovery and seeing him back in his race car when the time is right. Alex has a long career ahead of him, so we will invest the necessary time and take our guidance from medical experts. We’re putting no pressure on him to return before he’s 100% ready.”

Since joining Hendrick Motorsports in 2018, Alex Bowman has never missed the NASCAR playoffs due to injury. The #48 driver qualified for the 2022 playoffs with a win at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on March 06, 2022.