Alex Bowman to miss NASCAR Talladega race following Texas crash

Hendrick Motorsports has announced that its driver Alex Bowman will not be racing at the Talladega Superspeedway this weekend. Bowman will not be driving the #48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 in Sunday’s second race of the Round of 12 after undergoing concussion-like symptoms following a crash he suffered last week at Texas Motor Speedway.

According to Hendrick Motorsports, the 29-year-old was checked by a physician on Thursday. Subsequently, he was found to be suffering from concussion-like symptoms and hence was ruled out for Sunday.

In a statement, Alex Bowman said:

“After undergoing medical evaluation due to concussion-like symptoms, I will not be driving the No. 48 Ally Chevrolet in Talladega. I’m disappointed but know my health is the number one priority. I am committed to follow all medical guidance to ensure I can return to competition as soon as possible.”

See the tweet below:

Last week at the Texas Motor Speedway, Alex Bowman was involved in a crash on Lap 98 of 334 when his #48 car blew a right rear tire through Turns 3 and 4, hitting the wall with the rear end of his car. He was, however, able to complete the race and finished in 29th place.

The Tucson, Arizona-native is the second Cup Series driver this season to miss the race due to concussion-like symptoms. Earlier, 23XI Racing driver Kurt Busch missed the previous 10 races after suffering the same injury in a crash at Pocono Raceway qualifying.

Bowman, who advanced into the Round of 12, was in a battle to win the 2022 championship. The injury and him being 26 points below the cut-off line stretched his first championship hopes. If he is somehow able to make a comeback next weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway, then he will have to win at any cost to advance into the Round of 8.

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Noah Gragson to replace injured Alex Bowman at Talladega Superspeedway

Xfinity Series driver Noah Gragson, who competes part-time in the Cup Series, will replace Alex Bowman as a substitute on Sunday’s YellaWood 500 at Talladega Superspeedway. The Xfinity Series championship contender and points table leader Gragson has made 13 Cup Series appearances this season with a best finish of fifth on August 28 at Daytona International Speedway. Earlier, he claimed victory in the Xfinity race at Talladega Superspeedway.

The 24-year-old, however, was originally scheduled to drive the #62 Chevrolet for Beard Motorsports. Xfinity driver Justin Allgaier will now pilot the Gragson’s #62 car.

Catch Noah Gragson at Talladega Superspeedway on Sunday, October 2, 2022, at 2:00 pm ET.