“I’ve been dealt a s***ty hand this year”: Alex Bowman is not letting a bumpy season demotivate him as he aims for a playoff spot

With only five races to go in the NASCAR Cup Series regular season, Alex Bowman is currently sitting in 20th in the standings and is 42 points behind the playoff cut-off mark.

The 2023 season hasn't gone as planned for the #48 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 driver. In April, Bowman suffered a broken vertebrae from crashing a sprint car and missed three races. Then, Hendrick Motorsports were slapped with a 60-point penalty for modifying the hood lovers on their cars at Richmond raceway.

Bowman had six top 10 finishes in his first seven races. However, the 30-year-old hasn't managed a top 10 finish since clinching P8 at the Toyota Owners 400 race in Richmond on April 3.

20th in the regular season standings, Alex Bowman sat down with Fox Sports prior to qualifying in New Hampshire and talked about his 2023 season so far.

"Not everything's easy, and I've kind of been dealt a s---ty hand this year," Bowman said.

When asked about how he feels about his chances of getting into playoffs, he said:

"Honestly, anywhere we go with Hendrick Motorsports, you feel like you have a chance to win....We were putting a good race together. So if we can just get back to that, get back to running how we should, I think we have a shot to win anywhere we go."

Trying to secure a spot in the playoffs with a deficit of 42 points is a stressful situation. Bowman is competing with drivers like Chase Elliott and Bubba Wallace for the playoff position. When asked if he feels under pressure in such situations, he responded:

"It's life as a race-car driver when you have a 60-point penalty, and you missed four races. But that's the situation we're in....We've just got to do our best to make up for it."

At the NHMS, Alex Bowman spun around and trigger a caution. Due to his spin he tumbled down the order but managed to finished the race in 9th place rounding off the top 10.

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Why did Alex Bowman miss 3 races this season?

Alex Bowman had to miss three cup series race after he injured his vertebrae in a sprint car racing accident in April.

Conner Morrell's tires made contact with Bowman's as he was entering the turn, sending Bowman flying into the air, flipping multiple times and landing hard on the dirt track.

After weeks of recovery, Bowman returned to the race track to participate in the Coca-Cola 600. In an recent interview with Fox Sports, he admitted that his back still hurts.