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Alex Bowman: 2025 NASCAR Driver Profile

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | Last updated Jan 27, 2025 4:06 PM ET

[Editor’s note: The following article is from Athlon Sports’ 2025 Racing Annual magazine. Order your copy online today, or buy one at retail racks and newsstands nationwide.]

Looking at Alex Bowman in the shadow of his Hendrick Motorsports teammates, many see him as coming up short. He isn’t as fast as Kyle Larson or as popular as Chase Elliott. The car he drives belonged to a seven-time champion before him, and he came to HMS after fan favorite Dale Earnhardt Jr. retired. There’s a lot going on here.

Looking at Bowman on his own merits, though, reveals a solid driver who wins races and makes the playoffs year-in and year-out. His numbers in 2024, in some ways, were on par with Joey Logano’s: more top 5s (8 to 7), top 10s (17 to 13), and a signature win on the Chicago Street Course.

Logano ended the year a Cup champion. Bowman spent much of his fighting off stories claiming he’d be released from his contract.

Alex Bowman 2024 stats

Starts	Wins	Top 5s	Top 10s	Poles	DNF
36	1	8	17	1	3

The on-track success, entering 2025, suggests that if Bowman can work the playoffs to his advantage, he can advance. Remember, if not for a weight issue on his car that disqualified him at Charlotte in October, Bowman would have eliminated Logano with a hard charge through the field. He would have wound up joining all three Hendrick teammates in the Round of 8; from there, who knows?

Blake Harris became Bowman’s crew chief in 2023, a year in which the driver struggled through the lingering effects of a back injury. In 2024, the pair had the chance to gel, despite rumors Bowman’s seat was in jeopardy. The drama lasted into September despite repeated votes of confidence from Hendrick Vice Chairman Jeff Gordon, as well as Rick Hendrick himself. Only after the postseason run leading to an October DQ, one the organization labeled “embarrassing,” did furor surrounding his future die down.

The truth about Bowman is that he’s versatile and reliable. He has at least one win every year since 2019 with the exception of 2023 in the aftermath of a broken back. Wins mean playoff appearances, and playoff appearances mean happy sponsors with maximum exposure.

Another weird quirk in Bowman’s favor? He’s among the last of a dying breed of drivers carrying one sponsor through the entire season. Ally Financial signed on with the No. 48 to sponsor Jimmie Johnson but stuck with Bowman. The company had ties to Hendrick Motorsports from its days as GMAC Financial and remains both publicly and privately happy with the driver’s performance.

Bowman is a consistent top-15 driver, with a 14.8 average finish worthy of his ninth-place performance in the standings. The problem is where consistency, not victories, leaves him at Hendrick. He ranks behind every one of his teammates’ all-important categories like wins, top 5s, and laps led (just 67, less than drivers like rookie Josh Berry and underfunded Todd Gilliland).

Alex Bowman career stats

Years	Starts	Wins	Top 5s	Top 10s	Poles
10	325	8	40	96	5

Bowman has eight career wins in his 10-year Cup career, but what’s truly impressive is that he’s won on every type of track: superspeedways, intermediates, short track, and road/street courses. That means the Arizona native can win just about anywhere when things are right – and he’s likely to win somewhere this season.

Bowman turns 32 in April, an inflection point in a career that’s shown flashes of success. What’s clear is he may need to turn up the wick a notch to keep his job despite a contract extension through 2026 that feigns security. That means upping his aggression and maximizing opportunities early to quiet critics hiding in the shadows.

Bowman’s likely to win and make the playoffs. Whether he can make the jump from “reliable” to “weekly contender,” changing his reputation in the process, is the question.

The Alex Bowman file

Car: No. 48 Chevy

Team: Hendrick Motorsports

Crew chief: Blake Harris

Years with current team: 8

Best points finish: 6 (2020)

Hometown: Tucson, Arizona

Born: April 25, 1993

Scouting report

Anonymous takes from drivers, crew chiefs, and assorted industry insiders:

No driver has a wider range of opinions about him than Alex Bowman. Some feel like he is under-appreciated and unlucky, while others think he is not at the same level as his three Hendrick Motorsports teammates and needs to step up or be at risk of losing his ride.

“He’s the number four driver on a four-car team,” says one broadcaster. “He needs to figure out how to win a few more races or make the championship race this year. He has a lot to prove.”

On the other hand, one team owner really likes his consistency: “That dude is the most under-appreciated guy in the garage. He is in the top 10 every single week, no matter what. Never in history has a driver been so consistently up front the way he is – and he still has to constantly answer questions about his job status.

“Before he injured his back (2023), he was leading the points and came back last year and raced his way into the Round of 8 before the disqualification. He didn’t do anything wrong.”

How is he to race against? That’s a mixed bag, too: “He’s a prick out there,” says one driver. “Tough but fair,” says another. One young driver says Bowman raced him hard early in his career but it’s different once you earn his respect.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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