Alex Bowman cleared to race after Michigan crash

Following a head-on impact into the outside wall last Sunday at the NASCAR Cup race at Michigan International Speedway, Hendrick Motorsports driver Alex Bowman is medically cleared to race on Sunday in Mexico City.

Bowman, 32, made contact with Cole Custer on Lap 67, causing him to crash into the wall and lifting the rear tires off the ground. As a result of hitting the wall at approximately 150 mph, Bowman was done for the day.

Bowman, who is dealing with soreness in the aftermath of the incident, missed five races late in the 2022 season after sustaining a concussion in a crash at Texas Motor Speedway. Two years ago, a sprint car crash injured his back and caused him to sit out three Cup races.

Hendrick lined up Anthony Alfredo to be ready to fill in for Bowman as a precaution. Alfredo, a regular on the NASCAR Xfinity Series and a simulator driver for Hendrick, has 42 Cup Series starts under his belt, including this year at Talladega. He has logged two top-10 finished in the Cup Series.

Bowman, whose most recent Cup Series win came last summer at the Chicago Street Course, looks to return to the winner's circle at another road course this weekend. After 15 races this season, he is 13th in the championship standings despite finishing 27th or lower in seven of the past nine races. Five of those races saw Bowman come in 35th or higher.