Alex Bowman cleared to race at Bristol after missing four NASCAR starts due to vertigo

Alex Bowman is back in the saddle. The driver has been medically cleared to race again and will compete this weekend in the NASCAR Cup Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway, Hendrick Motorsports announced on Thursday morning.

Bowman has missed four consecutive starts since exiting his car at COTA midway through a race early in the season. He sounded happy to be back.

“I’m grateful for the support I’ve had from Hendrick Motorsports, my sponsor Ally, our fans and the medical team throughout this process,” Bowman said in a press release. “It’s been tough being out of the car, but we all wanted to make sure I was 100% ready before returning. I feel really good, and I’m excited about being at the track with my team and getting back to racing.”

In order to get back into the car, Bowman had to undergo some testing. He turned laps on Tuesday in a streetcar at the Ten Tenths Motor Club road course in Concord.

On Wednesday, Bowman participated in pit stop practice, simulator testing and a medical evaluation. After doing well, he was formally cleared for competition without restriction.

“We’re proud of Alex and the way he’s handled this situation,” said Jeff Andrews, president and general manager of Hendrick Motorsports. “He’s put a lot of work into his recovery and followed the medical team’s plan every step of the way. From the outset, our goal was to prioritize his health and have him return when he was fully recovered and medically cleared. We’re looking forward to seeing Alex back in his race car this weekend.”

In Bowman’s absence, two different drivers have filled in. Anthony Alfredo first manned the No. 48 car at Phoenix, while Justin Allgaier drove it at Las Vegas, Darlington and Martinsville.

Alfredo was involved in a crash at Phoenix. Meanwhile, Allgaier finished 25th at Las Vegas, 24th at Darlington and 22nd at Martinsville.