Alex Bowman has everything to prove in 2025

If a majority of rumors and social media posts that permeate NASCAR’s corner of the internet were based in any reality, Alex Bowman would’ve been out of a job several times over. 

Every year, regardless of his contract situation, it seems as if there’s a new rumor about a potential replacement for Bowman at Hendrick Motorsports. The Tucson, Arizona, native is often seen as the "weak link" at Hendrick by outsiders, which serves as an extra chip on Bowman’s shoulder. 

Rather than answering questions about his postseason approach, Bowman spent much of September discussing his future with Hendrick Motorsports. After successfully shutting down the rumor mill — at least, for a little bit — Bowman went on an inspired playoff run, advancing to the Round of 8 before being disqualified at Charlotte and getting knocked out of the playoffs.

As if Bowman needed any extra motivation for 2025, a potential dark-horse championship run had been ripped from his hands by no fault of his own. 

While Bowman did need a win at the Chicago Street Race just to make the playoffs, his postseason consistency proved that he’s capable of competing with the top drivers in the sport. After penalties and injuries kept him out of the playoffs in 2023, 2024 was a return to form for Bowman, who had the most top-10 finishes of his career (17) and tied his career high in top-five finishes with eight. In fact, Bowman put together his best season since 2021— which, before 2024, was the last season in which his campaign wasn’t derailed by injury.

Bowman and crew chief Blake Harris enter their third season together in 2025. In 2023, Bowman and Harris led the Cup Series points standings before a rapid series of unfortunate events occurred in succession. Their playoff run proved the duo is a legitimate threat — and that in a year when Bowman has everything to prove, he's capable of making another run.