NASCAR Las Vegas: Justin Allgaier vows to make Alex Bowman proud as replacement

Hendrick Motorsports officially announced Wednesday morning that Alex Bowman will miss the NASCAR Cup Series race at Las Vegas due to ongoing vertigo symptoms. He will be replaced in the No. 48 car by Justin Allgaier.

Later on Wednesday afternoon, Allgaier reached out to express his support for Bowman. He also vowed to do his best in the car, according to editor in chief of TobyChristie.com Joseph Srigley.

“First and foremost, I wish Alex (Bowman) a continued and speedy recovery so that he can get back behind the wheel as soon as he can,” Allgaier said. “I’m thankful to everyone at Hendrick Motorsports for this opportunity to fill in, as well as to everyone at JR Motorsports. I feel confident we can go out and have a solid day and make Alex and everyone on this No. 48 Ally team proud.”

Allgaier, of course, is no stranger to Cup Series racing. He has run 84 races at NASCAR’s top level during his career.

He also already has a start this year, appearing in the Daytona 500 for JR Motorsports. He finished 38th.

As for Alex Bowman, he has been out since exiting his car at COTA after he fell ill. Shortly after, his vertigo diagnosis was revealed.

Following his diagnosis, Hendrick Motorsports provided some additional information. There is no concrete timeline for a return at this point.

“Alex has worked very hard over the last several days,” said Jeff Andrews, president of Hendrick Motorsports, in a press release on March 5. “We’re encouraged by the progress he’s making, but we have to prioritize his health above all else. It’s obviously frustrating for him because he’s a competitor and wants to be in the race car, especially at his home track. We’ll continue to support Alex and look forward to his return as soon as he’s medically cleared.”

With Bowman sidelined, Anthony Alfredo served as the replacement driver inside the No. 48 car for the race at Phoenix over the weekend. When Bowman left the race at COTA, he was replaced by Myatt Snider, who was spotting on pit road for FOX broadcaster Jamie Little at the time.

So Allgaier will be the third different replacement driver for Alex Bowman. Snider previously finished P36, while Alfredo ended P33.