Hendrick Motorsports driver Alex Bowman will sit out the next three NASCAR Cup Series races as he continues to recover from a bout of vertigo that forced him to leave mid-race during the race at the Circuit of the Americas on March 1.
Bowman skipped the following races at Phoenix and Las Vegas, where Anthony Alfredo and Justin Allgaier filled-in for him.
“Alex continues to experience symptoms, so we are following the guidance of the medical team and giving him the time he needs to recover,” Jeff Andrews, president and general manager of Hendrick Motorsports, said in a news release. “We see how hard he’s working to get back behind the wheel, and we’re looking forward to his return when he’s medically cleared. Everyone at Hendrick Motorsports is 100% behind Alex.”
Allgaier will substitute for Bowman in the No. 48 car for all three upcoming races at Darlington, Martinsville and Bristol.
“Justin is a true professional and someone we have tremendous confidence in,” Andrews said. “He’s had success at the upcoming tracks, and we appreciate him stepping in to help the No. 48 team. We’re also grateful to our partners at JR Motorsports for understanding the situation and making Justin available.”
NASCAR rules require championship contenders to attempt to enter all 26 regular season races and all 10 postseason races if they qualify, but does grant waivers for medical reasons. However, with the reintroduced Chase championship format, which is solely based on regular season points and does not include a win-and-you’re-in provision, it is highly unlikely — though not technically impossible — that Bowman could make up the deficit from missing five races to reach the top 16 cutoff.
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