Alex Bowman announces that 2027 will be his final year in the NASCAR Cup Series with Hendrick Motorsports

Alex Bowman will end his career as a full‑time driver at the conclusion of the 2027 NASCAR Cup Series season. Hendrick Motorsports announced a one‑year agreement that will keep the native of Tucson, Arizona, in the Chevrolet number 48 for one more season, his ninth within the organisation. Bowman will then reach 400 career starts in the top category and, by his own words, will leave motorsport because his body no longer allows him to sustain the pace demanded by the Cup Series.

Photo By Carlos Castillo

His retirement comes at 34 years old, an age that in NASCAR usually marks a driver's prime rather than the end of the road. Most of his contemporaries compete beyond 40 and extend their careers with competitive results, but Bowman's case is different. Injuries plagued him during the second half of his career, and each comeback demanded more than his body was willing to give. A concussion in 2022, a vertebral fracture in 2023 from a sprint car accident, and the vertigo episodes that kept him out of four races this season have eroded his consistency. In 17 starts in 2026, he has just three top‑5s and four top‑10s, numbers that relegate him to 29th in the overall standings with 292 points, the worst record among the four Hendrick drivers. Kyle Larson has 616 points, and Chase Elliott has 634. The gap has never been as wide as it is in 2026.

In 2021, he scored four victories, 8 top‑5s and 16 top‑10s in 36 races, finishing 14th in the championship — his most productive year in both wins and consistency. In 2024, he achieved eight top‑5s and 17 top‑10s, his best in both categories, and finished ninth overall. Those numbers explain why Bowman decided to put an expiry date on his Cup Series career before physical decline widened the gap with his teammates even further.

Photo By Carlos Castillo

His time in the O'Reilly Auto Parts Series was brief but left some results that hinted at his potential. In 57 starts between 2012 and 2025, he recorded one win, 8 top‑5s and 19 top‑10s, with an average finish of 14.6. His best performance came in 2017, when he won at Charlotte and averaged a fourth‑place finish over two starts. Those numbers, combined with his work as a simulator and test driver, earned him the opportunity to drive the number 88 car in 2018.

The relationship between Bowman and Hendrick Motorsports began as a contingency plan and ended up becoming one of the longest‑tenured driver‑team partnerships on the current grid. He joined the team in 2016 as a substitute for Dale Earnhardt Jr., drove the number 88 in 2018, and took over the 48 in 2021, the number that Jimmie Johnson turned into a legend with seven championships and 83 wins. Bowman won four times in his first year with that car and scored eight total wins with Hendrick, the most recent at the Chicago street course in 2024. Rick Hendrick called him family. "Alex is a huge competitor inside the car and an even better person outside of it. We're proud that he can finish his career with us on his own terms," the team owner said.

Bowman's departure opens a succession process that Hendrick Motorsports has not faced since Johnson's retirement. The number 48 will be vacant in 2028, and the team will have to decide whether to look for an external replacement or promote someone from its development programme, at a time when the Cup Series grid has several young drivers pushing for a top‑level seat. Bowman faces his final 40 races with the intention of closing his NASCAR chapter in the best possible way. "We still have a lot to accomplish, and I want to finish on a high note for our team and our fans," he said.