It was “the hardest hit of my career,” said Alex Bowman after emerging from the wreck at Michigan International Speedway last week. The Hendrick Motorsports driver was not sure of making it to the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez for the first points-paying race outside the United States since 1958. His body was sore all over after his hit registered 50 G-force, slamming into the outside wall at 150 mph, the sort of impact that really tested the flex on those SAFER barriers.

But despite not having recovered fully, Bowman is back in his No. 48 Chevy, determined to get out of his ongoing slump. With the Viva Mexico 250 on the horizon, the 32-year-old shared a health update ahead of the milestone event in Mexico City.

Alex Bowman soldiers on despite the pain

Alex Bowman is no stranger to wrecks and injuries. Back in 2022, the Arizona native missed five races because of a concussion at Texas Motor Speedway. The following year, he broke his back during a sprint car crash while racing in the High Limit Racing series, forcing Rick Hendrick to ban the driver from participating in extracurricular racing going forward. And even though he broke no bones in this instance, Bowman said that the pain he experienced in Michigan was “way more pain than that was.”

Sharing a health update ahead of the race in Mexico City, Alex Bowman told FOX’s Bob Pockrass, “It hasn’t been a fun week at all. Wednesday was probably the worst day, but we’re here and ready to go… It’s all in the right side of my lower back and then through my right leg. Everything is really tight. It’s all muscular.” The No. 48 driver qualified in 29th place and outlined his expectations by saying, “Definitely a lot of pain though. The goal is to get all the laps in and go from there.”

Bowman has a point to prove. He’s currently 13th in the rankings, winless this season, and has finished 27th or worse in seven of the last nine races. And while the driver feels he’s fit enough to compete in a 100-lap road course race across a 2.42-mile layout, Hendrick Motorsports isn’t taking any chances. Anthony Alfredo is on the sidelines, ready to jump in if the need may arise. However, the 32-year-old is determined to participate, despite road courses being tougher with his condition, “I think going to a road course right after probably makes it tougher than an oval would.”

When asked about the most painful aspect of driving this weekend, Bowman was honest about the role the Next-Gen car plays. “I think jumping over the curbs as much as we do and as harsh as the Next-Gen rides is the biggest challenge for me. Honestly, making laps doesn’t really hurt, just sitting in that position hurts quite a bit.” The sensitive body of the Next-Gen car is prone to massive vibrations when it comes in contact with the curbs that are laid across the 2.42-mile road course in Mexico. Bowman will have to fight through the pain, and doing it at an unfamiliar track isn’t going to make it easier..

Competing at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez will present a whole new challenge for Alex Bowman. Taking part in this road course for the first time while being sore is an uphill task in itself, and it looks like Mother Nature is also playing spoilsport. He could only log in three laps during qualifying because of rain, but is determined to turn things around during the race itself, going on to say, “It’s been a pretty miserable two months, and just trying to kind of get things turned back around and pointed in the right direction.” Will he be able to pull off a result in Mexico City? Time will tell.

Jeff Gordon sheds light on Bowman’s condition

To say that Alex Bowman’s wreck was scary would be an understatement. During Stage 2 of the race in Michigan, the No. 48 driver was sent head-on into the outside wall in Turn 2, and the force of the impact was so fierce that it even lifted his car’s rear wheels in the air. It almost seemed like Dale Earnhardt’s tragic crash in the 2001 Daytona 500, but the SAFER barriers did their job in cushioning the impact, leaving the Arizona native sore but with no lasting damage.

Giving an update on Bowman’s health to SiriusXM Radio, Hendrick Motorsports vice chairman Jeff Gordon said, “That was a huge impact, and I was happy to see [Alex Bowman] let the window net down. I heard him on the radio when he said he was OK, and to see him get out of that car, we know that Alex has had an injury with his back before. Of course, you worry about that happening again. He certainly was extremely sore afterwards and the next day, but right now, we are confident he will be in the car this weekend.”

But simply competing in Mexico won’t be enough for Alex Bowman. After an encouraging start to the season, his performances have dropped off lately, and now that the second half of the season is officially underway, time is running out to secure a playoff spot. While winning at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez may seem like a difficult task, he did win the Chicago Street Race last season under challenging circumstances. Could he go on to get an unlikely result in Mexico City? Let us know in the comments!