Can a quiet track like Iowa Speedway still be a turning point in a driver’s season? After months of concerns over his performance and health, Alex Bowman’s 2024 season stabilized in June when he left Iowa with a well-deserved eighth-place finish in NASCAR’s eagerly anticipated Cup Series return to the circuit. If not extravagant, it was fundamental.

Bowman is now in a familiar position upon his return in 2025: winless, in the middle of the pack in terms of points, and once more looking to Iowa as a weekend that may change the tide. But as the 0.875-mile oval’s sealed seams and repaved corners are the center of attention, fans continue to have questions about Bowman’s once-thriving sprint car team, which is currently far from the NASCAR spotlight. And Bowman finally had something to say about it in a long time.

Bowman is aiming for another strong weekend at Iowa Speedway, where he recorded one of his more underappreciated races in 2024. Even if the track is familiar, a lot has changed, including its surface, his season’s course, and any residual desire to go back to his roots in dirt racing.

Bowman juggles fresh pavement and familiar dirt

This week, Bowman spoke candidly about the track’s repave, the unpredictability of practice, and his dormant sprint car team. “So excited to be back,” Bowman told Always Race Day. “I think Xfinity practice was pretty interesting, so just excited to get on the racetrack. Kind of see how this car reacts. It’s typically quite a bit different than the Xfinity car, so it looks like they sealed some of the seams and kind of made it a little dependent on hitting those seams. But we’ll wait and see what happens. I mean, I think it’s too early to tell,” he added. When asked how the surface compared visually, he said, “It certainly looks like it slowed down some from last year. So yeah, and until we practice, pretty hard to say.”

Bowman then finally commented on his sprint car team’s status. When asked if he was thinking of reviving his sprint car team, Bowman didn’t dodge the question: “Not right now. Someday probably. But if Chloe has her way, never. I would certainly like to get back in a car at some point. Just gotta be smart about it with my day job here.” And would he return to the sport just as an owner, perhaps fielding a car again for USAC ace C.J. Leary, as he once did? “I mean, it’s just a lot of work. It’s hard to do from North Carolina. It’s hard to find the right people, and honestly, I don’t have the time to manage it. So like, finding the right people to do all that for you is pretty difficult. So maybe someday, but not right now,” he said. 

Bowman is returning to a different track this weekend than the one he left. In order to increase grip and add more racing lanes, Iowa Speedway undertook partial repaving and seam sealing work in between Cup events. However, drivers found it difficult to handle lane-to-lane differences during early Xfinity sessions. Bowman’s No. 48 is still in danger of missing the playoffs, even though teammates Kyle Larson and William Byron have several victories and Chevrolet has been in the top 15 most weeks this season. Some of that noise might be reduced by a solid run at Iowa, but a lot will rely on how fast he and crew chief Blake Harris adjust to the changing surface.

When time and risk are not on Bowman’s side, his enthusiasm for sprint cars remains. After his 2023 back injury, his once-famous side project, the short-track program, went into hibernation and hasn’t been added back to the timetable. Fans still have questions. But as of right now, the response is still no, not yet. Additionally, right now, Iowa requires all of his attention since a postseason bid is at stake.

Bowman manages tire trouble and pressure for gritty top-10 at repaved Iowa.

Even though he didn’t lead laps at Iowa Speedway, Alex Bowman quietly put on one of his season’s most significant efforts. Bowman finished Sunday’s race in seventh place with the No. 48 Chevrolet, earning his 13th top-10 and fifth top-5 finish of the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season. With three regular-season races left, the outcome maintains him 63 points clear of the playoff cutline, a crucial margin for a driver still seeking his first victory of the year.

“Once this tire seems to get hot, it seems like it just tanks, and you can’t get it back. I just tried to take care of it from then on. That hurt us, but it was a good day overcoming that,” he said post-race.  There was drama in Bowman’s day. He was forced to drop back into the field due to an early pit road speeding penalty, and much of the grid experienced significant tire wear concerns due to the repaved Iowa surface. Midway through the race, Bowman adapted his driving style, remaining patient as handling changed and lap times decreased. The Iowa circuit, which rewarded tire management above sheer speed because of its sealed seams and changing grip levels, was difficult for drivers of all stripes. Bowman demonstrated the flexibility that has characterized his 2025 campaign by recovering positions late in lengthy green flag circumstances.

Bowman’s performance at Iowa also contributed to his increased lead over playoff competitors Austin Cindric and Daniel Suárez, who both had issues with track position and tire wear. To give Bowman the late-race grip he needed to advance, crew chief Blake Harris made crucial mid-race tweaks that enabled the No. 48 to maintain pace during lengthy green-flag stints. The team transformed a potentially expensive day into a pivotal points-building performance with steady calls and composed execution.

Bowman is still the only Hendrick Motorsports driver without a win, as teammates Kyle Larson and William Byron have already secured their spots in the playoffs with victories. However, he’s put himself in a strong position to end that run or ride consistency into the postseason thanks to his steady top-10 pace and increasing long-run speed. Bowman’s rebound at a track that penalized impatience was a subdued declaration: he’s not just surviving, he’s creating something.