Alex Bowman has been missing out on racing for the past whole month after his vertigo diagnosis. Fans were expecting that the No. 48’s regular driver might end up coming back to one of his stronger tracks on the 2026 calendar, Bristol Motor Speedway. However, the latest update does not fall in favor of Bowman or his career so far.

Alex Bowman will not participate in racing this week

On social media, fans were trying to know any updates surrounding Bowman’s situation when Bob Pockrass replied, “Bowman is out for this weekend at Bristol, so you likely wouldn’t hear something about Kansas until later this week or early next week.”

Another weekend and yet another race gone. In his stead, Justin Allgaier will be filling in. For Allgaier, it is a golden opportunity to turn Bowman’s absence into something concrete for himself at Hendrick Motorsports. 

As Pockrass says, “Justin Allgaier, as announced a few weeks ago, is in for Bowman at Bristol, which is one of Allgaier’s best tracks. I wouldn’t be surprised at all if Allgaier finishes top-10 and even challenges the leaders. Bowman won a pole there last year. Granted more hp and new tire.”

Entering a crucial season where he needs to prove himself to get a contract extension, Bowman hasn’t shared any updates about his recovery so far. With him missing multiple race weekends consecutively, it is highly unlikely that Bowman is going to make the Chase this year. To make his way into the top 16, Bowman will have to win multiple races.

That is the most difficult part of the situation for Bowman. Considering his form from last year, Bowman would’ve hoped to stay consistent and at least claim a spot in the Chase to try to have a shot at redemption. At this rate, he will keep losing those points and end up in a tough spot when he is unable to win so many races on his return.

The entire ordeal is going to put unnecessary pressure on his shoulders when he should be focusing on recovery and driving safely instead. Bowman’s NASCAR future is at risk already, and there is not a lot he can do about it on his own. Unless Rick Hendrick pulls some strings and lets him keep his seat, Bowman is on the verge of losing the No. 48 ride for next year.

Meanwhile, his replacement is dealing with his own problems as he tries to give the No. 48 car the best results in the absence of its original driver.

Justin Allgaier struggles to adapt to Cup Series

As a champion driver at JR Motorsports, Justin Allgaier was pretty much the top choice to be Bowman’s replacement during his recovery. He is among the best drivers on the O’Reilly grid currently, and there aren’t many who can catch up to him. As a result of his talent, Allgaier is pulling off double duty in the Cup and O’Reilly Series.

It may sound positive even though it is highly stressful; the situation is starting to take a toll on Allgaier’s performance for now. Back at Rockingham, Allgaier made a rather scary admission. “I feel like I’m failing at all of it, if I’m being honest with you. You know, the same things that are making us good on Saturday are what’s hurting us on Sunday.”

There’s always a certain gap when drivers from the O’Reilly Series make the jump to the Cup Series. Take Connor Zilisch, for example. The Trackhouse Racing driver is nowhere near the form he displayed last year by winning races and decimating his opponents. The story is the same for Allgaier with Hendrick Motorsports.

“Like, last week, I was just three hundredths off Kyle Larson, my teammate, but that’s the difference of 10 to 15 spots. The one thing that stands out to me, especially with the NextGen car, is just how tight the times are, and it’s really a credit to the guys who jump back and forth and have success in both cars.”

Allgaier drops hints that he is having multiple meetings to review his performance. As a result of the same, he sometimes finds himself confused and says, “I don’t know if my brain even knows how to function.” Justin Allgaier knows that the No. 48 team is relying on him for now, so he is trying to do his best for them.

However, he still wishes for Alex Bowman to return to the team as soon as he can to click with his teammates and start the perfect story en route to restarting his 2026 Cup Series campaign.