Zero wins across 31 starts and 1,033 points behind the race leader? That’s a campaign that can mess up anyone’s motivation, let alone the eight Cup Series race winner. To top that, the No. 48 driver advanced to the playoffs via points after Daytona but exited the Round of 16 after the race at Bristol. Now, while he struggles in 13th place with 2,091 points, his teammates are thriving, and that has resulted in growing chatter regarding his contract. That is bound to take a toll on anyone, and Alex Bowman happens to be experiencing just that.

Speaking to Frontstretch, Alex Bowman opened up about the mental strain of the 2025 season at Charlotte: “For sure. I mean, our schedule just being as long as it is, I think everybody gets to that point, especially, like, the road crews, the hours that they work throughout the week, and then going straight to the racetrack and long hours.”

The Cup Series season runs for a stretch of 36 races with only one week off, and that is Easter. That amounts to 27 weeks of continuous racing! Therefore, fatigue becomes a very real thing for all the parties involved in the process, be it the driver, the crew or the viewer.

Bowman noted, “So, yeah, it’s a grueling long season, and when things are not going your way, it’s tough to overcome that.” This came after a year marked by inconsistency, including four DNFs and an average finish of 17.23, with only 165 laps led and two poles. However, his season did see some luck when he was on the bubble for the final NASCAR Cup Series Playoff berth before it all came crashing down. The qualifying session for the Coke Zero Sugar 400 was canceled because of inclement weather, which propelled Bowman to start on the outside of the front row next to Ryan Blaney in the race.

When time trials are canceled, grid positions are determined by NASCAR’s metric formula, composed of owner points position, finishing position from the previous race, and fastest lap rank from the previous race. At the time, Bowman was 60 points above the current elimination line entering the last regular-season race.

Even just last year, he broke an 80-race drought by winning at the Chicago street race on wet tires after a late-race pass on Joey Hand and held off a charge by Tyler Reddick, who was on the faster slicks. But 2025 is a different story.

After Bristol, he shared, “I’m proud of the effort. We’ve never gone out the first round, so that’s frustrating. But after the last two weeks, just being top-10 and being pointed in the right direction feels good.” Entering Bristol was pretty much a do-or-die event for Bowman when it came to advancing to the Round of 12 in the playoffs. After all, there was a mistake-laden 40-second trip to pit road in the playoff opener at Darlington Raceway. Then there were additional pit errors that cost him dearly in the second race at World Wide Technology Raceway, leaving him with a mountain to climb at Bristol.

Starting 15th on the grid, he soon started making moves up the road. He even led five laps of the race along with a third-place finish in Stage 2, but there was only so much he could do after restarting third with four laps remaining on old tires. As a result, Christopher Bell ended up blowing by him.

The contract situation further amplified the pressure. Signed in 2023 and set to end in 2026, it fueled speculation about his HMS future. Bowman added lightly on shared burnout, “Yeah, they’re not all me. I can’t take credit for all. Yeah. And the guy that runs the shop next door to me, I’d say we’re 50-50 on the burnout parts.”

As Bowman navigates this mental hurdle, voices from the NASCAR community weigh in on his path forward. One veteran analyst offers a clear push for patience.

Kyle Petty backs Alex Bowman for a fresh chance

Kyle Petty stepped up to advocate for Alex Bowman, suggesting Rick Hendrick give him another opportunity to shine at HMS. Petty’s perspective draws from HMS’ history of one car often trailing, a pattern since Jimmie Johnson‘s exit in 2020. He pointed out:

“That’s always been the MO at Hendrick Motorsports. They always have one car that lags behind a little bit. 48 team, seems to be the team since Jimmie Johnson left, that lags behind a little bit.”

Petty added, “Now should they get rid of him….it’s Rick’s decision, not our decision….The sponsor likes him, Rick likes him, the team likes him, he adds something to the combination, and he helps the whole group move forward. So let’s give him another shot.”

Back in February 2023 when Bowman signed his contract extension, Hendrick also locked in his sponsor, Ally, to a five-year extension through 2028. The financial-services firm has a full-season primary sponsorship with Bowman and the No. 48 Chevrolet. Ally has been the primary sponsor of the No. 48 team for a while now. This substantiates the value Bowman brings, and a new deal might enhance that.