Alex Bowman accidentally shared something much more personal than his track performance. Fans and reporters expected the No. 48 driver to talk about his recent struggles. They also expected him to discuss his expiring contract with Hendrick Motorsports (HMS). Instead, Bowman opened up about his health and his long-term racing future.

Bowman says he is not fighting to keep his job, and that stood out for Kelly Crandall. She, along with Jeff Gluck, discussed the situation on the latest episode of The Gluckcast.

NASCAR insider feels worried about Alex Bowman’s comments

“The variable this year, in my opinion, is everything you just touched on. It’s his health,” said Crandall. “I think that is a very real variable that is in the that is in Alex’s mind of whether or not he’s going to want to keep racing, because when he gets out at Talladega and says to us on his own without prompting that he’s glad he just finished and didn’t crash, and he doesn’t know how many more of these he has. I raised my eyebrows at that.”

Crandall’s worry makes sense. Bowman has a tough history with injuries in the Next Gen car. Over the last five years, he has missed many races due to three major medical issues. In 2022, a concussion forced him to miss five races. In 2023, he broke his back in a sprint car crash and missed three more starts.

Recently, during the March 2026 race at the Circuit of the Americas, Bowman felt extreme vertigo, dizziness, and vomiting inside his car. He had to quit that race early and missed the next four Cup Series races.

These injuries are a problem for Bowman and for HMS. His long-term health affects the team’s playoff chances. HMS needs four strong cars on the track every week to compete for titles. There is also a growing trend in NASCAR where drivers retire early to protect their health.

Bowman also recently talked about his future. During a Tuesday media video call, SiriusXM reporter Claire B. Lang asked about his plans. Bowman gave a very honest answer.

“I don’t feel like I’m racing for my job or anything like that by any means,” Bowman said. He admitted that he and the team have talked about the best move forward. Right now, he just wants to get the No. 48 car running well again.

However, there was one part he added that grabbed everyone’s attention.

“I’m super blessed to be in a position where I don’t have to do this forever,” he said. “I got to make the right decision, and I want Hendrick Motorsports to make the right decision and kind of everybody to be on board with whatever we do.”

Bowman is still dedicated to competing for Hendrick Motorsports for the time being. However, as Crandall said, when a driver begins openly discussing how many hard hits he may have left to take, it is bound to spark questions about what the future holds beyond the next race weekend.

Performance questions continue to follow Bowman

The three-year contract extension Alex Bowman signed with Hendrick Motorsports is now in its final year. The future after 2026 is still up in the air. Whether it means another arrangement with HMS, a move elsewhere, or even a choice to pull away from full-time competition remains to be seen.

Results amplify the uncertainty. Entering Sunday’s eero 400 at Chicagoland Speedway, Bowman is 29th in the Cup Series standings. While the four races he missed earlier this season due to vertigo have certainly contributed to that position, the overall numbers remain underwhelming. Alex Bowman has only finished in the top five twice and in the top ten three times so far this year.

Drivers like Kyle Larson, Chase Elliott, and William Byron regularly fight for championships. Bowman has only won two races since NASCAR started using the Next Gen car in 2022. His last win was at the Chicago Street Course in July 2024.

Strangely, Bowman, the track’s most recent Cup Series victor, will be back in Chicagoland this weekend. When NASCAR last raced there in 2019, he won, but that past win gives little comfort today. Like everyone else, he has never driven the heavy Next Gen car on this specific track.

His contract is ending. Questions about his performance remain. His long-term health is a major talking point. Because of all this, the second half of 2026 will be the most important time in Alex Bowman’s career.