Besides the dry run that Hendrick Motorsports is having in 2026, Alex Bowman‘s injury is another situation the team wants to fix as soon as possible. While they gave Anthony Alfredo a chance at Phoenix, this weekend, the baton is passed to JR Motorsports star Justin Allgaier. With Hendrick Motorsports in a rare slump and a star driver sidelined, the team isn’t just looking for a substitute, but a statement. And according to insiders, bringing in a champion from Dale Jr.’s camp is exactly that.

NASCAR insiders justify HMS’ move for #48 car

In a recent conversation on the Rubbin’ is Racing podcast, Large, Moonhead, Spider, and Quigs sat to discuss the upcoming Las Vegas race weekend. While they were at it, they brought up the talk of Hendrick Motorsports’ decision to replace Anthony Alfredo from the #48 car and put Justin Allgaier in.

“I think Allgaier’s just maybe a better driver, and that’s who they want. Perhaps I think it might be as simple as that,” Quigs said, sharing his support for the move. Following this, Moonhead first lauded HMS’ decision to allow Alfredo to run a race at Phoenix, given how the latter is involved with the team, running their sim.

But for him, this was not enough, as he argued that Hendrick Motorsports went for the best possible choice, and it came in the form of Justin Allgaier, a seasoned NASCAR driver and the star at JR Motorsports.

“I think, given the time and if this is going to be an extended period of time absence, it makes sense to go with the best available driver,” Moonhead said. “Nothing against Anthony Alfredo. Justin Allgaier, he’s got way more experience, way more miles turned, and I love this move. I think Jr. tried to reward him with the Traveler Whiskey cars and their appearance in the Daytona 500 two consecutive years. This is another great reward for Justin Allgaier. As far as I’m concerned, he deserves it, and I’ll be rooting for him.”

Notably, Hendrick Motorsports put Anthony Alfredo as Alex Bowman’s substitute after the #48 driver fell sick during the COTA race. Even though they substituted him with Myatt Snider mid-race, the organization could not go with the latter for a full race due to his lack of experience.

As a result, they put Alfredo, a veteran O’Reilly Auto Parts Series driver at Phoenix, who was running quite well in seventh before getting wrecked on Lap 217, which ended his day in 33rd place. Days after the race, Rick Hendrick’s team announced that they chose Justin Allgaier as the replacement for Bowman at Las Vegas.

Allgaier comes with exceptional NASCAR experience and has 29 O’Reilly Auto Parts Series wins and the 2024 title to his name. Having 84 Cup Series starts under his belt, most recently in the Daytona 500 for JR Motorsports, he is the next bet for Hendrick Motorsports in the #48 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1.

And speaking of his Vegas experience, while he hasn’t raced there over a decade in a Cup car, he won last year’s O’Reilly Auto Parts race there. And now, he’s ready for Sunday.

Justin Allgaier takes up HMS challenge amid Alex Bowman’s health issue

The full-time O’Reilly Auto Parts Series driver for JR Motorsports, Justin Allgaier, shared his thoughts as Rick Hendrick’s team bestowed him with the Cup Series opportunity at Las Vegas this weekend. Speaking about it and wishing Bowman a speedy recovery, Allgaier said:

“First and foremost, I wish Alex (Bowman) a continued and speedy recovery so that he can get back behind the wheel as soon as he can. I’m thankful to everyone at Hendrick Motorsports for this opportunity to fill in, as well as to everyone at JR Motorsports. I feel confident we can go out and have a solid day and make Alex and everyone on this No. 48 Ally team proud.”

During the COTA race weekend, Bowman fell sick as he was taken to the medical center for a health check-up, following which the doctors declared that the HMS man was diagnosed with vertigo. As he continues to recover, his return time has not yet been announced.