Alex Bowman has been through this before. A concussion in 2022. A broken back in 2023. Each time, Hendrick Motorsports waited, and each time, he came back. But when he climbed out of his No. 48 Chevrolet mid-race at Circuit of the Americas last month, dizzy and sick, even Bowman himself was not sure he would be back. Now, five weeks later, he is.

Alex Bowman’s Road Back Was Anything but Straightforward

Bowman was diagnosed with vertigo after being forced out of the COTA race on March 1. After handing the car over to Myatt Snider for the final laps at the track, there was a month of doctor visits, specialist consultations, and a return-to-drive program. He could not even complete a few laps in a street car at the Ten Tenths Motor Club without feeling ill at first. Over the weeks that followed, he practiced through karting, pit practice, interval training, and simulator sessions before finally getting the all-clear, a week earlier than expected.

“I’m a little bit like Humpty Dumpty at this point in my life,” Bowman said after returning at Bristol, “but I’m patched back up and ready to rip.”

During his four-race absence, Anthony Alfredo and Justin Allgaier took turns in the No. 48 seat. Bowman stayed in contact with crew chief Blake Harris throughout, trying to stay as plugged in as he could from the sidelines. But there is no substitute for seat time, and he was the first to admit that.

“Everybody’s getting better every week,” he said. “When you miss four or five races, all of a sudden you’re four or five weeks of learning behind.”

The fact that he chose Bristol for his comeback, one of the most physically demanding tracks on the schedule, a high-banked concrete half-mile where lap times are under 15 seconds, said everything about where his head was. He had won the pole there in two of the last three spring races. He knew the track. And when the doctors said he was cleared, the choice was made for him.

“Because they said I could,” Bowman said with a laugh. “I mean, I’m a race-car driver, so you tell me I’m clear, I’m going to go do it.”

The vertigo did not come from a single cause. That was one of the hardest parts of the whole process. “Just a multitude of different things that we kind of had to work through,” Alex Bowman said. “It’s hard to pinpoint one exact thing, but the good news is that now I’m feeling really well and ready to go.”

The lowest point came the moment he stepped out of the car at COTA. He did not know if getting back in would ever happen. “When I got out at COTA, I was like, ‘This is probably it,'” he admitted. “That sucked. Thankful that I get another shot at it.”

Rick Hendrick was involved from the beginning, flying Bowman to wherever he needed to go to get the right help. Hendrick Motorsports president Jeff Andrews made it equally clear that there was never any pressure on a timeline.

“Alex Bowman has always been the driver of the No. 48 Ally Chevrolet, and we never had questions about whose seat that was,” Andrews said. “We were willing to do what we needed to do to wait for him and get him back at the right time.”

For Bowman, that support means a great deal, especially given the circumstances. This is his contract year. He came into 2026 with a rough start before the vertigo hit, and he has now missed four races while sitting 36th in the standings, 144 points outside the Chase cutline.

The Numbers Are Brutal, but Bowman Is Not Done Fighting

The 2026 Chase Format takes away the win-and-in safety net that was available in previous years. Only making it inside the Top 16 guarantees postseason, which means Alex Bowman cannot rely on a single big result to save his season. With only 18 races left, he will have to start showing consistency if he wants to make ground up.

NASCAR is expected to grant him a medical waiver to remain eligible despite the missed races, but the math is still unkind. He holds just 24 points and would need to close a gap of over 140 points to reach the cut line.

As per his statement to NASCAR, crew chief Blake Harris is not writing anything off. “If we can just run well and be in contention for wins and win some races, then I think the rest kind of works itself out,” the crew chief said. He pointed to Kansas, Talladega, and Texas as tracks where the No. 48 team has been strong, a stretch that could quickly change the picture.

Bowman is chasing momentum. And after what he has been through over the last five weeks, just being back behind the wheel is the start he needed.