“Yeah, you know, don’t like to address rumors ’cause that’s what they are, but, you know, we have a lot of confidence in [Alex Bowman], and [Blake Harris], and the whole No. 48 team.” This was Jeff Gordon coming out in support of Alex Bowman when his future at Hendrick Motorsports was a hot topic in the silly season saga. Only last year, Bowman ended an 80-race winless streak by winning the rain-shortened Chicago Street race, and it seems like the driver had finally overturned his fortunes.

But fast forward to 2025, it is clear that Bowman is the weakest link in the star-studded Hendrick Motorsports lineup. He had the opportunity to claim his spot as the talented driver in the HMS line-up at Homestead-Miami Speedway, but he fluffed his lines. “Yeah, I guess I choked that one away for sure,” he said after the race. Despite the missed opportunity, Jeff Gordon was once again there to back him up, “this is our guy,” addressing the outside noise questioning his place in the team.

However, the results that have followed the second-place finish at Homestead haven’t been able to silence that outside noise. And the streak of outside 30th-place finishes and lack of race-winning is a huge concern for the team. “Alex Bowman since finishing in 2nd place at Homestead: – Martinsville: 27th – Darlington: 35th – Bristol: 37th – Talladega: 7th – Texas: 35th – Kansas: 5th – Charlotte: 29th – Nashville: 35th (current after wreck)” These are not the numbers you’d expect from a Hendrick Motorsports driver. There’s been a lot of talk about Daniel Suarez and SVG and their futures at Trackhouse Racing, but is Bowman the next in that line?

It has to be noted that Bowman has a contract until 2026. And going by the recent trends in the Cup Series garage, he is safe for at least this year. The question is for how long? After another disappointing result at Nashville, the driver of the #48 team has dropped to 12th in the playoff standings and is just 16 points above the cutline now, without a single playoff point. Bubba Wallace, who is in a similar scenario, has two playoff points and is placed 10th after the Nashville weekend.

As soon as Austin Konenski shared the race results of Bowman on social media, fans lined up quickly, sharing their honest and brutal take in the comments section.

Fans turn on Alex Bowman again!

The comments that followed were a storm of disappointment, with one fan bluntly stating, “The worst driver at Hendrick,” a harsh judgment that reflects the high expectations at HMS. Compared to his teammates, Bowman’s season has been a tough watch—Kyle Larson is averaging an 11.6 finish with three wins, Chase Elliott is at 11.5, searching for his first win, but is doing well in terms of points. And then there is William Byron, who’s taken the lead of the points table and has sealed a spot in the playoffs with a race win.

The criticism didn’t stop there—another fan questioned Bowman’s place at HMS, saying, “I will never understand why Jr hand picked this guy to take over for him.” It’s a sentiment tied to Bowman’s entry into the team back in 2016, when he stepped into the No. 88 car as an interim driver for Dale Earnhardt Jr., who was sidelined with concussion symptoms during the New Hampshire 301. Bowman’s performance that year, including a pole at Phoenix, led to him being named the full-time replacement for Earnhardt Jr. in 2018, a decision backed by both Junior and team owner Rick Hendrick.

But for some fans, that choice has never sat right, especially now as Bowman struggles to keep pace with HMS’s high standards. “The clown needs to be fired. This ‘experiment’ has long ran its course,” another fan added, pointing to the fact that HMS typically goes after established racers or those from well-known teams, like Kyle Larson, who was a prominent driver at Chip Ganassi Racing before joining HMS. Bowman, on the other hand, was brought in as a relatively unproven talent to fill in for Earnhardt Jr. and has stuck around ever since, a move that’s now being questioned.

This allowed Chase Elliott fans to chime in on the debate, although he hasn’t won a race this year, but he clearly is a good spot to build momentum. “But Chase Elliott is the guy that needs his seat removed?” If indeed HMS were to decide to make a tough call, it looks like Bowman is the clear odd man out, and they wouldn’t risk ditching a former champion.

Even the ardent Bowman fans didn’t shy away from accepting that Bowman is struggling and needs to pull his socks up before things get out of hand. “The only one I fully blame him for is Nashville. This luck is terrible. This is rock bottom for a Bowman fan. Not even 2023 can match this. I wouldn’t wish this on my worst enemy.” In 2023, he missed out on three points paying after getting injured competing in a sprint car event. But, without any distractions this year, for some odd reason, the driver isn’t able to turn a corner for good.

What are your thoughts about Bowman’s situation at Hendrick Motorsports, and how long until the team decides if he has a future with the #48 team?