Alex Bowman has raced in the Chili Bowl Nationals on seven occasions and has had decent outings, though he never won the event. However, he limits himself to being a team owner in the midget race nowadays.
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In 2025, Bowman fielded four entries with Jake Swanson, CJ Leary, Kevin Thomas Jr., and Briggs Danner behind the wheel. This year, he has scaled things back, fielding only two cars. CJ Leary and Briggs Danner are representing his banner in the ongoing event.
While many other Cup Series drivers are trying to diversify their portfolio by entering such races, it is a surprise that Bowman, who has tried it in the past, has removed himself from it. He has a solid reason for not being an active participant.
“I think the biggest thing for me in the midget side of things is that I just don’t fit. My knees are in the steering box so bad. I am super uncomfortable driving the race car,” Bowman told FloRacing.
“I can be comfortable in a seat with no safety or support, because I gain so much room. But in a seat that’s acceptable, I just don’t have enough room in the car,” he added.
#NASCAR star @Alex_Bowman explains why he’s stopped racing Midgets at events like the #ChiliBowl. @MpdRacing pic.twitter.com/4Ygsm9A22d
— FloRacing (@FloRacing) January 14, 2026
So, it is not a matter of losing interest or not having the skill. The midget car is just too small for Bowman’s body size and shape. “It’s tough. The distance from my hips and knees is long and gets my knees in the steering box really bad,” he added.
As a team owner, Bowman admitted that he is not great at setting the cars up. But then he acknowledged that it is better than racing the midget cars.
Bowman’s performance as a racer in the Cup Series is also under scrutiny, though.
Bowman is under extra pressure in the Cup Series
The leadership at Hendrick Motorsports has underlined time and time again that Bowman’s seat at the team is not at risk and that he is fulfilling their expectations. But it is no secret that his performances don’t match up to those of his teammates.
With the Chase format being reintroduced, things become a lot trickier for him. His performances need to be good consistently, and he needs to secure wins to remain at the top of the table along with Kyle Larson, William Byron, and Chase Elliott. If he doesn’t manage to stay within the vicinity of them, the team always has plenty of other options like Corey Day, Rajah Caruth, and Jesse Love to pick from.
