Hendrick Motorsports driver Alex Bowman has a mission on his hands in 2024. After an unsteady run in 2023, he is gunning for a major comeback this season. The upcoming Daytona 500 provides him the opportunity to begin this long journey on the right foot, courtesy of his incredible starting record in the superspeedway.
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Bowman has completed eight full-time seasons in the NASCAR Cup Series. One of the more stellar records that he has completed in this time centers around his qualifying position for the Daytona 500s. Between 2018 and 2023, he started the race on the front row every single time. The six consecutive front-row starts that he has secured are matched by none including Dale Earnhardt, Richard Petty, and Jeff Gordon.
Most front row starts in the Daytona 500
Alex Bowman – 6
Bill Elliott – 5
Buddy Baker – 5
Jeff Gordon – 5
Richard Petty – 5
Cale Yarborough – 5
Dale Jarrett – 4
Dale Earnhardt – 4
Dale Earnhardt Jr – 4
Jimmie Johnson – 4
Donnie Allison – 4 pic.twitter.com/8d1gf3qNrr— Trey Ryan (@TreyRyan99) February 11, 2024
2018 was when Bowman made the switch to drive for Hendrick Motorsports full-time in the Cup Series. He began his stint with the #88 car and transitioned to the #48 after 3 seasons. 2023 proved to be the most trying season that he has had with HMS thus far. Though his 5th place finish in the last Daytona 500 helped him achieve an average finish of 7.1 in the first 7 races of the season, an unexpected back injury in April collapsed his run.
As he returns to the track in 2024, he will be hoping to start his year off the same way he did in 2023.
How well has Alex Bowman converted his front-row starts to top finishes in the Daytona 500?
Bowman’s average starting position in the Daytona 500 is a NASCAR-best 5.43. Dale Earnhardt Jr. follows him with 5.67. The more pressing question with this stat is on his finishing record. Though he has started the event from the front row on six occasions, he has finished it in the top-5 just once (2023). He finished 24th in 2022 and suffered a race-ending crash in 2021.
Alex Bowman also has the best average starting position in Daytona 500 history for drivers with 5+ starts.
Bowman’s average start is 5.43
Next best is Dale Earnhardt Jr with 5.67 https://t.co/TMOdGeCEhw
— Trey Ryan (@TreyRyan99) February 11, 2024
2020 saw him finish 24th once again. He performed slightly better in 2019 and 2018 with 11th and 17th place finishes respectively. The driver will certainly look to balance this scale next weekend. The upcoming race will be the second Daytona 500 between Bowman and his crew chief Blake Harris.
The duo will try and capitalize on their early momentum from 2023 and get things going right from the start. Harris conveyed the same last month saying, “We are going to take each week as it comes as we did last year, but we are going for the win straight out of the box.” Target clear and the weapon ready, all Bowman has to do now is execute and that’s easier said than done.
