Alex Bowman’s struggles in the past couple of years in the NASCAR sphere haven’t been hidden from anyone’s eyes. Suffering from a broken back after a sprint car accident back in 2023 and his eventual return to stock car racing after that, the driver of the No. 48 has seen some rocky waters, with some voices coming for his head.
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Bowman has had some personalities come to his defense, with former NASCAR driver turned analyst Kyle Perry being the latest. After the No. 48 team failed to qualify for the second round of the playoffs last weekend at Bristol, Perry urged fans to overlook any shortcomings the team or the driver might have had up until now. He wants them to leave the decision about Bowman’s future to Rick Hendrick.
Calling out the team itself, Petty touched on how historically, one of the four teams at Hendrick Motorsports has always lagged behind the other three. The NASCAR veteran said, “That’s always been the MO at Hendrick Motorsports. They always have one car that lags behind. The 48 team seems to be the team since Jimmie Johnson left that lags behind.”
Having said that, Petty also spoke in favor of Bowman, calling out the external noise that has often plagued the 32-year-old during a significant part of his NASCAR career regarding whether he deserves his seat at HMS.
“If you own that team, you can get rid of him. You could change everything. I could change everything. We can complain about it all we want to, but it’s Rick’s decision, not our decision. The sponsor likes him, Rick [Hendrick] likes him, the team likes him, he adds something to the combination, and he helps the whole group move forward. So let’s give him another shot,” exclaimed Petty.
From a business standpoint, we have often heard newer owners such as Denny Hamlin and Jimmie Johnson himself talk favorably of how running a four-car operation is often more financially viable than running a two or three-car team, simply because resources can be divided across teams and performance is improved across the board.
However, that also does not give us the right to turn a complete blind eye to Bowman’s reality. Since 2021, he has not had a single appearance in the Round of 8, while his three teammates have three appearances each to their names. While one could advocate the reasons behind his early exit, the result remains the same, and his future in the sport depends upon whether or not Rick Hendrick is okay with the fact, at least according to Petty.
