Alex Bowman’s concussion rules him out for Round of 8

Alex Bowman will continue to miss time due to the concussion he sustained at Texas Motor Speedway in late September. On Wednesday, he announced he will skip the next three NASCAR Cup Series races at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Homestead-Miami Speedway, and Martinsville Speedway as he continues his treatment. He did not rule out the season finale at his home track Phoenix Raceway.

Noah Gragson replaced him in the #48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet at Talladega and the Charlotte Roval, where he respectively finished nineteenth and twenty-third. Hendrick stated he will remain in the car for the next three races, though he had already been slated to run Las Vegas for Kaulig Racing in the #16 and revealed his sponsorship for said race on Wednesday.

“As much as I hoped to be back in the #48 Ally Chevrolet this weekend, I will not be returning to competition for the next three NASCAR Cup Series races,” reads a statement from Bowman. “I am continuing to focus my efforts on getting my health back to 100% so that I can return racing as soon as possible. I know that Noah will continue to do a great job representing the #48 and I’ll be cheering him and the entire Ally Racing team on every lap.

“Thank you again to everyone for the support I’ve received. It means so much to me.”

Bowman was evaluated by Dr. Michael Collins of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Sports Medicine Concussion Program, who ruled him unfit to return to competition.

“We have a tremendous amount of respect for the entire staff at UPMC,” commented Hendrick president Jeff Andrews. “Our priority continues to be Alex’s recovery and long-term health, and we will follow the plan that Dr. Collins and his team recommend. We’re not looking past the next three races and will evaluate plans for the season finale as the event approaches.”

The injury occurred in a crash at Texas that prompted concerns about the Next Gen car’s safety, especially as fellow driver Kurt Busch has not returned to racing since his Pocono accident in July. NASCAR has since expressed plans of revising the rear such as removing the rear clip and modifying the centre section tubing to reduce wreck impacts.