Alex Bowman was back in the playoffs in 2024 after missing it the year before, but things didn’t come easy for him.
Bowman’s postseason began with him answering questions about his future with Hendrick Motorsports. For about an hour after the Charlotte Roval race he had moved on to the next round, but that changed when his car was disqualified for not meeting the minimum weight requirement.
But there were good times. Bowman had a career-high 17 top-10 finishes last season and his victory at Chicago ended an 80-race winless streak.
CREW CHIEF: Blake Harris
TEAM: Hendrick Motorsports
POINTS: 9th
VICTORY: 1 (Chicago street race)
LED TOWERS: 67
TOP 5: 8
TOP 10: 17
DEPARTURE FROM THE POLE: 1 (Bristol II)
WHAT WENT WELL: Ended an 80-race winless streak with his victory on the streets of Chicago. Bowman had a career-high 17 top-10 finishes and tied his career-high of eight top-five finishes. Had a streak of five consecutive top 10s in the spring. Advanced to the second round of the playoffs before being eliminated. Had five top 10 finishes in the playoffs.
WHAT WAS NOT: He led just 67 laps, the fewest laps he has led in a season since 2015. Bowman advanced to the third round of the playoffs until his car was disqualified after failing to post-race inspection at the Charlotte Roval. This allowed future champion Joey Logano to advance.
ALEX BOWMAN SAYS: “We made the playoffs and did what everyone said we couldn’t do again. I wish we would have won a few races during that time, but I feel like we performed at a very high level. Obviously there was a very small and simple mistake (which) cost us a lot of money. That’s how races go sometimes. I feel like we’ve all done a good job and worked really hard and we really need to keep that as a benchmark through 2025.”
WHAT TO EXPECT IN 2025: The goal is to take the next step. He has won four races in 2021, but this is the only time he has won more than one race in a season. He has to, especially at Hendrick Motorsports. He also needs to lead more rounds. He didn’t lead more than 137 laps in any of the three seasons with the Next Gen car.
