Three-Time Daytona 500 Pole Winner · NASCAR

Alex Bowman

Eight wins for Hendrick Motorsports, three Daytona 500 poles, and six consecutive front rows in that race — a record nobody else holds. The official Alex Bowman collection: BK Racing, the No. 88, and the No. 48.

Nationality
American
Born
25 April 1993 · Tucson, Arizona
Teams
BK Racing · Tommy Baldwin Racing · Hendrick Motorsports
Current car
No. 48 Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports
Cup wins
8 (2019–2024)
Retiring
After the 2027 season
Shop the Collection Watch highlights
Graphic illustration of NASCAR driver Alex Bowman wearing his purple and white Ally racing suit, featuring his number 88 Nationwide race car, helmet.
Hendrick Motorsports, No. 48
2014 — Present
8
Cup Series Wins
3
Daytona 500 Poles
7
Pole Positions
380
Cup Series Starts

Who is Alex Bowman?

Alex Bowman (born 25 April 1993) is an American NASCAR driver who races the No. 48 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports. He has won eight Cup Series races, taken the Daytona 500 pole three times, and holds the record for consecutive front-row starts in that race. He announced in July 2026 that he will retire from full-time competition after the 2027 season.

Full name
Alexander Michael Warren Bowman
Nationality
American
Cup Series career
2014–present
Best known for
Three Daytona 500 poles, and the No. 48

By KozmozInspire Editorial Published Updated 9 sources

Rider Profile

Alex Bowman: Full Biography

Alex Bowman is an American racing driver who drives the No. 48 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports in the NASCAR Cup Series. He has won eight Cup races and taken the Daytona 500 pole three times. In July 2026 he announced that he will retire from full-time competition after the 2027 season.

Getting There He won two USAC Speed2 midget championships in 2008, as a teenager, and was ARCA rookie of the year in 2012. His Cup career began in the 2014 Daytona 500 with BK Racing, followed by a season at Tommy Baldwin Racing. Neither team had the equipment to make an impression, and at the end of 2015 he had no ride at all.

The No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports took him on as a simulator driver in 2016, then put him in the car when Dale Earnhardt Jr. was ruled out with concussion symptoms — ten races that changed his career. He took the seat permanently when Earnhardt Jr. retired, won the Daytona 500 pole in 2018, and took his first Cup victory at Chicagoland in 2019.

The No. 48 He moved to the number in 2021 and won four times, the best season of his career. Injuries have interrupted him since — a concussion in 2022, a back injury from a sprint car crash in 2023, and vertigo that cost him several races in 2026. He won at the Chicago Street Course in 2024, and will stop racing full-time at the end of 2027.

The Career

Three Chapters That Defined Alex Bowman

Chapter 01

The Substitute

He came out of midgets in Arizona, won two USAC Speed2 titles in 2008 and was ARCA rookie of the year in 2012. The Cup years began badly: a season with BK Racing in 2014, another with Tommy Baldwin Racing in 2015, one qualifying failure and no top-ten finishes across either. He was out of a drive at the end of it and joined Hendrick Motorsports as a simulator driver. When Dale Earnhardt Jr. was ruled out with concussion symptoms in mid-2016, Bowman got ten races in the No. 88 and finished as high as sixth. Earnhardt Jr. retired after 2017 and the seat became his.

A pit crew in blue Nationwide uniforms changing tyres on Alex Bowman's number 88 Chevrolet during a pit stop. No. 88 pit stop · Dover, 2019 Photo: Alex Bowman's No. 88 on pit road at Dover (2019) by Zach Catanzareti Photo / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0 (resized) · licence
Chapter 02

Four Wins

He won the Daytona 500 pole in his first season in the No. 88, and did it again in 2021 and 2023 — six consecutive front-row starts in that race between 2018 and 2023, which no driver has matched. The first race win came at Chicagoland in 2019 after a rain delay and a long fight with Kyle Larson. In 2020 he finished sixth in the championship, still his best. Moving to the No. 48 for 2021 brought four victories in a season, more than he had managed in the five before it put together.

Alex Bowman's purple number 48 Ally Chevrolet on track at Sonoma Raceway. No. 48 Ally Chevrolet · Sonoma, 2021 Photo: Alex Bowman's No. 48 Ally Chevrolet at Sonoma (2021) by TaurusEmerald / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped and resized) · licence
Chapter 03

On His Terms

The years since have been broken up by injury. A concussion ended his 2022 early; a back injury from a sprint car crash in Iowa cost him most of the spring in 2023, after which he stopped racing sprint cars; vertigo took him out of the car at Austin in 2026 and kept him out for several races more. In between he won the Chicago Street Race in 2024, his first victory in more than two years. In July 2026 he signed a one-year extension and said at the same time that it would be his last: he will stop racing full-time after 2027, at thirty-four.

Alex Bowman in a purple Ally race suit and sunglasses, raising a hand during driver introductions under stage lighting. Driver introductions · Las Vegas, 2024 Photo: Alex Bowman at driver introductions, Las Vegas (2024) by TaurusEmerald / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped and resized) · licence
Career Timeline

Alex Bowman Career Timeline: 1993–Present

Born in Tucson

Alexander Michael Warren Bowman is born on 25 April in Tucson, Arizona.

Two Midget Titles

Wins the USAC Speed2 National Midget and California Dirt Midget championships as a teenager.

ARCA Rookie of the Year

Finishes fourth in the ARCA standings and takes the rookie award.

Cup Debut

Starts the Daytona 500 for BK Racing, the first of 36 races that season.

Tommy Baldwin Racing

A second season with an underfunded team, and no drive for the year that follows.

Hendrick

Joins as a simulator driver, then replaces the injured Dale Earnhardt Jr. for ten races.

The No. 88

Takes the seat full-time and wins the Daytona 500 pole at the first attempt.

First Win

Wins at Chicagoland after a rain delay, holding off Kyle Larson.

Career Best

Sixth in the championship, with a win at Auto Club and fifteen top tens.

Four Wins

Moves to the No. 48 and takes four victories, the most of any season.

Sprint Car Crash

A back injury in Iowa costs him weeks, and he gives up sprint car racing.

Chicago

Wins the Chicago Street Race, his eighth Cup win and his first in over two years.

The Announcement

Signs for one more year and says he will retire from full-time racing after 2027.

By the Numbers

Alex Bowman Cup Series Record, Season by Season

Alex Bowman season-by-season record: team, wins, poles, top 5, top 10 and final standing.
SeasonTeam Wins Poles Top 5 Top 10 Pos.
2014 BK Racing 0 0 0 0 35
2015 Tommy Baldwin Racing 0 0 0 0 33
2016 Hendrick Motorsports 0 1 0 3 52
2018 Hendrick Motorsports 0 1 3 11 16
2019 Hendrick Motorsports 1 0 7 12 12
2020 Hendrick Motorsports 1 0 6 15 6
2021 Hendrick Motorsports 4 1 8 16 14
2022 Hendrick Motorsports 1 0 4 12 16
2023 Hendrick Motorsports 0 1 4 10 20
2024 Hendrick Motorsports 1 1 8 17 9
2025 Hendrick Motorsports 0 2 6 16 13
2026 Hendrick Motorsports 0 0 3 4 —

Career totals: 8 wins · 7 poles · 49 top fives · 116 top tens from 380 starts, which is what this table sums to, with the 2026 season still in progress at 19 races. Wins and poles match Wikipedia's summary exactly; its start and top-ten figures are a snapshot taken part-way through 2026 and now trail the per-race results. His own site lists 8 poles, 62 top fives and 158 top tens, which do not reconcile with the Cup race-by-race record and appear to span more than one series. He has no 2017 row because he made no Cup starts that year, and 2016 covers only the ten races he drove for the injured Dale Earnhardt Jr. He failed to qualify for the 2015 Daytona 500, which is not counted as a start here. He has never won a championship; sixth in 2020 is his best. The poles column counts only those earned on qualifying time, the figure NASCAR records. Figures verified 15 August 2026.

Alex Bowman in his own words

In His Own Words
I've spent a lot of time thinking about what's next, and this feels like the right decision at the right time.
Alex Bowman · announcing that he will retire from full-time racing after 2027
Frequently Asked

Alex Bowman: Frequently Asked Questions

How many races has Alex Bowman won?

Eight in the Cup Series, all with Hendrick Motorsports. The first came at Chicagoland in 2019 and the most recent at the Chicago Street Course in July 2024. He has also won once in the Xfinity Series, at Charlotte in 2017.

Why is Alex Bowman known for the Daytona 500 pole?

He has won it three times, in 2018, 2021 and 2023, and started on the front row six years running between 2018 and 2023 — more consecutive front rows than any driver in the race's history. He has not won the race itself.

How did Alex Bowman get his Hendrick drive?

Through the simulator. After two seasons with underfunded teams he had no ride for 2016, and Hendrick Motorsports hired him as a simulator driver. When Dale Earnhardt Jr. was ruled out with concussion symptoms that July, Bowman drove the No. 88 in ten races. He took the seat permanently after Earnhardt Jr. retired at the end of 2017.

When is Alex Bowman retiring?

After the 2027 season. He announced it in July 2026, at the same time as signing a one-year contract extension with Hendrick Motorsports, and will be thirty-four when he stops racing full-time.

Why is Alex Bowman retiring?

He has said it is a decision about health and about what he wants outside the car, rather than one forced on him. He has missed races with a concussion in 2022, a back injury in 2023 and vertigo in 2026, but has also said he never expected to race far beyond thirty-five.

What is Alex Bowman's best season?

2021 by wins — four victories in his first year in the No. 48. By championship position it was 2020, when he won at Auto Club, took fifteen top tens and finished sixth, which remains his best.

Which car numbers has Alex Bowman driven?

The No. 23 for BK Racing in 2014, the No. 7 for Tommy Baldwin Racing in 2015, the No. 88 for Hendrick from 2016 to 2020, and the No. 48 from 2021.

Has Alex Bowman won a championship?

No. His best Cup finish is sixth, in 2020, and he has reached the playoffs seven times. He won two USAC Speed2 midget championships in 2008, before his stock car career.

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Alex Bowman Collection

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References

Sources & Further Reading

Every statistic on this page is drawn from the following records.

  1. Alex Bowman announces retirement after the 2027 NASCAR Cup Series season · Yahoo Sports
  2. Alex Bowman to retire after 2027, citing injuries · FOX Sports, source of the pull quote
  3. Hendrick Motorsports announces Alex Bowman's retirement timeline · Yahoo Sports
  4. About Alex · alexbowmanracing.com (official)
  5. alexbowmanracing.com — official site · Official
  6. Alex Bowman's reflection on his Cup career ahead of retirement · Speedway Media
  7. Alex Bowman — driver page · ESPN
  8. Alex Bowman · Wikipedia, season-by-season results
  9. Alex Bowman (Q4716717) · Wikidata entity record

How this page is made

Rider profiles are compiled from official series records and cross-checked against independent statistical databases before publication.

Commercial disclosure. This page links to merchandise sold by KozmozInspire. Products are fan-made tributes inspired by motorsport history and are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or licensed from the rider, their estate, or any team.

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