Set Back: Alex Bowman Declines Opportunity to Race at Daytona Speedway This Weekend After Announcing His Replacement

Entering Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Bowman was the only Hendrick Motorsports driver outside the top-10 in the series standings.

He had shown the speed of his three teammates but got caught up in a wreck in the season-opening Daytona 500 and was running well late in the Las Vegas race but was forced to pit under green for a flat tire.

While Bowman’s No. 48 Chevrolet wasn’t the best on long runs, it remained competitive the entire race and he came home third – his first top-five finish of the 2021 season.

“We’ve struggled in some areas this year that have been pretty frustrating. I feel like we really struggled in dirty air, maneuverability in traffic, restarts and stuff,” Bowman said. “Worked really hard at bringing something to the race track that I could be aggressive with, could drive hard.

“It felt good to have that – to be able to pass cars. My pit crew did a great job keeping us up front, as well. It definitely feels good to be closer to the front. We want to be a couple spots better.