Hendrick Motorsports is finding its stride at just the right time. After the conclusion of the opening Round of 12 race, all four drivers from NASCAR’s most successful team are above the cutline going into Talladega Superspeedway. Despite Kyle Larson’s dominating performance at Bristol, Alex Bowman has been HMS’ standout performer in the playoffs, securing the most points amongst all drivers in the opening three postseason races. The 31-year-old wasn’t considered a championship contender going into the postseason, but given his form so far, fans can’t help but reconsider.

With six races remaining before the 2024 season ends, things are looking good for Bowman and the rest of Rick Hendrick’s team. Could all four of their cars make it to Championship 4 at Phoenix Raceway later this year?

NASCAR Insider lauds HMS’ playoff dominance

Alex Bowman couldn’t have picked a better time to rediscover his form. Compared to his teammates, the Arizona native hasn’t had quite an impressive regular season, having struggled to be in contention for race wins. Yes, the No. 48 Chevy entered Victory Lane at the Chicago Street Course. He finished runner-up in the opening race of the season at Daytona International Speedway, but such instances have been few and far between.

That’s why, despite finishing in the top 10 thrice in the opening four playoff races, Bowman remains sixth in the driver standings, and the lack of playoff points is coming to hurt him in the postseason.

Highlighting Hendrick Motorsports’ dominance in the playoffs, Bubba Wallace’s spotter Freddie Kraft highlighted on the Door Bumper Clear podcast, “If you’re talking about teams hitting their stride at just the right time, HMS is looking pretty strong. Larson goes out, dominates last week, Byron I thought was one of the best cars yesterday, you know. Obviously, Alex was up there, gained a bunch of points. Larson I’m sure would have been there if he doesn’t cut the tire. Chase, he wasn’t, he was probably in the top 10..”

Bowman will be feeling very confident going into Talladega Superspeedway. Why shouldn’t he be?

Alex Bowman is delivering when it matters most, scoring 120 points in the first three playoff races—17 more than any other driver. He finished sixth at the 2024 Hollywood Casino 400 and won Stage 2 at Kansas Speedway in the Round of 12 opener. After years of underperforming, this could be his redemption moment.

While William Byron leads the standings and Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott remain strong contenders, Bowman faces high expectations as the NASCAR round of 12 heads to Talladega.

Alex Bowman hoping to have overcome his share of bad luck

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Alex Bowman isn’t underestimating the challenges in front of him. While he’s hardly in unchartered territory, the 31-year-old recognizes that he is presented with a unique opportunity to potentially make a title charge now that momentum is on his side. In the last few years, the HMS driver has been through plenty of lows, as a concussion in 2022 forced him to miss five races and ended his championship hopes. He also suffered a fractured vertebra in 2023, which sidelined him for three more races in 2023.

Reflecting on the adversities that he has had to deal with, Bowman said, “I don’t want to look back and use those races (I missed) as an excuse, but it certainly wasn’t good. Yeah, it’s nice to kind of feel like we’ve overcome that stuff a little bit and feel like we’re pointed in the right direction at least. I feel like we’re just finally executing at the level we should be kind of across the board. I don’t know if we’ve necessarily caught up but maybe we’ve kind of figured out what I like in the Next Gen car a little bit better lately.”

The No. 48 Chevy team seems to have come on top after a topsy-turvy few years. Could this finally be the year Alex Bowman lifts the championship trophy at Phoenix Raceway?

He has the car to compete against NASCAR’s very best, all he needs to do is back his performances with consistent results to remain in contention for the silverware later this year. Bowman entered the playoffs as something of a dark horse, but he’s quickly becoming a force to be reckoned with after every passing race.