How the tides turn over just a few months. Since the beginning of this season, Hendrick Motorsports’ stories have molded significantly. After a disastrous 2023 season, Chase Elliott stamped his ticket early with a Texas victory. But Alex Bowman took time for his redemption – he won the Chicago Street Race in July. But his faltering performance soon after cast a shadow of doubt to float over his future.

Yet soon after the playoffs began, the No. 48 Chevrolet driver dazzled. Sunday’s Watkins Glen let Bowman skyrocket to the top of the Hendrick chart. While his teammates and other playoff drivers fumbled with wrecks, Bowman came out with a clean lead – leaving jaws dropped.

Alex Bowman bounced back to the limelight

After missing the playoffs in 2023 and suffering a fractured vertebra in Kyle Larson’s dirt racing series, Alex Bowman may have reached rock bottom. Despite taking time to pull himself out of those pits, Bowman and his team kept working silently. Fans and peers turned a blind eye to his endeavors2 as his teammates shone brightly. Larson topped the series with four wins, William Byron followed with three, while Chase Elliott delivered consistent finishes along with a win. But all these stars’ glory fizzled out at Watkins Glen.

The track preyed on them with its notorious turns, as each encountered trouble of some sort. Combining yellows, strategy shifts, and pit road penalties stuttered their progress. In the meantime, Alex Bowman was among the four playoff drivers who came out of the Watkins Glen contest cleanly. Not only that, but the No. 48 driver also grabbed the points lead in the entire Hendrick Motorsports fold. NASCAR recently posted this update on X, captioning: “A 41-point buffer for the No. 48. @Alex_Bowman leads all @TeamHendrick drivers in the #NASCARPlayoffs standings with one race to go in the Round of 16.”

Gathering 13 top-ten finishes and 7 top-fives, Alex Bowman proves his mettle right when it matters. He also predicted that Goodyear’s experiment would fail. Ironically, he entered Watkins Glen with the least expectation at +3500 odds. Kyle Larson got the maximum attention in the HMS fold carrying +600 odds for Go Bowling at The Glen. However, Bowman upturned this stat at the qualifying itself – he was the only driver to advance into the final round. He qualified 4th and had a 27-point buffer. Although he finished 18th in the race, he led the team with a 41-point cushion against the cutline.

This outcome has sent ripples of surprise among NASCAR fans, as they marvel at Bowman’s progress.

Fans are enthralled by the new HMS lead

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A few weeks ago, ‘Door, Bumper, Clear’ hosts insinuated a shocking development. They triggered a rumor that Alex Bowman is on a hot seat in the Hendrick team, and may need to jump ship in 2025. Although this rumor was debunked by the hosts, the whispers continued. Now Bowman took matters into his own hands with the points lead. So one fan jeered at the initial discussion: “I thought he was losing his job though??? @CouchRacerShop @FreddieKraft.” Another fan bashed the podcast for setting off the false rumor. “Hmm wonder what if that one pod cast regrets starting that bs rumor which they had a lame a-s excuse for last week👀” Someone else talked about the knowing look on Bowman’s face, cheering his progress. “Oh snap! He got that look on his face. Like… “You know you effed up, right?!” lol.”

After a drab 2023 streak, Alex Bowman did not seem aligned for a good run in 2024 either. Until the Chicago race, things looked bleak – but when things looked up, Bowman kept it up. So one fan compared his earlier situation with this: “Who would have guessed this at the beginning of the season?” Another fan admitted that they did not expect this development. “Bowmid decided to show up when the time is right. Didn’t have this on my bingo card.” Somebody else supported Bowman, appreciating his ignoring the baseless rumors. “He’s taking those rumors and using them for motivation”

Evidently, Alex Bowman’s sudden lead has arrested the attention of fans. Now occupying the 4th rank in points, Bowman has a bright possibility in the upcoming segments of the playoffs.