NASCAR’s silly season is in full swing, and the rumor mill is buzzing with talk of driver switches and potential team shakeups. The latest name in the spotlight? Alex Bowman. Speculation has been swirling that Bowman may not be sticking around with Hendrick Motorsports next season. But on a recent media day, Bowman addressed the rumors head-on.

“Yeah, that rumor has certainly been annoying,” Bowman said. “Obviously, my contract is through the end of 2026. All I can tell you is like what my bosses have told me, and that is that there are no plans to change anything.”

While the No. 48 driver sounds confident about his future, the persistent rumors have left him with some doubts. He’s hoping senior management will step in and clear the air. However, Jeff Gordon did make a statement, but instead of putting the rumors to rest, his words only added to the uncertainty.

The rumors started after Spire Motorsports previously sacked their #7 driver, Corey Lajoie. This came as the team is on a revamp journey and LaJoie’s time with them hasn’t been great. Since joining the team in 2021, he’s not managed a single win and only finished four times in the top 5 and seven times in the top 10. The 2024 season was no better, as he ended the regular season in the 32nd position. The vacancy in the team had many speculated that Alex Bowman would take the seat with newly appointed Rodney Childers as his crew chief.

Despite Bowman’s statement, the rumor persists as recent Hendrick Motorsports vice chairman, Jeff Gordon, made a statement on the matter. Speaking on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, he said, “Yeah, you know, don’t like to address rumors ’cause that’s what they are, but, you know, we have a lot of confidence in [Alex Bowman], and [Blake Harris], and the whole No. 48 team. Nobody wants to see them go deeper into the playoffs or go to Phoenix and compete for a championship more than we do. We believe in those guys.”

While it seems like Jeff Gordon is trying to dodge the question rather than answer it. His recent comments left Bowman’s future at Hendrick Motorsports uncertain. The No. 48 driver’s job security may be at stake over the next 10 races. This, however, seems unlikely since Bowman had a decent season so far. His win in the chaotic, rain-filled Chicago street race locked him in the playoffs. But will be entering as an underdog. In the regular season, he has 6 top-5 finishes and 12 top-10 finishes with an average finish of 15.3.

However, if Jeff Gordon had announced the team’s plans with Alex Bowman, things would have been clearer. As of now, they have neither denied nor agreed to the rumors. Although, with stats backing him, Bowman is confident about his future at HMS and wants to win his first championship with them.

Alex Bowman remains focused!

Alex Bowman has dismissed rumors about his future and said that he will only be focused on winning his first Cup Series championship and hopes to achieve a strong playoff run with his No. 48 team.

“Beyond that, we need to go run better. It’s been a miserable month. We haven’t executed on a high level at all. So we need to go run better in the next 10 weeks. But we need to do that for us and our playoff run and for (sponsor) Ally and the 48 car. There’s no like ‘You need to do this to keep your job,’ as far as I know. I’m not worried about that at all,” he added.

As for his championship chances, Alex Bowman is close to the top contenders like his teammate, Kyle Larson (13.4) and Denny Hamlin (15), with his average finish this season of 15.3. No. 48 driver’s most successful period this season occurred in April and May when he achieved five consecutive top-10 finishes, including a fifth-place finish at Talladega, an eighth-place finish at Dover and Kansas, a seventh-place finish at Darlington, and a ninth-place finish in the Coca-Cola 600.

However, what is concerning is his recent runs.

• In the last 5 races, he hasn’t finished even once in the top 10.
• His finishes were 31st on Brickyard, 28th in Richmond, 27th in Michigan, 16th at Daytona, and 19th in the most recent Darlington race.

If Alex Bowman wants to finally get a championship in his decade-long Cup Series career, he will have to find the speed he had in the early part of the season. He’s shown dominance on road courses. So maybe the addition of another road course race can favor his chances.

What do you think are his chances of winning the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series? Let us know in the comments below.