What Does 2024 Have in Store for Alex Bowman After Being Sidelined by Sprint Car Injury?

2023 was an unwanted storm for Alex Bowman. The Hendrick Motorsports driver for the first time in six years with the Chevy camp went out without making it past the regular season. The cataclysmic fallout of his Sprint car ambitions had adverse effects on his Cup Series campaign, finishing in 20th with zero wins.

Bowman‘s fall from grace took HMS aback as the driver looked like a mere image of his former self after the vicious Sprint car injury in the mid-season. The numbers speak for themselves here, he could rack up six top-10 finishes in the first seven races but things quickly went south once he broke his back, sidelining him for four weeks. But can he put it in the past and bounce back from the agonizing performances and return to his winning ways in 2024? Let’s dive deeper and find out.

Alex Bowman and his bittersweet 2023 season

Not just for the driver but 2023 wasn’t what Rick Hendrick or HMS fans thought it would be. While two of its top drivers lost the way in the playoff fight, the other two including the 26-year-old sensation, William Byron delivered when it mattered the most.

Unfortunately, Bowman and Chase Elliott had to walk through the fire only to be eliminated miserably. Bowman for the first time since 2018 finished the schedule without earning a win. To add insult to injury, Bowman threw a sly one at his former rival, Denny Hamlin, returning the favor to call him a “hack.” The initial laps of Grant Park 220 at Chicago saw the #11 JGR Toyota miss the corner and bump into the rear of the #48 HMS Chevy only to send him for a spin in turn 11.

Bowman upped the ante later in Darlington when he aggressively blocked Trackhouse Racing‘s Daniel Suarez when the playoff desperations set in. The irony is that Bowman started his season on the right foot, comfortably perched high in the rankings with solid performances.

WATCH THIS STORY: Alex Bowman unravels his plans for dirt racing 

While the #48 driver has recovered from his injury, that one Sprint car incident much like it flipped him on his head, flipped his 2023 season so much that he had to be content with a 20th-place finish compared to the 16th-place finish in 2022. On the positive side, he bested his personal record when he finished fifth in the season-opening Daytona 500.

The road ahead looks tough but promising but what to expect from Bowman in 2024?

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The driver and his #48 team have learned valuable lessons from the star’s four-week unplanned sabbatical. After he was sent for a flip that rendered him out of contention for several days with the driver breaking his vertebrae, Bowman had to struggle for quite a bit as the points deficit overwhelmed the driver succumbing to the playoff pressure.

For Bowman, the terrifying aspect of the whole debacle was relaying the news of his accident to his boss, Rick Hendrick, and Jeff Gordon. He said, “Calling Jeff and Mr. H, I was terrified because when I first asked Mr. H about it he was like, ‘Yeah, you can do whatever you want but don’t be dumb enough to go and get hurt’. And look what I did.”

Taking the blame to himself, Bowman is poised to prove his mettle, not letting his past season get the better of him in 2024. According to NASCAR, he said, “So many bad days, I didn’t have a choice because the way 2023 has gone for me on and off the race track, I had to figure it out. That’s just part of life. Regardless of what the stat sheet shows, I feel like I’ve learned a lot this year and hopefully am better for it.”

The tough part is Bowman will have to put his love for dirt racing on hold and devote his undivided attention to the Cup Series to make up for this dismal 2023 season. Plus, HMS’s long-time partner Ally has extended their contract with Bowman, unveiling a new camo livery, promising HMS fans a stellar 2024.

READ MORE: “I Am Not Quitting” – Alex Bowman Unravels His Plans for Dirt Racing