Alex Bowman faced elimination in the Round of 16 at Bristol Motor Speedway, pushing the No. 48 team to its limits, but despite a determined rally, his playoff campaign ended short of the next round. The intense battle unfolded in a must-win scenario for Bowman, heightening drama around the ongoing Alex Bowman playoff elimination Bristol storyline.
Early Challenges Set the Stage for Elimination at Bristol
Bowman entered the Bristol cutoff race for the NASCAR playoffs enduring significant pressure after a rough start to the postseason. The troubles began at Darlington Raceway, where the No. 48 car suffered a lengthy 40-second pit stop and handling problems, relegating Bowman to a disappointing 31st place. Momentum failed to swing his way at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway, as slow pit work and lacking pace resulted in 26th position. In preparation for Bristol, Hendrick Motorsports made a key crew swap, assigning all pit members except fueler Jacob Conley from the No. 77 Spire Motorsports team to Bowman’s car, seeking a competitive edge.
Race Day: Bowman Battles Back From Setbacks
The 500-lap event proved punishing, with tire wear continuously shaping race strategies. Bowman’s night began with adversity, dropping a lap in Stage 1 after early struggles. Riley Herbst made contact with Bowman around Lap 100, spinning the No. 48 car and triggering a caution period. Despite this setback, Bowman managed to recover lost ground through Stage 2, climbing to finish third behind Ty Gibbs and Ryan Blaney, both of whom collected stage victories.
Strategic Moves in the Final Laps
As the checkered flag approached, Blake Harris, Bowman’s crew chief, made a critical call to bring the car in for a last pit stop with just 28 laps left, at a moment when the No. 48 had battled up to second place. Racing leader Brad Keselowski remained the primary target, as Bowman managed to regain two laps under green. When another caution flew with 12 laps remaining, Bowman chose to stay out, gambling with older tires in hopes of gaining track position.
The restart with four laps to go saw Hocevar and Zane Smith share the front row, while Bowman lined up on the outside of Row 2. Both front-runners drifted up the track, and a bump from Brad Keselowski forced Bowman to the high side, resulting in an eighth-place finish. The performance left him 10 points below the cut line, confirming he would not progress to the Round of 12 and marking him as the only Hendrick driver to be eliminated at this stage.
Bowman Reflects on Hard-Fought Race and Team Adjustments
“I don’t think you can really point at something that cost us,”
—Alex Bowman, No. 48 Driver, Hendrick Motorsports
Bowman addressed NBC Sports following the finish, expressing that running out of fresh tires left his options limited and reaffirmed the team’s strategy with the conditions they faced.
“Hats off to our whole Ally 48 team. They did a good job throughout the course of the day and trying to be better after a rough last two weeks, and I think we swung it the right direction, and we can continue to do that for the next seven weeks. We’ve just got to keep digging. Certainly sucks to not transfer, but our back was against the wall coming in here. We knew it was going to be a tough thing to do.”
—Alex Bowman, No. 48 Driver, Hendrick Motorsports
Bowman stood out as the only Hendrick representative failing to advance, a disappointment after a late surge in the regular season that featured seven top-10s in the closing 11 races, with four top-five results, including a runner-up at Richmond Raceway to Austin Dillon.
Performance Trends and Playoff Shortcomings
The first two playoff races quickly exposed the underlying difficulties for Bowman and the No. 48 team. Despite occasional strong finishes at Darlington—two top-10s in eight prior runs—trouble persisted at shorter, flat tracks resembling Gateway, with Bowman’s average St. Louis finish just 23.3 over four starts. Hendrick Motorsports believed they were closing the gap at these circuits, but persistent issues kept the No. 48 from capitalizing during the postseason.
“We’re a plenty capable race team a lot of the time, and just the last two weeks we’ve just not been very good,”
—Alex Bowman, No. 48 Driver, Hendrick Motorsports
Bowman admitted the recent stretch had not lived up to expectations, and the performances at tricky tracks were more challenging than anticipated.
“Even coming [to Bristol], we were typically a good bit better than we were tonight and yesterday when we come here. We have some work to do on our race cars, but everybody is always working, getting better, and tires change and the field changes. I think this summer we were so fast every week that I’m a little surprised to be down on speed, but the guys work really hard, and we’ll keep digging on it.”
—Alex Bowman, No. 48 Driver, Hendrick Motorsports
The No. 48’s elimination is especially tough following a period where the team looked resurgent, yet inconsistency in the playoffs proved insurmountable.
Looking Ahead For Bowman and Hendrick Motorsports
Bowman’s focus now shifts to maximizing results in the final seven events, two of which are at tracks where he has previously triumphed. For Hendrick Motorsports, the mission is to apply lessons from this postseason as its remaining cars continue to pursue championship glory. With Brad Keselowski, Ty Gibbs, Ryan Blaney, and Zane Smith playing prominent roles at Bristol, the end of Bowman’s playoff journey places the spotlight on the adjustments and resilience required at the highest level of stock car competition.
The setback at Bristol carries significance—not only in dashing hopes for a deeper playoff run, but also in shaping offseason decisions for the crew, pit strategy, and preparation for the 2025 campaign. Despite the disappointment, Bowman and the No. 48 team signal determination to learn and rebound, characteristic of the relentless spirit permeating Hendrick and the broader NASCAR grid.
