BRISTOL, Tenn. — Alex Bowman is not taking the fact that he is back in the race car for granted. At one point this season, he thought he was watching the end of his Cup Series career.
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The Hendrick Motorsports driver had to exit the No. 48 Ally Chevrolet at Circuit of the Americas after experiencing vertigo. More than one month later, he has received medical clearance without restrictions, but he did not see this as a possibility on March 1 outside of Austin, Texas.
"I mean, honestly, yeah, when I got out at COTA, I was like, 'This is probably it,'" Bowman told media members at Bristol Motor Speedway. "Like that was what was going through my head. So, yeah, that sucked."
So what exactly happened that forced Bowman to get out of the car in the final stage? He did not share the specific cause of the vertigo symptoms, but he provided a firsthand account of a miserable afternoon.
"I mean, everything was fine until it wasn't, obviously, in the car," he said. "Dizziness, throwing up on myself, spinning, kind of all the things. So wasn't fun, not pumped that I had to get out.
"Obviously, I've raced through a lot of injuries, but that was one where I was going to end up running into something or somebody, and the smart thing to do in that case was to get out."
Alex Bowman is back in the media center discussing the vertigo issues that surfaced at Circuit of the Americas.
Said he was throwing up on himself during that race and that he had to get out of the car because he would have hit something. pic.twitter.com/VGqacQQ2Tz— John Newby (@JohnNewby_) April 11, 2026
Myatt Snider replaced Bowman for the closing laps of Circuit of the Americas, but questions remained about the following weekend at Phoenix Raceway.
The team made an effort. Bowman underwent a medical evaluation, and he also took part in a test session at Ten-Tenths Motor Club in Concord, North Carolina. Per NASCAR rules, he couldn't drive his race car at the purpose-built motor club, so he took a street car out onto the road course.
"We had gone to Ten-Tenths there that first week," Bowman said. "I could run a couple laps, but then I was ready to throw up and dizzy and not feeling well. Just being able to drive, put myself through those G-Forces and to feel well through it."
The Arizona native didn't receive clearance to compete at Phoenix, so Anthony Alfredo took over the No. 48. Justin Allgaier then took over at Las Vegas, Darlington, and Martinsville as Hendrick Motorsports continued to seek answers.
This process involved flying Bowman around to different places and meeting with multiple doctors. He had to "work through a multitude of things" during the rehab process so that he could get back to the race track.
Another test at Ten-Tenths provided better results. He didn't have the same dizziness while driving the street car around the road course.
Bowman also took part in different workouts, some Go-Kart sessions, and pit stop practice. He continued to show the progress the doctors and the team sought.
Now, he is back for another race in the No. 48 Chevrolet, and he won't have a backup driver on standby. He has no plans on getting out of the car.
The process of getting back to full health took time, certainly more than Bowman had initially hoped, but Hendrick Motorsports did not rush the process. The team didn't feel the need.
"Alex Bowman has always been the driver the number 48 Ally Chevrolet," Hendrick Motorsports President and GM Jeff Andrews said. "And we never had questions about whose seat that was. I think we said that early on that we would follow 100% to medical guidelines that we were given, plan Alex's return when it was medically cleared, and then as well when Alex said he was ready.
"And so for us, Alex is part of our team. He's a key teammate for us and been a integral part of our company for quite some time, so we were willing to do what we needed to do, to wait for him and get him back in at the right time."
Bristol is not the easiest place for a driver to return from any issue, let alone vertigo. The banked .533-mile oval tests drivers even in the best condition as they complete 500 laps. It is by no means a Sunday cruise.
Yet, Bowman chose Bristol as the site of his return. One reason is that he had received medical clearance. He really wanted to be back in the car, and he had permission.
Another reason is that this track is one where he has delivered some strong efforts, whether it was winning the pole for two consecutive races or posting multiple top-five finishes.
That doesn't mean he expects to be back in contention for another pole win or even a race win.
"I think expectations probably changed a little bit this week," Bowman said. "You know, if we could get out of here with a top 10, top 15, I think on my side of things, I'd be happy.
"But I think today will be the hardest part. Just getting back up to speed and trying to qualify after sitting on the couch."
