Career Timeline of Alex Bowman: Major Achievements and Milestones

From career breakthroughs to professional milestones, explore how Alex Bowman made an impact.

Alex Bowman is an American professional stock car racing driver who currently competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 48 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for Hendrick Motorsports. He also drives part-time in the NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series for JR Motorsports, and owns Alex Bowman Racing, a Dirt Midget and Sprint car racing team. Bowman is notable for his impressive streak of six consecutive front-row starts at the Daytona 500 from 2018 to 2023, including winning the pole position in 2018, 2021, and 2023.

Sections (3)

Full Timeline Career & Achievements Success & Recognition

2000: Started Racing Career

In 2000, at the age of seven, Alex Bowman began his racing career on short tracks in Arizona and California, driving quarter midget cars in United States Auto Club (USAC) competition.

2006: USAC Achievements

By 2006, Alex Bowman had achieved significant success in USAC competition, with nine national championships and 165 feature wins.

2008: USAC National Focus Midget Championship

In 2008, Alex Bowman won the USAC National Focus Midget championship with eleven wins, and also the California Dirt Focus Midget championship.

2009: USAC National Midget Rookie of the Year

In 2009, Alex Bowman was named USAC National Midget Rookie of the Year.

2010: Move to Stock Car Racing

In 2010, at the age of eighteen, Alex Bowman transitioned to full-bodied stock car racing, participating in two Rev-Oil Pro Cup starts and a late model start.

2011: ARCA Racing Series Wins

In 2011, Alex Bowman competed in two ARCA Racing Series events for Venturini Motorsports, winning both events at Madison International Speedway and Kansas Speedway.

2011: NASCAR K&N Pro Series East

In 2011, Alex Bowman moved to the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East with X Team Racing, finishing sixth in series points and winning Rookie of the Year honors.

2012: Full-Time in ARCA

In 2012, Alex Bowman competed full-time in ARCA for Cunningham Motorsports, winning races at Salem Speedway, Winchester Speedway, Iowa Speedway, and Kansas Speedway. He also secured the pole for the inaugural ARCA Mobile 200 at Mobile International Speedway.

2012: NASCAR Nationwide Series Debut

In 2012, Alex Bowman made his debut in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, driving for Turner Motorsports at Chicagoland Speedway, finishing seventeenth. He also drove for RAB Racing and Turner at other races towards the end of 2012.

January 2013: Full Nationwide Series Season with RAB

In January 2013, Alex Bowman's participation in the full Nationwide Series season for RAB in 2013 was announced. He competed for Rookie of the Year honors and won his first career Nationwide pole at the O'Reilly Auto Parts 300 at Texas.

January 2014: BK Racing and Daytona 500

In January 2014, Alex Bowman tested for BK Racing before the 2014 Daytona 500 and was announced as the driver for the No. 23 car for the 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season, competing for Rookie of the Year.

2014: Return to Nationwide Series

In 2014, Alex Bowman returned to the Nationwide Series, driving the No. 80 for Hattori Racing Enterprises at Dover, and the No. 5 JR Motorsports Chevy at Charlotte and Phoenix.

January 30, 2015: Tommy Baldwin Racing

On January 30, 2015, it was announced that Alex Bowman would drive the full 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season in the No. 7 car for Tommy Baldwin Racing.

2015: Xfinity and Truck Series Starts

During the 2015 season, Alex Bowman participated in the Xfinity Series with Athenian Motorsports and in a Truck Series race with JRM.

January 21, 2016: Parting Ways with Tommy Baldwin Racing

On January 21, 2016, Alex Bowman parted ways with Tommy Baldwin Racing, losing his Sprint Cup ride.

December 2016: Advance Auto Parts Clash at Daytona

In December 2016, Rick Hendrick announced that Alex Bowman would drive the No. 88 in place of Earnhardt Jr. for the 2017 Advance Auto Parts Clash at Daytona. Bowman finished third.

2016: First Career Pole at Phoenix

In 2016, Alex Bowman alternated with Jeff Gordon in the No. 88 car and won his first career pole at Phoenix. He led 197 laps and finished sixth after a late-race incident.

2016: Interim Driver for Hendrick Motorsports

In 2016, Alex Bowman returned to the Cup Series as an interim driver for Dale Earnhardt Jr. in the No. 88 for Hendrick Motorsports, due to Earnhardt Jr.'s concussion issues. He had a 26th-place finish at New Hampshire after hitting the wall.

2016: Pole at Phoenix

In 2016, Alex Bowman scored his first pole since the 2016 Fall Phoenix race for the playoff race at Bristol on September 20, 2024. The Phoenix pole was not for a Daytona 500 race.

2016: Joins JRM for Nine Races

On November 11, 2016, Alex Bowman joined JRM for nine races in the No. 88 for the 2016 Xfinity season. He won a pole at Michigan and finished in the top ten in all but two races, but struggled to find sponsorship for a full-time opportunity.

2017: Johnson won the 2017 AAA 400 Drive for Autism

Alex Bowman is the first time that the No. 48 returned to Victory Lane since Johnson won the 2017 AAA 400 Drive for Autism

2017: Truck Series and Xfinity Series Participation

In 2017, Alex Bowman joined GMS Racing to run the Truck Series race at Atlanta in the No. 24 and drove the No. 42 Xfinity car of Chip Ganassi Racing at Charlotte and Phoenix, winning his first NASCAR national series race at Charlotte.

2017: Earnhardt Jr.'s Retirement Support

In 2017, When Dale Earnhardt Jr. announced his retirement, he expressed support for Alex Bowman to replace him in the No. 88 for the 2018 season.

2018: 2018 Daytona 500 Pole and Playoff Debut

Alex Bowman's 2018 season included winning the pole for the 2018 Daytona 500 and making his Playoff debut, finishing sixteenth in points.

2018: Six Consecutive Front-Row Starts

In 2018, Alex Bowman began a record of six consecutive front-row starts in the Daytona 500.

2018: Return to West Series

In 2018, Alex Bowman returned to the West Series at Sonoma Raceway, driving the No. 24 for Bill McAnally Racing.

2018: Named Driver of No. 88 Car

On July 20, 2018, Hendrick Motorsports formally named Alex Bowman as the driver of the No. 88 car.

2019: First Cup Series Win

In 2019, at the Camping World 400 at Chicagoland Speedway, Alex Bowman won his first Cup Series race. He also qualified for the Round of 12 in the playoffs but was eliminated after the Kansas race.

2019: Consecutive Second-Place Finishes

In the 2019 season, Alex Bowman had improved finishes, including three consecutive second-place finishes at Talladega, Dover, and Kansas. He also made the starting grid of the 2019 Monster Energy NASCAR All-Star Race by winning the Fan Vote.

March 1, 2020: Auto Club 400 Win

On March 1, 2020, Alex Bowman secured his second career NASCAR Cup Series win in the Auto Club 400, leading 110 laps and winning stage 1. He beat Kyle Busch by a significant margin.

2021: Pole at Daytona 500

In 2021, Alex Bowman won the pole at the Daytona 500.

2021: Move to No. 48 Car

On October 6, 2020, it was announced that Alex Bowman and crew chief Greg Ives would move to the No. 48 car for the 2021 season, replacing Jimmie Johnson. He inherited Ally Financial's sponsorship, and the No. 88 was taken over by Kyle Larson. Bowman finished sixth in the 2020 standings.

2021: 2021 Season Wins and Contract Extension

The 2021 season saw Alex Bowman win the pole at the Daytona 500, win races at Richmond, Dover, and Pocono, and sign a contract extension with Hendrick Motorsports through 2023. He was eliminated in the Round of 8 but won at Martinsville, finishing fourteenth in points.

2022: 2022 Season: Daytona 500, Injury, and Win

Alex Bowman's 2022 season included qualifying 2nd for the Daytona 500, being involved in a crash, winning the Pennzoil 400 at Las Vegas, finishing second at Circuit of the Americas, suffering a concussion at Texas (missing several races), and finishing the season sixteenth in points.

2022: Spire Motorsports Truck Series Entry

In 2022, it was announced by Spire Motorsports that Alex Bowman would drive their No. 7 truck series entry at COTA with sponsorship from HendrickCars.com.

2023: Contract Extension

In 2021, Alex Bowman signed a contract extension with Hendrick Motorsports through 2023

2023: 2023 Season

In 2023, Alex Bowman started the season with a fifth-place finish at the Daytona 500. On March 15, his team was penalized for unapproved hood louvers, but the penalty was later amended on March 29. On April 6, another penalty was issued for alterations to the car's greenhouse. On April 25, Bowman suffered a back injury in a sprint car race. He returned for the Coca-Cola 600, finished twelfth, and announced he would focus on NASCAR. He failed to make the playoffs and later that year, his dog, Roscoe, died.

2023: Pole at Daytona 500

In 2023, Alex Bowman won the pole at the Daytona 500.

2024: 2024 Season

In 2024, Alex Bowman finished second at the Daytona 500. He won the Chicago street race, breaking an 80-race drought. Bowman entered the 2024 NASCAR playoffs as the twelfth seed. On September 20, Bowman earned his fifth career Cup Series pole at Bristol. He advanced to the Round of 12 with the most points. At the Kansas fall race on September 29, Bowman won Stage 2. He was later disqualified from the Charlotte Roval race due to a weight infraction, and finished the season ninth in points.

2025: 2025 Season

In 2025, Bowman started the season with a sixth-place finish at the Daytona 500. Bowman got his sixth career pole but failed to win the Straight Talk Wireless 400. He also got a pole at Bristol in the spring. Later, he suffered a hard crash at Michigan but recovered to finish fourth at Mexico City. Bowman made the playoffs after Ryan Blaney won at Daytona. Bowman was eliminated at Bristol after finishing eighth.

2026: Contract Extension with HMS

Prior to the 2023 Daytona 500, Bowman signed a three-year contract extension with HMS through 2026, and Ally Financial also signed a five-year extension with HMS. This announcement was made before the start of the 2023 season.