This week Alex Bowman was once again on the sidelines as Josh Berry drove his No. 48 Ally Chevy Camaro at Darlington. Bowman fractured his back right after the Talladega race in April. Since the sprint car injury, he has been on the mend and sidelined in the NASCAR Cup Series.
Alex Bowman did show up to Throwback Weekend at Darlington. He was there to support his team and help out Berry however he could. While he was at the hauler, he was met with a scrum of media asking him about his potential return.
The good news is that Bowman is healing. The driver said, “I feel better than I did a couple of weeks ago,” via Bob Pockrass of Fox Sports. However, there is no timetable at this moment for his return. Bowman has plans to see a doctor this week and see where they can go from there.
“I don’t have any time for an estimated return. I have some doctor’s appointments this week. Get some more X-rays, see how it’s healing and kinda can go from there. I’m obviously mobile, super fortunate the injury wasn’t worse than it was. Obviously, a lot of people have had that flat landing in a sprint car and have been hurt a lot worse than I was. So, just heal up and come back when I can.”
Bowman discussed how he is keeping active, the things that make it hurt worse and more. It seems like if a doctor says he’s good, he will give it a go and see if he can manage the pain.
For now, expect to see Josh Berry in that No. 48 Chevy.
Can Alex Bowman return to form?
To start the season, Alex Bowman might have been the most consistent driver in the Cup Series. Following his back injury, will he be able to return to that same consistency? Outside of a P29 finish at Bristol Dirt, Bowman has finished no worse than P14 this season. He has three top-5s and three more top-10s to go along with them.
With the All-Star Race coming up, it probably feels like he has two more weeks to get himself ready to drive if the doctors approve it. However, he might try and suit up for North Wilkesboro after it is all said and done.
Bowman is going to try and maintain that consistency that he had back in March and April. In his absence, Josh Berry has a best finish of P10 from Dover. He didn’t fare well at Darlington, but he is still the Super Sub for Hendrick Motorsports.
This was a very good season that Alex Bowman was stringing together. He will likely need a win to make it to the postseason this year. He is going to have fewer chances to do that with each week he sits on the sidelines.
