Bowman to sub for Larson at Charlotte, Phoenix Xfinity races

Alex Bowman won't have to wait until the 2018 Daytona 500 to get back behind the wheel.

Through its technical alliance with Hendrick Motorsports, Chip Ganassi Racing will have Bowman pilot the No. 42 Chevrolet in the Xfinity Series on Oct. 7 at Charlotte Motor Speedway as well as Nov. 11 at Phoenix Raceway. Bowman will run races originally slated for Kyle Larson so that Larson can keep his focus on the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series playoffs.

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"I'm really excited to get back in a race-winning car with a team like CGR," Bowman said. "A huge thanks to Chip and Mr. Hendrick for putting this together for me to get some valuable seat time heading into 2018. My goal is to win two races and help the No. 42 team win the NXS owners' championship."

The No. 42 team has four wins this season between Larson and Tyler Reddick. Reddick scored his first career win last weekend at Kentucky Speedway and the No. 42 car leads the owner standings going into this weekend.

Charlotte will be Bowman's second NASCAR start this season after he finished sixth in the Camping World Truck Series race at Atlanta in February. Following an announcement in August that he will be taking over Hendrick's No. 88 Cup car full-time next season, Bowman has been eager to get back racing.

HendrickCars.com will serve as the primary sponsor for Bowman at Charlotte, while the sponsor for Phoenix was not announced. Bowman has 50 career starts in the Xfinity Series with three poles, 13 top-10 and five top-five finishes.

"This is a terrific opportunity for Alex to get back into a competitive environment and work with a championship-caliber team," Rick Hendrick said. "I think he'll pick up right where he left off. It's also a valuable platform for us to promote HendrickCars.com in [Hendrick Automotive Group's] home market. Chip is a great friend, and we're looking forward to working with his team on and off the track."