Hendrick teammates have Bowman’s back as he deals with the uncertainties of vertigo

Some of the biggest supporters in Alex Bowman’s corner know there is nothing they can really do for him but use their voice.

“Unfortunately, I can’t do anything for him, and that’s a tough spot,” Chase Elliott tells RACER about his Hendrick Motorsports teammate. “But you try to lend support where you can and let the guy know you miss working with him, and hope he gets it all sorted out.”

Bowman has been sidelined for the last two NASCAR Cup Series race weekends following a vertigo diagnosis. The symptoms began on March 1 during the first road course race of the season at Circuit of The Americas. Unable to finish the event, Bowman turned the car over to Myatt Snider. Anthony Alfredo drove the No. 48 Chevrolet a week later at Phoenix Raceway (March 8) and Justin Allgaier the past weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway (March 15).

His team described Bowman’s plight as coming out of nowhere, saying it is not related to any past concussions.

“It’s a really scary thing, honestly,” Elliott continued. “It’s something we’re all subject to, truthfully. You never know what will happen, what tomorrow brings, or what something today can impact tomorrow. So, I hate that he’s going through it.

“It’s a really tough spot. First and foremost, I hope he can get some answers to the questions he has and get him back here to the track soon.”

Elliott has been lending his support to Bowman from afar, hoping to strike a balance between being there for his teammate and giving him the respect and space he needs in this tough situation. But it’s important, Elliott believes, that Bowman knows that he is supported and missed.

“I enjoy working with Alex,” Elliott said. “I think he knows that without me saying anything, but I do think it is probably nice to reaffirm to him.”

Bowman's teammates are toeing a difficult line between being supportive friends and giving him space to resolve his latest setback. Araya Doheny/Getty Images

An unfortunate sidenote to Bowman’s story is that it’s not the first time he’s had to fight back into his driver’s seat. Bowman has had a career of ups and downs through on-track performance, opportunities with different race teams, and injuries.

There was a viral moment from his 2025 reaction at New Hampshire as he waited for safety officials to get to his burning race car, and then one of them fell with a fire extinguisher. A year later, he found out he had been fired from his ride when he read it on social media.

But he had the eye of Dale Earnhardt Jr. and earned his place at Hendrick Motorsports by serving as Earnhardt’s substitute driver before becoming the company’s simulator driver. Eventually, Bowman was Earnhardt’s successor. And from there, the Arizona native has had to press forward through social media critics who kick him out of his ride each silly season, and deliver on the expectations of driving for Rick Hendrick.

Prior to his vertigo, Bowman’s last setback had been in the spring of 2023 when he fractured a vertebra in his back during a sprint car crash. The injury came a few weeks after Bowman and his team had enjoyed time at the top of the Cup Series point standings. An argument could be made that they’ve never been the same since.

The back injury came just months after Bowman missed five of the final six races of the 2022 season. A concussion sidelined him after a rear-impact crash at Texas Motor Speedway. He was one of the early victims of a stiff Next Gen car that was taking its toll on drivers.

“He’s gone through a lot in his career as a race car driver – even back before NASCAR – and having some injuries and a broken back a couple of years ago,” Kyle Larson tells RACER. “The concussion. Now this. It’s tough. He’s a great guy and a great teammate. I hope they can figure out how to cure him quickly and get him back with us all.

“You feel for him. You care for him. I don’t want to reach out to him every day because I’m sure that’s the last thing he wants, is to update people. So, I’ve been going once or twice a week here, checking in and seeing how he’s doing, and telling him to keep his head up.”

Bowman’s status appears to be week-to-week. The diagnosis that followed the COTA race weekend included Bowman driving a road car around the Ten Tenths Motor Club in Concord, N.C., and acknowledging that he was not ready to be in a race car.

In the simplest terms, vertigo is a sensation of dizziness or an individual feeling off-balance or swaying. Vertigo can develop without warning, as it appears to have done for Bowman, and on a deeper level, can be rooted in an inner ear condition. It affects people differently and does not have a set timeline of coming and going.

“Obviously, we’re very supportive of him and hope he can get back really soon,” William Byron tells RACER. “Honestly, as a competitor, I hate to see him go through that. Everyone just wants to be able to show up every week and continue to work on things and improve, and not have those hiccups in the road.

“As a teammate, I want to see him back on the track. But I give him the space to go through what he needs to go through.”

It’s been six years since this Hendrick Motorsports foursome began working together as teammates and building friendships. Bowman’s absence these last few weeks has been felt on both sides of the coin, and now those friends and teammates are cheering the loudest for him.