Alex Bowman 2026 Report Card: Vertigo, Zero Laps Led, a C
Welcome to the Happy Hour Racing 2026 Season Report Cards, where every full-time Cup Series driver gets a grade computed from all 36 races, not opinion. Next up: the number 48, and a season that was knocked off course in March.
The Short Version
Alex Bowman's 2026 season was shaped by vertigo. He got out of the car during the race at COTA on March 1, missed the next four races and came back at Bristol in April already deep in the points. He had good days after that, including 3rds at Talladega and Texas and a 2nd at World Wide Technology Raceway, but he did not lead a single lap all year in a Hendrick Motorsports car. He made 32 starts, finished 26th in points and earned a computed C, 23rd of 35 full-time drivers.
Why the Alex Bowman 2026 Grade Is a C
Every HHR report card grade comes from the same math. After every race, each driver gets a score out of 100 based on where they finished in the field, how many spots they gained or lost from the start, how many laps they led, and a penalty for not finishing. The season grade is the average of all 36 race scores, curved against the 35 drivers who ran the full year.
Because Bowman missed four races, his grade is the average of the 32 he started. His season score ranked 23rd of 35, which lands at C. The four missed races are why he finished 26th in points while his grade sits a few spots higher.
His 20.0 average finish ranked 21st, and four top 5s ranked 14th. What drags the grade down is the crash total and the lack of front-running. Six DNFs ranked 30th, and he was the only full-time driver who never led a lap.
Alex Bowman by the Numbers
Here is where Bowman ranked among the 35 full-time drivers in 14 stats. The bar and the circle show his rank (1 is best). The number on the right is the actual stat.
The top of the card is respectable. Bowman ranked 14th in top 5s (4), 17th in lead lap finishes (21), 18th in percentage of laps in the top 15 (42%) and 20th in average running position (19.6).
The speed section is the problem. Zero laps led ranked 35th of 35. His 48 fastest laps ranked 34th. Add six DNFs (30th) and a finish spread that ranked 26th, and you get a season of decent finishes mixed with a lot of wrecked race cars.
Vertigo and Four Missed Races
The year went wrong early. In the Daytona 500, a big crash late in Stage 2 ended Bowman's day after 123 laps, and he finished 40th. At COTA on March 1 he had to leave the race early with vertigo. Myatt Snider finished the race in the No. 48, and the 36th-place result went on Bowman's record because he started it.
He missed the next four races. Anthony Alfredo drove the car at Phoenix, and Justin Allgaier drove it at Las Vegas, Darlington and Martinsville. Bowman was cleared to return without restrictions on April 9 and came back at Bristol on April 12, where Shane van Gisbergen spun and collected him. He finished 37th.
Then he found some speed. On April 26 at Talladega, Bowman pushed Carson Hocevar to his first Cup win and finished 3rd. "There is a lot of relief to finish and not crash," he told RACER. A week later he finished 3rd again at Texas, behind Chase Elliott and Denny Hamlin. Even with back-to-back 3rds, he left Texas 34th in points.
A Better Second Half
Bowman did not make the 16-driver Chase, but his results got steadier as the year went on. His average finish over the final 18 races was 17.9, compared with 21.6 over the first 18.
- Chicagoland, July 5: started 12th, finished 5th.
- Richmond, Aug. 15: started 25th, finished 10th.
- Daytona, Aug. 29: finished 8th.
- World Wide Technology Raceway, Sept. 13: finished 2nd behind teammate Kyle Larson in a Hendrick 1-2, his best result of the season.
- Talladega, Oct. 25: started 7th, finished 9th.
The Gateway runner-up came the day after the death of his dog, Finn. Crashes at Iowa, Bristol in September and Charlotte in October kept the second half from being better than it was.
What 2027 Looks Like
2027 will be Bowman's last full-time Cup season. In July, he and Hendrick announced a one-year extension, with Bowman retiring from full-time racing after 2027. In August, Hendrick named Connor Zilisch as the driver of the No. 48 starting in 2028.
He will have a new crew chief for that final year. Blake Harris, his crew chief for four seasons, is moving to Trackhouse Racing to lead Shane van Gisbergen's No. 97, and Hendrick has not named a replacement. Track every move on our 2027 silly season tracker.
The 2027 Daytona 500 is Feb. 21. Start times and channels for every race are on our race TV guide, and every other driver's grade is on the 2026 report cards page.
The Bottom Line
A C is a tough grade for a Hendrick driver, but four missed races, six crashes and zero laps led will do that. The good news is in the second half: when Bowman was healthy and kept the car clean, he was a top-15 regular. His last full-time season starts with a new crew chief and nothing to lose.
Gear Up for 2027
Get set for Bowman's final full-time season with gear for the No. 48.
- Castore Alex Bowman No. 48 Ally Polo
- Alex Bowman 2024 Chicago Street Race Win T-Shirt
- Alex Bowman 2021 No. 48 Ally Elite 1:24 Diecast
- NASCAR Fan Cap Subscription
Sources: NASCAR official race results and loop data for all 36 2026 points races; vertigo and substitutes via FOX Sports, TSN and AP; Daytona 500 via RACER; Bristol via LastCar.info; Talladega via RACER; Texas via NASCAR.com; Gateway via RACER and Heavy; extension via FOX Sports; Zilisch via NBC Sports; Harris via Trackhouse and Jayski.
