Alex Bowman signed a multi-year extension with Hendrick Motorsports that will keep him in the No. 48 car through the 2026 season before the Daytona 500. Bowman, 29, was one of many upcoming free agents to sign new deals.
Stewart-Haas Racing re-signed Chase Briscoe while Trackhouse Racing inked both Ross Chastain and Daniel Saurez to new contracts. This means Denny Hamlin, who has an expiring contract with Joe Gibbs Racing, is NASCAR’s top free agent for next year.
Bowman was the only driver on Hendrick Motorsports not locked into a multi-year extension before his new deal. The driver of the No. 48 car has security now and revealed an interesting detail about his new contract.
Related: Hendrick Motorsports drivers heavily praise Alex Bowman after his new contract
Alex Bowman talks about signing a contract extension with Hendrick Motorsports
Bowman is one of four drivers to have two top-10 finishes through two races during the 2023 NASCAR season alongside Joey Logano, Ross Chastain, and Daniel Suarez. It has been a successful start to his new partnership with crew chief Blake Harris.
There were questions about whether Bowman would take time to gel with Harris but those are answered now. The 29-year-old driver has looked good and now heads to the place of his last victory, Las Vegas Motor Speedway, this weekend.
Before the race weekend at Auto Club Speedway, Bowman sat down with The Athletic’s Jeff Gluck and talked about many different subjects. One of those subjects was his new contract with Hendrick Motorsports and he had something interesting to say.
“Yeah, working with (Ally Financial) has been awesome. Working with everybody at Hendrick Motorsports has been awesome. I’m super confident in the team we have, and I’ve definitely found a home. I was not nearly as nervous as Twitter made it out to be. It’s been done for awhile and I’m glad to finally get it out there, for sure. It was funny having a deal done, listening to (Jordan Bianchi) talk.”
Alex Bowman on his new contract extension with Hendrick Motorsports
It is clear that Bowman has found a home with Hendrick Motorsports; however, he said the contract has been done for a while and was not concerned about the overall process. Many have been quick to point the finger at him as the next one to leave the organization.
This was due to Bowman not running as well as his teammates and being the only one not locked into a long contract. Kyle Larson, Chase Elliott, and William Byron are publicly viewed as the future while Bowman is looked at as the driver in the rotating door.
However, that is not the case at all. Bowman has a season-long sponsor and has won in four straight seasons. The driver of the No. 48 car is not going anywhere and was never in a spot to be switching teams.