Alex Bowman is expected to drive the No. 7 truck for Spire Motorsports in this weekend’s NASCAR Truck Series race at Sonoma Raceway.
Let’s dive into why this makes sense for Bowman and Hendrick Motorsports.
Why is Alex Bowman expected to drive for Spire Motorsports?
Alex Bowman drives for Hendrick Motorsports in the NASCAR Cup Series but has driven for Spire Motorsports in the Truck Series this season with teammate William Byron.
The 29-year-old driver wheeled the No. 7 truck to a 25th place finish at Circuit of the Americas, but he was in contention to win which makes this an outlier finish.
Most importantly, the extra time on Saturday leads to better results on Sunday. Bowman finished in second place during the Cup Series race at Circuit of the Americas which is the best road course finish of his career.
Hendrick Motorsports’ president and general manager Jeff Andrews agrees with that statement. Specifically, Andrews said that road course experience translates well to Sunday events.
The driver of the No. 48 car has a best finish of ninth place at Sonoma Raceway and that explains why Bowman is expected to drive the No. 7 truck.
This has been a common occurrence for Hendrick drivers this season. In fact, they have even gone to the level that Hendrick Motorsports is entering the NASCAR Xfinity Series again after a 13-year absence.
Bowman is going to drive the No. 17 car in the Xfinity Series at the Indianapolis Road Course while Byron and Kyle Larson wheel the car for two other road course events.
Overall, this is a positive opportunity for Alex Bowman that should help him out in Sunday’s Cup Series event.
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Other NASCAR Cup Series drivers in the Truck race at Sonoma
Alex Bowman isn’t the only Cup Series driver expected to take the wheel on Saturday evening. At least four other drivers are going to join him.
Austin Dillon is scheduled to drive the No. 20 truck for Young’s Motorsports. Dillon competed in the No. 20 truck at Bristol Dirt and finished in 14th place.
The driver of the No. 3 car has a best finish of 13th place in seven Cup Series starts at Sonoma. This will be a great opportunity for Dillon to get more track time.
Harrison Burton is also scheduled to drive the No. 17 truck for David Gilliland Racing. Burton competed in the No. 17 truck at Bristol Dirt and finished in 20th place.
The 21-year-old driver has not competed on Sonoma in NASCAR’s top three levels so it is a needed opportunity for the Cup Series rookie to maximize his performance on Sunday afternoon.
Ross Chastain is scheduled to make his final appearance in the No. 41 truck for Niece Motorsports this weekend. Chastain has reached his five-race limit and won his last Truck event at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
The 29-year-old driver finished in seventh place with Chip Ganassi Racing during last season’s event at Sonoma. Chastain won the only road course race to date in the Cup Series this season.
Finally, Kyle Busch is scheduled to make his final appearance in the No. 51 truck for Kyle Busch Motorsports this weekend. Busch has reached his five-race limit as he looks to win a Truck race for the 10th straight season.
The 37-year-old driver has four straight top-5 finishes in the Cup Series at Sonoma but more on-track time certainly won’t hurt his chances.
There is going to be a lot of competition on Saturday evening. The Truck Series regulars are going to have their hands full with the expertise of Cup Series drivers in the field.
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