career[edit]
Bowman's 2010 Pro Cup car
Bowman's 2013 Nationwide Series car
Beginnings[edit]
A native of Tucson, Arizona, Bowman started his racing career on short tracks in Arizona and California in 2000 at the age of 7,[1] driving quarter midget cars in United States Auto Club (USAC) competition. By 2006, he had won nine national championships and 165 feature wins.[2]
Midget Racing[edit]
In 2008, he won the USAC National Focus Midget championship with 11 wins, as well as the California Dirt Focus Midget championship.[3] In 2009, he was named USAC National Midget Rookie of the Year. In February 2010, Bowman was injured in an accident during a USAC race, suffering a fractured clavicle and rib.[4] Bowman continues to field a midget in select races, competing himself at the 2016 Chili Bowl and fielding a car for driver Ryan Smith in 2017.
K&N Pro Series[edit]
In 2010, at the age of 17, he moved to full-bodied stock car racing, making two Rev-Oil Pro Cup starts and a late model start.[5] Bowman moved to the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East with X Team Racing for 2011.[5] Bowman finished sixth in series points, winning Rookie of the Year.[6]
ARCA Racing Series[edit]
Bowman also competed in two ARCA Racing Series events during 2011 for Venturini Motorsports, at Madison International Speedway and Kansas Speedway, winning both events.[7]
He moved full-time to ARCA for 2012 for Cunningham Motorsports as a development driver for Penske Racing,[1] winning races at Salem Speedway, Winchester Speedway, Iowa Speedway, and Kansas Speedway over the course of the year.[8] Alex also won the pole for the inaugural Arca Mobile 200 at Mobile International Speedway in Mobile Alabama 3/11/2012
Xfinity and Camping World Truck Series[edit]
Also in 2012, Bowman made his debut at the national level of NASCAR competition, driving for Turner Motorsports in the Nationwide Series at Chicagoland Speedway.[9] He finished 17th in his debut race;[10] he also drove for RAB Racing in the Nationwide Series at Kentucky Speedway and Phoenix International Raceway,[11] and for Turner at Dover International Speedway, towards the end of 2012.[12]
In January 2013, it was announced that Bowman would be running the full Nationwide Series season for RAB in 2013, competing for Rookie of the Year honors.[13] He would win his first career Nationwide pole at the O'Reilly Auto Parts 300 at Texas.[14] Bowman would win another pole at Texas later in the season, but was released by the team prior to the season-ending race at Homestead-Miami Speedway.[15] Bowman ended the season with six top-tens in 32 starts.[16]
Bowman returned to the Nationwide Series in 2014, driving the No. 80 for Hattori Racing Enterprises at Dover,[17] while driving the No. 5 JR Motorsports Chevy at Charlotte[18] and Phoenix.[19]
During the 2015 season, Bowman made starts in the Xfinity (formerly Nationwide) Series with Athenian Motorsports and a Camping World Truck Series race with JRM.
On November 11, Bowman joined JRM for nine races in the No. 88 for the 2016 Xfinity season.[20] He won a pole at Michigan and finished in the top-ten in all but two races.[21] Despite the success, Bowman struggled to find sponsorship that would grant him the opportunity to race full-time for JRM.[22]
In 2017, Bowman joined GMS Racing to run the Truck Series race at Atlanta in the No. 24 as a fill-in driver for Justin Haley, who was too young to race at the track.[23] In October and November, Bowman drove the No. 42 Xfinity car of Chip Ganassi Racing at Charlotte and Phoenix.[24]
Cup Series[edit]
In January 2014, Bowman tested for BK Racing as part of Preseason Thunder before the 2014 Daytona 500 in the No. 83.[25] On January 20, the team announced his hiring for the No. 23 car for 2014, running the full 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season for Rookie of the Year.[26] During the season, the success of Josh Wise's Dogecoin-sponsored car prompted a sponsorship effort[27] to fund a bitcoin-sponsored car at Atlanta for Bowman with a goal of raising $100,000.[28] The goal was subsequently dropped to $25,000,[29] but failed to raise enough funding.[30]
On January 30, 2015, it was announced that Bowman would drive the full 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season in the No. 7 car for Tommy Baldwin Racing. He failed to qualify for the Daytona 500 after he was caught up in a multi-car wreck in his duel race. At New Hampshire his car erupted in flames after rubber from a blown tire got into the engine. He was able to return to the track.[31] On January 21, 2016, Bowman parted ways with Tommy Baldwin Racing, losing his Sprint Cup ride.[32]
Bowman returned to the Cup Series at Loudon in the New Hampshire 301, driving the No. 88 for Hendrick Motorsports as an interim driver for Dale Earnhardt Jr., who would miss the remainder of the 2016 season because of concussion issues.[33] Despite running in the top ten, including as high as eighth, Bowman blew a tire and hit the wall in turn one on lap 272, relegating him to a 26th-place finish.[34]
Bowman and Jeff Gordon would alternate the No. 88 car for the balance of the 2016 season. Bowman won his first career pole at Phoenix.[35] The Phoenix event turned out to be his best race of his career. Bowman led the most laps with 197 and tried to make what would have been the winning pass on Matt Kenseth with 6 laps to go. While passing Kenseth, Bowman got tapped from behind by Kyle Busch, spinning Kenseth out; Bowman recovered to finish 6th.[36] In December 2016, Rick Hendrick announced that Bowman would run the No. 88 in place of Earnhardt for the 2017 Advance Auto Parts Clash at Daytona; while Earnhardt was also eligible for the event, he elected to allow Bowman drive the car out of appreciation for substituting in 2016.[37] Bowman finished third after losing out in a side-by-side battle for second with Kyle Busch.[38] When Earnhardt announced his retirement in the spring, he expressed support for Bowman to replace him in the No. 88 for the 2018 season.[39] On July 20, Hendrick Motorsports formally named Bowman as the driver of the No. 88 car in 2018.[40]
Motorsports career results[edit]
NASCAR[edit]
(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)
Sprint Cup Series[edit]
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series results
Year
Team
No.
Make
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
NSCC
Pts
2014
BK Racing
23
Toyota DAY 23 PHO 41 LVS 37 BRI 32 CAL 22 MAR 36 TEX 32 DAR 29 RCH 28 TAL 28 KAN 35 CLT 33 DOV 40 POC 31 MCH 40 SON 29 KEN 36 DAY 13 NHA 31 IND 40 POC 31 GLN 36 MCH 26 BRI 32 ATL 35 RCH 38 CHI 35 NHA 28 DOV 34 KAN 32 CLT 30 TAL 43 MAR 29 TEX 42 PHO 32 HOM 33 35th
412
2015
Tommy Baldwin Racing
7
Chevy DAY DNQ ATL 23 LVS 43 PHO 30 CAL 33 MAR 37 TEX 33 BRI 20 RCH 32 TAL 16 KAN 43 CLT 26 DOV 20 POC 26 MCH 41 SON 31 DAY 24 KEN 31 NHA 42 IND 43 POC 25 GLN 29 MCH 31 BRI 32 DAR 24 RCH 37 CHI 37 NHA 42 DOV 32 CLT 32 KAN 31 TAL 33 MAR 22 TEX 41 PHO 38 HOM 26 33rd
437
2016
Hendrick Motorsports
88
Chevy DAY ATL LVS PHO CAL MAR TEX BRI RCH TAL KAN DOV CLT POC MCH SON DAY KEN NHA 26 IND POC GLN BRI MCH 30 DAR RCH CHI 10 NHA 14 DOV CLT 39 KAN 7 TAL 36 MAR TEX 13 PHO 6* HOM 16 52nd
01
Daytona 500[edit]
Year
Team
Manufacturer
Start
Finish
2014 BK Racing Toyota 29 23 2015 Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet DNQ
Xfinity Series[edit]
NASCAR Xfinity Series results
Year
Team
No.
Make
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
NXSC
Pts
2012
Turner Motorsports
30
Chevy DAY PHO LVS BRI CAL TEX RCH TAL DAR IOW CLT DOV MCH ROA KEN DAY NHA CHI IND IOW GLN CGV BRI ATL RCH CHI 17 DOV 19 CLT KAN TEX 46th
45
RAB Racing
99
Toyota
KEN
25 PHO 15 HOM
2013 DAY 3 PHO 31 LVS 8 BRI 14 CAL 12 TEX 14 RCH 27 TAL 13 DAR 17 CLT 20 DOV 17 IOW 22 MCH 14 ROA 24 KEN 10 DAY 20 NHA 10 CHI 31 IND 15 IOW 7 GLN 13 MOH 11 BRI 33 ATL 34 RCH 15 CHI 11 KEN 5 DOV 18 KAN 11 CLT 18 TEX 18 PHO 11 HOM 11th
884
2014
Hattori Racing Enterprises
80
Toyota DAY PHO LVS BRI CAL TEX DAR RCH TAL IOW CLT DOV MCH ROA KEN DAY NHA CHI IND IOW GLN MOH BRI ATL RCH CHI KEN DOV 19 KAN 97th
01
JR Motorsports
5
Chevy
CLT
12 TEX PHO 17 HOM
2015
Athenian Motorsports
25
Chevy DAY ATL LVS PHO CAL TEX BRI RCH TAL IOW CLT DOV MCH 14 CHI DAY KEN NHA IND 17 IOW GLN MOH BRI ROA DAR RCH CHI KEN DOV CLT KAN TEX PHO HOM 101st
01
2016
JR Motorsports
88
Chevy DAY ATL LVS PHO CAL TEX BRI RCH TAL DOV 3 CLT POC 10 MCH 7 IOW 5 DAY KEN NHA 8 IND IOW GLN MOH BRI ROA DAR RCH 9 CHI KEN DOV 5 CLT KAN TEX PHO 38 HOM 14 25th
273
2017
Chip Ganassi Racing
42
Chevy DAY ATL LVS PHO CAL TEX BRI RCH TAL CLT DOV POC MCH IOW DAY KEN NHA IND IOW GLN MOH BRI ROA DAR RCH CHI KEN DOV CLT 1 KAN TEX PHO HOM -*
-*
Camping World Truck Series[edit]
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series results
Year
Team
No.
Make
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
NCWTC
Pts
2015
JR Motorsports
00
Chevy DAY ATL MAR KAN CLT DOV TEX GTW IOW KEN ELD POC MCH 11 BRI MSP CHI NHA LVS TAL MAR TEX PHO HOM 95th
01
2017
GMS Racing
24
Chevy DAY ATL 6 MAR KAN CLT DOV TEX GTW IOW KEN ELD POC MCH BRI MSP CHI NHA LVS TAL MAR TEX PHO HOM -*
01*
K&N Pro Series East[edit]
NASCAR K&N Pro Series East results
Year
Team
No.
Make
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
KNPSE
Pts
Ref
2011
X Team Racing
16
Toyota GRE 3 SBO 8 RCH 5 BGS 12 6th
1642
[41]
76
IOW
27
Gaunt Brothers Racing
75
Toyota
GRE
24
Robert Huffman
16
Toyota
LGY
6 GRE 4 DOV 23
Kenneth Presnell
59
Toyota
NHA
6 COL 2 NHA 12
K&N Pro Series West[edit]
NASCAR K&N Pro Series West results
Year
Team
No.
Make
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
Pos.
Pts
Ref
2011
Robert Huffman
59
Toyota PHO AAS MMP IOW LVS SON IRW EVG PIR CNS 9 MRP SRP AAS 42nd
318
[42]
Venturini Motorsports
25
Toyota
PHO
2
- Season still in progress.
1 Ineligible for series championship points.
ARCA Racing Series[edit]
(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)
ARCA Racing Series results
Year
Team
No.
Make
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
ARSC
Pts
2011
Venturini Motorsports
55
Toyota DAY TAL SLM TOL NJE CHI POC MCH WIN BLN IOW IRP POC ISF MAD 1 DSF SLM KAN 1 TOL 55th
445
2012
Cunningham Motorsports
22
Dodge DAY 30 MOB 3 SLM 1* TAL 32 TOL 9 ELK 11 POC 3 MCH 2 WIN 1 NJE 13 IOW 1* CHI 8 IRP 22 POC 3 BLN 13 ISF 2 MAD 2 SLM 5 DSF C KAN 1* 4th
4725
References[edit]