It's Easy to Second Guess Alex Bowman's Decision to Race in NASCAR Finale at Phoenix

Driver determined to come back after missing five races with head injury. But why?

• Alex Bowman plans to return from a five-race break after suffering a head injury just to run the year’s final Cup Series race in Phoenix.
• Hendrick Motorsports announced Sept. 29, before Talladega weekend, that Bowman had a concussion and would sit out until further notice.
• “For me, having a goal to get back to racing was important,” Bowman said.

To the untrained eyes, it seems both dangerous and unwise for Alex Bowman to return from a five-race break just to run the year’s final Cup Series race in Phoenix. What’s to be gained by 312 season-ending laps after a serious concussion six weeks ago in Texas?

Bowman crashed hard that day, then radioed crew chief Greg Ives, “I’ve never taken a hit so hard in my life.” Even so, his Hendrick Motorsports crew made his No. 48 Chevrolet raceable so he could return and finish 29th, minus five laps. Then came the four-day uncertainty that caused his forced break.

“Sunday (after the race), I didn’t feel good, but it was hard to identify what was going on,” Bowman said last weekend at Martinsville, where he watched Noah Gragson drive his car. “Typically, on Mondays when it’s that hot, you feel bad anyway. Dehydrated or whatever.

Alex Bowman was in the NASCAR Cup Playoff picture before his injury.

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“I felt great on Tuesday. I made three laps in a Sprint Car for an Ally (sponsorship) deal and felt great, totally normal. Wednesday, I had a crazy, busy day and was feeling pretty bad by the end of it. I felt bad in front of (simulation) screens. That’s when I identified what was going on. I went to the doctors and we went from there.”

Hendrick Motorsports announced on Thursday before Talladega weekend that Bowman had a concussion and would sit out until further notice. It named Gragson for Talladega and said Bowman would return soon.

But Talladega led to the Charlotte Roval. That led to Las Vegas (where Bowman won in the spring), which led to Homestead then Martinsville, the last race in the Round of 8. All told, Gragson finished 19th, 23rd, 11th, 24th, and 25th in his five starts.

Alex Bowman didn’t want to end his 2022 NASCAR Cup season on the sidelines.

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Despite not knowing what lay ahead, Bowman wasted no time returning to his vigorous training schedule. “The recovery was different from what I would have assumed,” he said. “I got back into my regular routine quickly, but added things for my ocular and vestibular (balance) systems.

“It’s a long process (including) a couple of flights back and forth to Pittsburgh (for treatment with concussion specialists). I feel 100%. I’ve been training harder than ever for the last couple weeks and probably am in better shape than before I crashed. I’m really excited to get back.”

We’ve heard this before, so it’s came as no surprise: Bowman’s most uncomfortable moments were watching Gragson drive his car. “That’s not fun by any means,” Bowman said. “It was interesting (because) at first you feel—not forgotten about—but it’s weird not going to the track. Racing is all I’ve ever known, so it’s weird when you’re not going and doing different things on a weekend.

“What was weird was driving around and realizing there are people in the world who don’t know there’s a NASCAR race going on. That was a weird thing for me. It’s really weird being here today, but seeing somebody else drive my car was definitely the least fun part.”

So, the obvious question at this point reaches back to the beginning: With absolutely nothing to gain—whether 100% recovered or something less–why run one meaningless race and risk even a small relapse?

“I don’t want to sit all off-season questioning it.”

“For me, having a goal to get back to racing was important,” Bowman said without hesitation. “As far as how hard I’ve had to work to get to this point, it was pretty difficult. It was 6 a.m. workouts every day, followed by another 9 a.m. workout every day. I’ve worked really hard and there was a lot of motivation to get back for a Phoenix race (at his hometown track).

“It would have been easier to push those things off and not work as hard if I didn’t have the possibility to get back this year. But on top of that, the doctors say I’m 100%. It would be different if there was any hesitation. I don’t want to sit all off-season questioning it. I want to get back in the race car.”

Clearly, his eyes are different from ours.