CONCORD, N.C. – It is a big week for Alex Bowman.
With a top-five finish at Talladega Superspeedway, his fourth of the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season, Bowman has his most top fives through 10 races in a season.
On Sunday afternoon at Dover Motor Speedway, he made his 300th career Cup Series start and finished eighth. That came after he turned 31 on Thursday.
"It's cool to have 300 starts," Bowman told HendrickMotorsports.com. "My career path has had a lot of things go on and it means a lot to get to that number. For me, the more important thing is wins than starts. Hopefully, we can add to that number a bunch this year."
Bowman made his Cup Series debut in 2014 with BK Racing and moved to Tommy Baldwin Racing for the 2015 season. In 2016, while running a part-time schedule with Hendrick Motorsports affiliate and NASCAR Xfinity Series team JR Motorsports and doing simulator work for the Cup team, Bowman was tapped to fill in for 10 races in the No. 88 Chevrolet while Dale Earnhardt Jr. was out.
RELATED: Learn more about Bowman's path to Hendrick Motorsports
"I took a job driving the simulator for Hendrick Motorsports," Bowman said of how he first came to the Rick Hendrick-owned team in 2016. "I worked with Kenny Francis in the simulator for many hours. Most everybody else was pretty busy and I was currently driving Cup cars. That year, I ran nine races for JR Motorsports in the (NASCAR) Xfinity Series. Those went pretty well. It was July, two days before Loudon (New Hampshire) and Dale (Earnhardt Jr.) called. Everything kind of last minute spiraled into me filling in for him at Loudon."
The Tucson, Arizona, native was quietly signed to a deal to keep him in the fold and was selected to drive the No. 88 beginning in 2018 following Earnhardt Jr.'s retirement after the 2017 season. Bowman drove the No. 88 for three seasons (2018-20) before shifting to his current ride in the No. 48 in 2021.
In his eight seasons with Hendrick Motorsports (2016, 2018-present), Bowman has tallied seven wins, 36 top-five finishes, 85 top-10s, four pole positions and 1,307 laps led. His winningest season came in 2021 (four victories) and his best standings finish took place in 2020 (sixth). In total, 229 of his 300 starts will have come with Hendrick Motorsports.
PHOTOS: See all of Bowman's wins at Hendrick Motorsports
Bowman's first victory took place in 2019 at Chicagoland Speedway. The race was the final event held at the 1.5-mile track and he got the better of future teammate Kyle Larson with a final pass for the lead with six circuits remaining. That victory goes down as his most memorable to date.
"That first win at Chicago was a big one, especially with how the year had gone," Bowman said. "We had finished second three weeks in a row a bit before that (with three runner-up finishes at Talladega Superspeedway, Dover and Kansas Speedway in the spring). That was a tough one to win and it means a lot."
RELATED" See where Bowman ranks in key statistics at Hendrick Motorsports
Dover, the site of Bowman's 300th start, has been a great track for him. The 1-mile venue is also where Bowman led a historic 1-2-3-4 finish for Hendrick Motorsports, with Larson, Chase Elliott and Byron completing the top-four sweep. The driver of the No. 48 led the final 97 laps – earning the lead off of pit road ahead of his teammates on lap 304.
"That is my favorite moment I have contributed to at Hendrick Motorsports," Bowman said of the Dover win. "Being able to be the guy who was at the front of that is pretty cool."
