NASCAR Cup Series star Alex Bowman cleared to return at Bristol after vertigo nightmare

NASCAR Cup Series News Thursday, April 9, 2026 at 9:40 AM ET •By Graham Shaw

NASCAR Cup Series star Alex Bowman has been cleared to return for this weekend's showdown at Bristol.

The 32-year-old Hendrick Motorsports star missed four races (at Phoenix, Las Vegas, Darlington and Martinsville) due to a bout of vertigo. The Tucson, Arizona native had begun experiencing symptoms during the March 1 Cup Series race at COTA.

Now though he is healthy again and good to go in the No. 48 Chevrolet for Sunday's Food City 500 (3pm ET, FS1).

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Bowman 'grateful for support' through vertigo nightmare

“I’m grateful for the support I’ve had from Hendrick Motorsports, my sponsor Ally, our fans and the medical team throughout this process,” he said.

“It’s been tough being out of the car, but we all wanted to make sure I was 100% ready before returning. I feel really good, and I’m excited about being at the track with my team and getting back to racing.”

The road to recovery: How Bowman was cleared to return

Bowman turned laps Tuesday in a streetcar at the Ten Tenths Motor Club road course in Concord. On Wednesday, he participated in pit stop practice, simulator testing and a medical evaluation before being formally cleared for competition without restrictions.

“We’re proud of Alex and the way he’s handled this situation,” said Jeff Andrews, president and general manager of Hendrick Motorsports. “He’s put a lot of work into his recovery and followed the medical team’s plan every step of the way. From the outset, our goal was to prioritize his health and have him return when he was fully recovered and medically cleared. We’re looking forward to seeing Alex back in his race car this weekend.”

Justin Allgaier drove the No. 48 Ally Chevrolet for Bowman at Las Vegas, Darlington and Martinsville. Anthony Alfredo filled in at Phoenix.