NASCAR broadcaster Mike Joy has explained a Hendrick Motorsports driver replacement decision that left some scratching their heads ahead of this weekend's action at Las Vegas.
After stepping out of the No. 48 Chevrolet at Phoenix following a vertigo diagnosis, Alex Bowman will once again be on the sidelines for this weekend's race at Las Vegas as he continues to experience symptoms.
In Phoenix, Bowman was replaced by Anthony Alfredo, who went on to finish 33rd in his place, and it seemed a logical decision from the team, given that the 26-year-old is a simulator test driver within the organization.
However, Alfredo is not back in the No. 48 this weekend, with that honor instead going to Justin Allgaier, who races full-time in the O'Reilly Auto Parts Series for JR Motorsports.
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Justin Allgaier in at Hendrick Motorsports, Anthony Alfredo out
Naturally, this left some wondering why the team had made that move, but during Saturday's qualifying session, in which Allgaier finished 22nd, Joy explained why Hendrick Motorsports had made that call.
"Justin Allgaier is in for Alex Bowman, who continues to recuperate from the vertigo that caused him to park his car in the middle of the race at COTA," Joy said live on Prime Video.
"Anthony Alfredo, who is pretty much the same size as Alex Bowman, he can wear Bowman's suit, he can fit in Bowman's seat, because that last late decision [it came late in the week on Thursday], he's their simulator driver, he was in the car last week.
"Justin Allgaier is Hendrick's dedicated substitute driver. He's part of JR Motorsports, which is affiliated, and, well, more than that with Hendrick, there's a shared ownership there, so with more time to plan once they knew that Alex would be out of the seat, Blake Harris [No. 48 Crew Chief] and his crew turned that car around for Justin Allgaier.
"There's a lot of things that need to be changed for a driver of a very different stature."
Latest Alex Bowman health update
The latest update on Bowman's health came when Allgaier was confirmed as his replacement, with Jeff Andrews, President and General Manager of Hendrick Motorsports, stating: “Alex continues to work closely with doctors toward being medically cleared, but he’s still experiencing some lingering symptoms.
"He’s put a lot into the recovery process, and we will continue to support him every step of the way.
"Our priority remains making sure Alex is fully ready before returning to the race car.”
It is currently unclear when Bowman will be back in the car.
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