Alex Bowman To Compete At Bristol After Gaining Medical Clearance

Alex Bowman sat on the sidelines for the last four NASCAR Cup Series events as he continued to battle back from a bout with vertigo. On Thursday, Hendrick Motorsports announced that Bowman has finally obtained medical clearance and will return to the driver's seat of the No. 48 Ally Chevrolet this weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Bowman, who began experiencing vertigo symptoms in the car during the event at Circuit of the Americas on March 1, had to pull his car into the garage on Lap 71, and he gave way to Myatt Snider, who finished the race for him.

Following that race, Bowman was diagnosed with vertigo, and due to the symptoms he was experiencing, he was ruled out for the event at Phoenix Raceway.

Nearly six weeks later, Bowman is cleared to return to his duties as the driver of the No. 48 Chevrolet. Bowman issued a statement of thankfulness for the support shown to him by his Hendrick Motorsports team as he tackled his vertigo diagnosis.

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

In order to gain medical clearance, Bowman underwent a multitude of tests this week.

On Tuesday, the team says Bowman turned laps in a streetcar at the Ten Tenths Motor Club road course in Concord, NC. On Wednesday, Bowman participated in pit stop practice, simulator testing, and a medical evaluation. Following all of these tests, Bowman was formally cleared for competition, and the team states he has no restrictions in his return.

The team is happy to have Bowman back this weekend, and is proud of the fortitude shown by Bowman to fight back.

“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.”

In Bowman's absence, Anthony Alfredo competed behind the wheel of the No. 48 Chevrolet at Phoenix Raceway, where he would collect a 33rd-place finish after being swept up in a late-race crash.

Justin Allgaier competed in the last three races, which were held at Las Vegas, Darlington, and Martinsville, and had a best finish of 22nd in place of Bowman.

Bowman, an eight-time NASCAR Cup Series race winner, will look to hit the ground running in Sunday's Food City 500 at Bristol Motor speedway.