Vertigo is a serious ailment, particularly if one’s occupation is “race car driver.” The amount of G-forces, particularly in a NASCAR Cup Series Chevrolet or Ford or Toyota, as it negotiates the four corners of an oval or the demands of a left-right-left road course can be devastating if a driver has the dizziness issues that confirm vertigo. There’s enough going on inside a race car that any loss of focus can be the end of a race or even a career.
When Hendrick Motorsports announced its driver Alex Bowman had a pretty bad case of vertigo during the series’ visit to Circuit of the Americas (COTA), a long and winding road course outside Austin, TX, many took the announcement in stride. Bowman would be back soon, they thought, but after the 32-year-old wheelman missed races on the Phoenix Raceway oval, at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, on both Darlington and Martinsville short ovals, it was evident this was not a minor issue.
Bowman hasn’t raced since that March 1 event at COTA. Justin Allgaier drove Bowman’s No. 48 Ally Chevrolet at Las Vegas, Darlington and Martinsville, while Anthony Alfredo filled in for the driver at the Phoenix race. Bowman has been evaluated by medical professionals regularly before it was announced, almost six weeks after his initial diagnoses that he would return this weekend on another tough track: Bristol Motor Speedway.
“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 acknowledged. “It’s been tough being out of the car, but we all wanted to make sure I was 100 percent ready before returning. I feel really good and I’m excited about being at the track with my team and getting back to racing.”
To receive clearance, Bowman turned laps on Tuesday – in a street car – at the Ten Tenths Motor Club road course in Concord, N.C. A day later, he participated in pit stop practice, took part in simulator testing and had a subsequent medical evaluation before being formally cleared to take part in this weekend’s competition – without restrictions.
Jeff Andrews, president and general manager at Hendrick Motorsports, welcomed the driver back to the track. “We’re proud of Alex and the way he’s handled this situation,” he said. “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,” Andrews confirmed, “Our goal waste 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.”
The eighth race of this 2026 NASCAR Cup Series schedule, the Food City 500, is set to take place on the Bristol Motor Speedway 0.553-mile high banked oval on Sunday, April 12, with a start time of 3PM ET and full race coverage on FS1. Tucson, Arizona native Alex Bowman will make his 365th Cup Series start at Bristol, where he’s earned two pole awards, three top-fives and six top-10 finishes.
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