As has been the case more often than not in recent years, Alex Bowman has brought up the rear for Hendrick Motorsports in 2025.
While Hendrick’s other three drivers — William Byron, Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott — have won multiple races, Bowman is winless. Also, Byron and Larson are in the Championship 4, with Elliott having just been eliminated in the Round of 8.
Bowman, on the other hand, failed to advance past the Round of 16. And he just barely made the playoffs, needing a last-second assist from Ryan Blaney in the regular season finale.
So, clearly, there’s a notable discrepancy in the performance of Bowman and the No. 48 team versus their teammates.
Team owner Rick Hendrick and Hendrick Motorsports vice chairman Jeff Gordon addressed this discrepancy head-on during a Tuesday Zoom call. And what they had to say might surprise some people.
How Do Rick Hendrick And Jeff Gordon Feel About The Struggles Of Alex Bowman?
Even though Alex Bowman has trailed his teammates in most of the major statistical categories this season, Rick Hendrick doesn’t attribute it to lack of effort.
“I think they put a lot of pressure on themselves,” the NASCAR Hall of Fame team owner said. “They had a good start on the year. There have been some tracks that Alex was our best car. That team is working hard on getting better everywhere.
“I think they’re showing great signs. But you’re always going to have someone that’s following the rest of the group.”
Jeff Gordon, a four-time Cup Series champion driver for Hendrick before joining the organization as an executive, seems to think that not a lot of speed separates Bowman and the No. 48 bunch from their more successful teammates.
“I’m with Rick,” Gordon said. “I don’t think they’re that far off. When you’re at Hendrick, the expectations are high, especially when you look at the performance of the other three. But I think those guys are right there. They’re already contributing a lot.”
Bowman hasn’t won a race since prevailing at the Chicago Street Course in July 2024. But since joining Hendrick Motorsports full time in 2018, he’s triumphed eight times. He’s also reached the playoffs in all but one season, finishing a career-best sixth in the 2020 standings.
Gordon is persuaded that Bowman and the No. 48 team are trending in a positive direction for the future.
“A few minor adjustments, and I think those guys can be right there in the hunt,” the 93-time Cup Series race winner said. “We’ve already seen Alex very capable of winning races, going deep in the playoffs. We think there’s a lot of promise there for next year.”
Jeff Gordon Says Boosting No. 48 Team Is A Priority For Hendrick Motorsports
Both Jeff Gordon and Rick Hendrick are personally vested in making Alex Bowman and the No. 48 team led by crew chief Blake Harris a consistent frontrunner.
After all, Bowman drives the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevy that’s iconic for the record-tying seven NASCAR Cup Series championships it captured with Jimmie Johnson between 2006 and 2016.
“There’s a lot of pride there for a Hendrick car, but specifically the 48, when you look at the seven championships that have come from that car,” Gordon said. “We want to keep that going for the company, for the people that worked so hard on that car, as well as for our sponsors.
“That team has contributed tremendously to the success of this company, to all of our teams. They add a lot of value in what they bring, the information that comes from Blake and his team and Alex.”
At the same time, Gordon acknowledges that Bowman and the No. 48 team have significant room for growth. But Gordon believes the issues facing that group aren’t just up to that one group to fix.
“We know there’s things that need to be improved there,” Gordon said. “It’s a big part of our focus in this off-season. That’s giving Alex and Blake the tools that they need. And making sure we are surrounding them with all the things that can help strengthen their team and button up some of those things.”
