NASCAR: Nationwide sticking around with Alex Bowman, Hendrick Motorsports
By Nick Tylwalk
Alex Bowman, Hendrick Motorsports and Nationwide will be together for at least two more seasons.
It’s always tough to know what to expect when a new driver steps in for a NASCAR legend. Such was the case with Alex Bowman, who inherited the No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet from the retiring Dale Earnhardt Jr. So far, so good, at least in the eyes of Nationwide.
The insurance company bridged the post-Junior era this season, serving as the primary sponsor for Bowman for 19 races in 2018 after doing the same for Eanrhardt Jr. for years. This week, Hendrick Motorsports announced that Nationwide had re-signed to continue sponsoring Bowman for two more NASCAR Cup Series seasons, bumping up its number of races by one starting next year. In addition, Bowman himself signed a one-year extension through 2020, keeping team, sponsor and driver together.
That’s a luxury that not every driver has, even if it leaves 16 races a year to be covered by a different company — though that’s not really a problem either, since Axalta is reportedly on-board with the 88 team through 2022. But it proves that everyone involved has confidence in Bowman to race up front and win.
“Alex has the talent to win races and compete for championships,” team owner Rick Hendrick sais in the press release announcing the new deals. “He and Greg (Ives) are clicking, and we have a lot of confidence in what they will accomplish together. From our driver and team to our sponsors, we have an exciting No. 88 program that’s set for the foreseeable future.”
So far, Bowman is mostly unrealized potential. Though he’s not a NASCAR Cup Series rookie, having driven the entire 2014 and 2015 seasons for different, underfunded teams, this is his first time behind the wheel for a top organization like Hendrick Motorsports. As well, it’s been a tough year for all Chevrolet teams, so it’s hard to judge him by what he’s done so far in 2018, managing just two top-five finishes in 21 starts.
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Still, one of them came last week at Pocono, where his third-place finish was his career best. Everyone expects that the best is yet to come, and if and when Bowman visits Victory Lane for the first time in the Cup Series, the chances that Nationwide will be on his hood just got a lot higher.