CHARLOTTE, NC — Alex Bowman said Wednesday he will miss the next three days NASCAR races with a concussion he suffered last month in a crash in NASCAR’s new Next Gen vehicle.
Bowman, who has attended two races before, will miss this weekend in Las Vegas, then sidelined at Homestead and Martinsville. He won in Las Vegas in the spring.
Bowman said he was evaluated Wednesday by Dr. Micky Collins, clinical director of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center’s Sports Medicine Concussion Program.
“We have the utmost respect for the entire staff at UPMC,” said Jeff Andrews, president and general manager of Hendrick Motorsports. “Our priority continues to be Alex’s long-term health and recovery, and we will follow the plan that Dr. Collins and his team have suggested. We will not be looking at more than three races. next and will evaluate plans for the season finale as an approach event.”
Bowman posted a statement “I’m continuing to focus my efforts on getting my health back to 100% so I can get back to racing as soon as possible.”
– Alex Bowman (@Alex_Bowman) October 12, 2022
He’s not ruling out returning for the season finale next month at his hometown track, the Phoenix Raceway.
Noah Gragson will continue to fill Bowman in car number 48.
Bowman and Kurt Busch both have been sidelined with concussions suffered in what should have been regular blows in NASCAR’s new car. NASCAR held a meeting with drivers on Saturday at Charlotte Motor Speedway to review the findings they found during testing that will be rolled out to the vehicle early next season; NASCAR says it will pay for new parts and repairs to all teams.
Busch, meanwhile, has a press conference scheduled for this Saturday in Las Vegas, his home turf. He has missed 13 races in a row so far.
