Alex Bowman Searches for Answers, Honors Hero in Homecoming for 2026 NASCAR Cup Season

CONCORD, N.C. — Near the halfway mark of the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series regular season, Alex Bowman is trying to keep the glass half-full as challenges mount and questions arise.

"Coming back, going to Bristol, being like, 'we have two poles in the last three [Bristol Cup] races, running second when we had a mechanical failure last spring, ran top-five much of the fall, we should go there and be really good.' Then we go there, run 30th and crash. Or Kansas, when we run great there and then we run bad there," Bowman said.

After two poor finishes to start the season and a third at Circuit of the Americas after vertigo forced him out of the car late and for the next four races, Bowman finished 37th at Bristol and 18th at Kansas before finishing third at Talladega and Texas.

Everything seemed up, heading to some strong suits -- a road course and Dover -- but neither race produced very good results.

"Dover, I would say, was a big, confusing one for us. We've been so good there for so long, really since the beginning of 2019 I can't remember a race where we weren't capable of running up front, running in the top-five and we were far from that. So we have a lot of work to do," Bowman said.

The Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway is the perfect proving ground. Bowman has six finishes of 12th or better in eight Coca-Cola 600 starts with Hendrick Motorsports. Even when he didn't finish well, he led 164 laps in 2020 and was running inside the top-10 before spinning and getting damage in 2025.

As a part of the race's 600 Miles of Remembrance, U.S. Army Sgt. Reuben Marcus Fernandez, III's name will adorn Bowman's windshield.

Fernandez joined the U.S. Army after graduating high school in 2004. He served a complete tour in Iraq in 2006 and was serving a second tour in 2008 when died at just 22 years old.

Just before his death, Fernandez had been promoted to sergeant. He is remembered by loved ones as a brave, young soul, who had "all smiles and all hearts" and believed in and embraced the duty of a soldier.

Fernandez is also remembered for leaving a last impact on everyone he met, including Swainson Hall. Hall is an Ally employee who was friends with Fernandez growing up and served in the Air Force while he served in the Army. 

Hall nominated Fernandez for the 600 Miles of Remembrance, giving Fernandez's family a chance to go to Charlotte and remember their loved one.

"I got to meet his family via Zoom call last week and that's always really special to have a fallen soldier's name on the car. It makes it mean more. I think just meeting the family and hearing the stories, showing our appreciation, is really special," Bowman said.

Racing with a purpose makes the longest race of the year a little easier. While Bowman said races like Dover or Watkins Glen in the summer may be tougher, the Coca-Cola 600 and the NextGen car presents challenges of their own that compound what he has been through already this season.

"The ride quality is so bad and for someone like me, who has so many neck and back issues, that makes things a little more difficult. I'm a little behind where I want to be physically, inherently from being out of the car for a couple weeks," Bowman said.

Returning to the car required a different recovery process from previous injuries he sustained in 2022 and 2023.

"It was different identifying what was causing all the pain and vertigo, was more of what we went through than a specific recovery thing," Bowman said. "There were some small procedural things they did with my back that helped a little and then identifying what was causing the vertigo symptoms and pushing through that. It was probably more similar to recovering from a concussion than a physical injury.

"I feel, okay, now. It's hard to say I feel 100 percent with as many stupid injuries as I've had but I feel okay as I can all things considered and I'm ready to run 600 miles."

Charlotte's Coca-Cola 600 kicks off the summer stretch for the NASCAR Cup Series and the lead-up to the Chase. Now, xx points below the Chase cutline, Bowman and his team's focus is shifting.

"Those point conversations get harder and harder when you have bad days like that. So those conversations turn to how do we get back to where we need to be and it's not just us. Our teammates are also struggling at those tracks so we need to figure out which way is up," Bowman said.

Trying to figure out how to get better has been a welcome distraction from a terminal cancer diagnosis for his dog and incessant rumors about his future in the No. 48 car.

"The big thing about our sport is you gotta be all in. In a lot of senses, I am all in but unfortunately some things have happened that have taken me away. It's a lot of work from a lot of people. There are a lot of people at Hendrick Motorsports who are working super hard, the No. 48 team is," Bowman said. "When you get to the hard work side of things and the grinding, what we're missing, while it sucks when we're at the track, it can be fun to try to uncover that."

Beyond Charlotte is Nashville Superspeedway, then Michigan International Speedway, Pocono Raceway and Naval Base Coronado in San Diego.

Nashville and Michigan have been tricky for Bowman, as he crashed out in each race last year. Pocono is nicer, as Bowman has an average finish of 12.3 in the NextGen era. Last year, he led 15 laps and finished 11th, a year after finishing third there. 

"We're all looking forward to San Diego to see how that goes and playing it one week at a time," Bowman said.

Bowman's last Cup Series win was in 2024 at the Chicago Street Course, where he finished eighth last year. 

The summer starts with Charlotte, which is likely to be a telltale race for his team.

Bowman was 26th fastest in practice for the Coca-Cola 600 with the 21st-best 10-lap average. He will start 29th.