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| Alex Bowman (left) will get his big break and succeed Dale Jr. (right) as driver of the No. 88 Chevy in 2018 (Google Images) |
Then Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Hendrick Motorsports came calling.
After being tabbed to run nine Xfinity Series races for JR Motorsports last year, Bowman was selected to fill in for Junior while he recovered from a concussion. He split his time in the No. 88 car with four-time champion Jeff Gordon, who was called out of retirement to pinch hit for his former teammate.
In eight starts in the No. 88 Chevy, Gordon tallied two top-ten finishes and led seven laps.
In ten starts in the No. 88 Chevy, Bowman tallied three top-tens, led 51 laps, won his first career Cup Series pole in the fall race at Phoenix, and had it not been for a late race spin in front of him, he came within laps of winning that very same race.
After a NASCAR career where not much has been set in stone, Bowman finally got a chance to live up to his nickname, "The Showman."
That's why when Dale Jr announced his retirement earlier this season, he pushed hard for Bowman to fill his seat. IT's also why many fans wanted to see the Tuscon, Arizona native finally get a break in a full-time, competitive ride.
Bowman has been working as the simulator and test driver for Hendrick Motorsports, turning down full-time opportunities lower tier rides because he wanted to stay at the front of the line if a ride at HMS became available.
Now his hard work, patience, and belief in himself have paid off in a big way, as he will be the driver who succeeds Dale Jr. in the No. 88 car next season.
"Ever since I was a kid, racing is all I've wanted to do," Bowman said in a press release. "I've had so many people believe in me along the way. My family has sacrificed a lot and always been behind me.
"I would never have this chance without the support of Dale and everyone involved with the No. 88 team. To be part of Hendrick Motorsports and for Mr. Hendrick to have this confidence in me, it's just amazing."
After seeing his performance last season, along with his commitment to his career, Earnhardt Jr. quickly became one of Bowman's biggest and most vocal supporters.
"I believe in his talent on the race track but his commitment off the race track to further his career, to me, over the last several years has been real impressive," the 14-time Most Popular Driver said of his successor.
"There are a lot of guys that have the talent and need that one critical break and if they still committed and keep pushing and are willing to make the sacrifices, eventually that opportunity will come along.
"Alex is the perfect example of that. He gets this opportunity because of his commitment to his own career and his gamble on himself that he made a long, long time ago."
Junior's HMS teammates also vouched for Bowman. Gordon believes that Bowman is "a great choice."
"I think he’s a great choice," Gordon said.
"He did such an amazing job behind the wheel. I know what that car was like. I drove it last year (for eight races). We started improving our performance when I was in the car, but then Alex went to Phoenix and sat on the pole and had an excellent chance at winning that race. He’s just a great driver, and I think it’s going to be fun to watch."
Seven-time champion Jimmie Johnson also backed Bowman.
"How he came in and stepped in seamlessly, he was really impressive for me," Johnson said.
"He handled the pressure. Won a pole. Was up there duking it out for some race wins. He had a heated moment or two with some of the veterans and wasn't rattled. He did an amazing job. We all watched him evolve. I think he would be a great fit for that car from a wide variety of angles."
Clearly, Bowman impressed the right people to have a trio of drivers with 11 championships and seven Daytona 500 wins between them standing in his corner.
Team owner Rick Hendrick also spoke highly of his new wheelman.
"Alex impressed the heck out of us last year with his talent, poise, and professionalism," Hendrick said. "He stepped up in a very demanding situation and showed that he can run with the best and compete for wins.
"His ability to stay focused through it all, and the way he's handled himself since then, has shown a lot of character. (Crew chief) Greg (Ives) and the team loved working with Alex, and that dynamic will get even better with more time together."
Following Kasey Kahne's win in the Brickyard 400, Hendrick told reporters that while he couldn't make any guarantees, he had Bowman in mind from the very beginning.
"Of course, I didn’t want to see Dale tell me that he was going to retire, but we had Alex in the back of our mind for whatever opportunity we had."
"It wasn’t much of a decision at all. Alex was the guy."
Rumors persisted for weeks that 2003 Cup Series champion Matt Kenseth would get the ride over Bowman because of some potential sponsor hangups with the relatively unproven driver. But in the end, Nationwide will continue as sponsor of the No. 88 for 21 races, while Axalta Coating Systems added two races to their deal and will back the car in 15 events in 2018.
"The No. 88 team is such a great group of people," Bowman said. "I know we can pick up where we left off last year, and I truly believe we can win races and contend for a championship.
"I'm excited to build on the relationship with Nationwide and all of our partners. It means the world that they have faith in me, and I'm thankful to have them on my side. Now I just want to go win."
Bowman has been working as the simulator and test driver for Hendrick Motorsports, turning down full-time opportunities lower tier rides because he wanted to stay at the front of the line if a ride at HMS became available.
Now his hard work, patience, and belief in himself have paid off in a big way, as he will be the driver who succeeds Dale Jr. in the No. 88 car next season.
"Ever since I was a kid, racing is all I've wanted to do," Bowman said in a press release. "I've had so many people believe in me along the way. My family has sacrificed a lot and always been behind me.
"I would never have this chance without the support of Dale and everyone involved with the No. 88 team. To be part of Hendrick Motorsports and for Mr. Hendrick to have this confidence in me, it's just amazing."
After seeing his performance last season, along with his commitment to his career, Earnhardt Jr. quickly became one of Bowman's biggest and most vocal supporters.
"I believe in his talent on the race track but his commitment off the race track to further his career, to me, over the last several years has been real impressive," the 14-time Most Popular Driver said of his successor.
"There are a lot of guys that have the talent and need that one critical break and if they still committed and keep pushing and are willing to make the sacrifices, eventually that opportunity will come along.
"Alex is the perfect example of that. He gets this opportunity because of his commitment to his own career and his gamble on himself that he made a long, long time ago."
Junior's HMS teammates also vouched for Bowman. Gordon believes that Bowman is "a great choice."
"I think he’s a great choice," Gordon said.
"He did such an amazing job behind the wheel. I know what that car was like. I drove it last year (for eight races). We started improving our performance when I was in the car, but then Alex went to Phoenix and sat on the pole and had an excellent chance at winning that race. He’s just a great driver, and I think it’s going to be fun to watch."
Seven-time champion Jimmie Johnson also backed Bowman.
"How he came in and stepped in seamlessly, he was really impressive for me," Johnson said.
"He handled the pressure. Won a pole. Was up there duking it out for some race wins. He had a heated moment or two with some of the veterans and wasn't rattled. He did an amazing job. We all watched him evolve. I think he would be a great fit for that car from a wide variety of angles."
Clearly, Bowman impressed the right people to have a trio of drivers with 11 championships and seven Daytona 500 wins between them standing in his corner.
Team owner Rick Hendrick also spoke highly of his new wheelman.
"Alex impressed the heck out of us last year with his talent, poise, and professionalism," Hendrick said. "He stepped up in a very demanding situation and showed that he can run with the best and compete for wins.
"His ability to stay focused through it all, and the way he's handled himself since then, has shown a lot of character. (Crew chief) Greg (Ives) and the team loved working with Alex, and that dynamic will get even better with more time together."
Following Kasey Kahne's win in the Brickyard 400, Hendrick told reporters that while he couldn't make any guarantees, he had Bowman in mind from the very beginning.
"Of course, I didn’t want to see Dale tell me that he was going to retire, but we had Alex in the back of our mind for whatever opportunity we had."
"It wasn’t much of a decision at all. Alex was the guy."
Rumors persisted for weeks that 2003 Cup Series champion Matt Kenseth would get the ride over Bowman because of some potential sponsor hangups with the relatively unproven driver. But in the end, Nationwide will continue as sponsor of the No. 88 for 21 races, while Axalta Coating Systems added two races to their deal and will back the car in 15 events in 2018.
"The No. 88 team is such a great group of people," Bowman said. "I know we can pick up where we left off last year, and I truly believe we can win races and contend for a championship.
"I'm excited to build on the relationship with Nationwide and all of our partners. It means the world that they have faith in me, and I'm thankful to have them on my side. Now I just want to go win."
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