Driver Alex Bowman won’t race during this weekend’s NASCAR Cup Series event in Phoenix.
Hendricks Motorsports announced on Thursday, March 5 that Bowman had been diagnosed with vertigo earlier this week and hasn’t been medically cleared to compete in Sunday’s Straight Talk Wireless 500 at Phoenix Raceway. He will be replaced in the No. 48 Chevrolet by driver Anthony Alfredo.
Bowman, 32, began experiencing symptoms during last Sunday’s NASCAR road coarse race at Circuit of the Americas and eventually exited the car at lap 71 due to illness. Hendrick Motorsports said the Tucson, Arizona, native underwent two days of medical evaluation this week and drove laps on Thursday in a streetcar at the Ten Tenths Motor Club road course in Concord, North Carolina before being ruled out of the Phoenix race.
There is not yet a timetable for Bowman’s return. He currently sits in 36th in the NASCAR Cup Series standings after a slow start to the 2026 season. He missed NASCAR races while dealing with health issues related to a concussion and fractured vertebra in his back in previous seasons.
“Alex has worked very hard over the last several days,” Hendrick Motorsports president Jeff Andrews said in a statement on Thursday. “We’re encouraged by the progress he’s making, but we have to prioritize his health above all else. It’s obviously frustrating for him because he’s a competitor and wants to be in the race car, especially at his home track. We’ll continue to support Alex and look forward to his return as soon as he’s medically cleared.”
Hendrick Motorsports added that it will request a medical waiver to allow Bowman to remain eligible for the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series championship.
Alfredo, 26, performs extensive simulator testing for Hendrick Motorsports and Chevrolet and has 210 NASCAR national series starts, including 43 at the Cup level.