NASCAR: Alex Bowman pulls off feat not seen since 2013 Jimmie Johnson

For the first time since 2013, the driver sitting atop the NASCAR Cup Series point standings is the driver of the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet.

It has been more than a year since Hendrick Motorsports’ Alex Bowman has added to his career NASCAR Cup Series win total, which currently sits at seven.

But despite the fact that he hasn’t won yet this year, something he had done by this time in both the 2020 and 2022 seasons, the driver of the No. 48 Chevrolet is off to the best start of his career.

Through four races, he leads the series in average finish at 6.25 and has not finished lower than ninth place. No other driver has posted four consecutive top 10 finishes to open up the 2023 season.

As a result of his consistency, Alex Bowman finds himself atop the point standings for the first time in his NASCAR Cup Series career.

This marks the first time that the driver of the No. 48 Chevrolet has led the standings since Jimmie Johnson won his record-tying seventh championship for Hendrick Motorsports in 2016.

It marks the first time that the driver of the No. 48 Chevrolet has actually led the series in points (not counting playoff resets) since Johnson won his sixth title for the team in 2013.

When Bowman arrived at Hendrick Motorsports as a full-time driver in 2018, he was driving the No. 88 Chevrolet, as he had replaced Dale Earnhardt Jr.

He drove the No. 88 Chevrolet from 2018 to 2020, but the team made the strategic decision to move him to the No. 48 Chevrolet when Johnson retired, since the No. 48 team already had a primary sponsorship deal lined up with Ally Financial.

So while Kyle Larson was technically Johnson’s replacement, he drives the No. 5 Chevrolet, not the No. 48 Chevrolet. The No. 5 was brought back and used in place of the No. 88 starting in 2021.

Before the 2023 season began, Bowman, who was set to become a free agent over the offseason, signed a multi-year contract extension to remain with Hendrick Motorsports through 2026, and Ally signed a multi-year contract extension to continue serving as the primary sponsor of the No. 48 Chevrolet through 2028.

Can Bowman hang on to his lead in the point standings following this coming Sunday afternoon’s race at Atlanta Motor Speedway? The Ambetter Health 400 is set to be broadcast live on Fox beginning at 3:00 p.m. ET. Start a free trial of FuboTV and don’t miss any of the action!