After crashing out of the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season-opening Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway and placing 23rd in the season's second race at EchoPark Speedway (Atlanta Motor Speedway), Hendrick Motorsports' Alex Bowman had a great chance to turn things around at Circuit of the Americas (COTA).
Bowman entered Sunday's race as one of two drivers with five top 10 finishes in five starts at the Austin, Texas venue, including four races on the full 20-turn, 3.41-mile (5.488-kilometer) road course layout and the 2025 event on the abbreviated 17-turn, 2.4-mile (3.862-kilometer) layout. The other, 23XI Racing's Tyler Reddick, won at COTA for the second time on Sunday.
Unfortunately for Bowman, due to health reasons, he had to stop before the race ended, and he was replaced by Myatt Snider behind the wheel of the No. 48 Chevrolet in the middle of the race's third and final stage. Snider brought the car home 36th, five laps off the lead lap.
Bowman was evaluated and released from the infield medical care center at COTA, and he was initially on the entry list for this Sunday's Straight Talk Wireless 500 at Phoenix Raceway. However, he has since been diagnosed with vertigo and will not compete. Anthony Alfredo is set to replace him.
Bad season gets worse for Alex Bowman
Bowman left COTA sitting in 36th place, last place, in the point standings, already 45 points below the provisional playoff cut line between the 16th and 17th place drivers in the standings.
The 32-year-old Tucson, Arizona native, who missed races during both the 2022 and 2023 seasons due to health reasons, is expected to receive a playoff waiver, but a playoff waiver only actually matters if a driver manages to qualify for the postseason via a top 16 finish in the regular season standings.
Facing a 45-point deficit that is guaranteed to grow this weekend, Bowman's uphill battle got even more daunting, and that's assuming he is even cleared to compete for next weekend's race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, where he won four years ago.
Bowman is in his ninth season with Hendrick Motorsports, and he is currently the team's only driver without a contract to compete beyond the conclusion of the 2026 season.
With teammate Kyle Larson signing an extension before the season, and with longtime primary sponsor Ally Financial already under contract with the No. 48 team through 2028, Bowman was one of the drivers who could ill afford a poor start to the 2026 season.
Unfortunately for him, that poor start is now compounded by health issues.
Fox Sports 1's live coverage of the Straight Talk Wireless 500 is set to begin at 3:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, March 8. Begin a free trial of FuboTV now and catch all of the action from Phoenix Raceway!