DOVER, Del. – On April 25, Alex Bowman suffered a fractured vertebra in a sprint car crash at 34 Raceway.
That Tuesday night was Bowman’s 30th birthday, and it was announced the following day that he would be sidelined for at least three weeks; Josh Berry will drive the No. 48 car while Bowman recovers.
The incident occurred just two months after Chase Elliott was sidelined for six weeks with a fractured leg sustained in a snowboarding accident at the end of February, and Bowman’s crash reignited talks about extracurricular activities for drivers.
Jeff Andrews, the President and General Manager of Hendrick Motorsports addressed Bowman’s crash during a Saturday morning (April 29) press conference.
“I think from that aspect, we always discuss with them and have conversations, and there’s a process we have in place when they do want to run racing events outside of the Cup Series,” Andrews said. “That’s still in place. …
“It’s difficult, because it’s something Alex has a passion for, something he worked very hard to be better at, and we feel like it helped him over here in the Cup Series this year. Obviously, he’s having the best year of his career in the Cup Series. This is a temporary setback, and we look for him to come back strong.”
While HMS’ extracurricular racing policy will remain in place, Andrews also stated that the team is in constant communication with the drivers about the process.
“But we’re always evaluating, we’re always knowledgeable in our conversations with drivers about what they’re doing and where they’re racing outside the Cup Series,” Andrews said. “Obviously, it’s a topic of conversation for us, we’ve had discussions with our guys about it since Alex’s accident. We’ll continue to have those talks, and as a group, we will make the best decision.
Bowman’s HMS teammate Kyle Larson has raced – and will race – just about anything when provided the opportunity, including an attempt at the Indianapolis 500 in 2024. And while Larson is aware of the risks in racing sprint cars on dirt, he believes that the superspeedways of Daytona International Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway are a far greater concern to him.
“I’ve heard [Jamie] McMurray on Race Hub, and Denny [Hamlin] was texting me this week,” Larson said. “And I appreciate the concern, but they all say that the odds will catch up to guys like me who race dirt. But I feel…
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