The No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports [HMS] team came into Michigan with the luxury of a point buffer, well above the cutline. But one costly crash changed everything.
Alex Bowman left the track with not just a wrecked car but more questions than answers and a sharply reduced total of points. The 32-year-old racer’s recent finishes in the eighth season with HMS marked a new low in what has become his most challenging year yet.
From Contender to Crisis Mode: Alex Bowman Slips Post-Michigan Mishap
Sunday’s FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway came to a halt early in Stage 2 after a violent wreck involving Bowman, whose No. 48 Chevrolet plowed head-on into the SAFER barrier at high speed, crumpling the front end and coming to a standstill on the track.
The safety crew rushed to the spot, temporarily halting the race for cleanup. But thankfully, the 32-year-old was able to exit the vehicle on his own before being transported to the infield medical center for evaluation.
Bowman was running 29th when contact between two Fords – No. 2 of Austin Cindric and No. 41 of Cole Custer – on Lap 67 collected him. As a result, the HMS Chevy was sent straight into the outer wall in Turn 2 with pole winner Chase Briscoe and Trackhouse Racing star Daniel Suarez also getting caught in the multi-car melee.
Ultimately, he ended the day early, scoring less than a point and recording his third DNF of the season. Sunday also marked the third consecutive race in which the Arizona native finished lower than 28th.
Alex Bowman has an Average Finish of 28.2 over the last 5 races, which is tied for his worst 5 race-stretch since joining Hendrick.
Every Cup driver’s Average Finish over the last 5 races: pic.twitter.com/dKY4zTEYgF
— Daniel Céspedes (@_DanielCespedes) June 9, 2025
An ardent enthusiast recently highlighted on X (formerly Twitter) that the driver’s average finish over the last five races is 28.2, marking a tie for his worst five-race stretch since joining HMS. He has placed 27th or worse in seven of his last nine starts and failed to finish in three of them during this rough stretch.
Note that this is well lower than that of Ty Gibbs, Carson Hocevar, or Noah Gragson, who are relatively new to the division. Entering Sunday’s race, Bowman was twelfth in the standings, about 40 points above the cutline. However, following the catastrophe, he has slipped to 13th in the standings, now just 13 points above the cutline.
For Bowman and his No. 48 team, the Michigan crash was more than a setback; it was a jarring reminder of how quickly things can turn in NASCAR. With just a slim margin now separating him from the cutline, the pressure is mounting as the regular season winds down with 11 races to go.