Alex Bowman 2024 season in review

Editor’s note: This continues the series in which we review each 2024 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs driver in reverse order of championship finish.

Season in review: Alex Bowman, No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
Crew chief: Blake Harris
Final 2024 ranking: 9th
Key stats: One win, eight top fives, 17 top 10s, one pole, 67 laps led

How 2024 ended: After a year away from the NASCAR postseason picture, Bowman returned to the 16-driver grid and reached the Round of 12. The 31-year-old driver appeared set to advance to the Round of 8, but his No. 48 Chevrolet was disqualified from the round finale at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval after the car failed to meet the minimum-weight requirement in post-race inspection. Bowman initially was clear into the next round by nine points before the penalty, which opened the door for eventual Cup Series champ Joey Logano to keep his playoff run rolling.

RELATED: Alex Bowman through the years

Best race: Bowman snapped an 80-race winless drought with a spirited surge to victory in the Chicago Street Race, holding off Tyler Reddick’s charge down the stretch. A timely strategy play by No. 48 crew chief Blake Harris put the team in late-race contention, and Bowman did the rest in leading the final eight laps. The triumph was a validating turn of events for the Hendrick Motorsports driver, who answered lingering questions about his performance and completed a redemption arc after battling through injuries that hampered him in the previous two seasons.

Other season highlights: Bowman was second to Hendrick teammate William Byron in the Daytona 500, but he hit his most consistent stretch during the springtime months. Bowman managed top-10 finishes in eight events during a 10-race span, including a stretch of five consecutive starts. That timeframe included a career milestone at Dover Motor Speedway, where he placed eighth in his 300th Cup Series race.

Stat to know: The 2024 campaign was a mixed statistical bag for Bowman, who matched a career best with eight top-five finishes and surpassed a personal mark with 17 top 10s. His laps-led count of 67, however, was the lowest season total since he joined Hendrick Motorsports full-time in 2018.

Quotable: “We showed up in the playoffs and did what everybody said we couldn’t do again. I mean, I obviously wish we would have won some races through that stretch, but I feel like we operated at a really high level. Obviously had a really small, simple mistake cost us greatly, but that’s how racing goes sometimes. So, I feel like we all did a good job and worked really hard and really need to carry that as a baseline into 2025, I feel like. We need to run at that level all the time and elevate from there.” — Bowman on his prospects for next season.

MORE: Power Rankings: 2025 preview | 2024-25 Silly Season news

Looking ahead: Hendrick Motorsports’ four-driver roster remains unchanged for the fifth consecutive season, and Bowman is under contract with the No. 48 team through the 2026 campaign. Bowman echoed his teammates’ remarks when asked about areas of improvement for 2025, saying the organization needed to close the speed gap at relatively flat tracks of roughly a mile in length — think Phoenix Raceway, New Hampshire Motor Speedway and World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway. But Bowman also said he looked forward to building momentum in his third season with crew chief Harris and with the No. 48 over-the-wall bunch, which won the Mechanix Wear Most Valuable Pit Crew Award in 2024.