BY Neha Dwivedi, Staff Writer

Alex Bowman has been on the sidelines since his vertigo diagnosis after he was forced to exit the race at Circuit of the Americas, merely 71 laps into the event. Since then, the driver has continued recovery while his team waits for signs that he can return to the cockpit.

The setback kept him out of the race at Phoenix Raceway and he will also miss the upcoming event at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Sunday. In his absence, Justin Allgaier will take the wheel of the No. 48 car for Hendrick Motorsports at LVMS.

So, what is vertigo?

Vertigo can cause a sensation of spinning or swaying, often leading to dizziness, nausea, loss of balance, and rapid eye movements. In a race car traveling at speed, those symptoms can throw a driver’s sense of motion off balance and make it hard to keep control. With safety at stake for everyone on the track, Bowman is forced to step away from the car until he receives medical clearance to return.

It remains unclear whether Bowman will be ready to return when the series heads to Darlington Raceway. For now, support has come from within the Hendrick camp, including from teammate Chase Elliott.

Speaking to the media ahead of the NASCAR Cup Series Pennzoil 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Elliott said he has tried to stand by Bowman during the stretch away from the track.

“I just try to lend support. I’ve tried to do that, you know, from afar, the best I can with giving him the respect to his situation, I guess,” Elliott said. “But also, I think, you want to let the guy know that he is supported and missed and all the things. I enjoy working with Alex. I think he knows that without me saying anything. But, I do think it is probably nice to, you know, reaffirm that to him.”

Elliott also noted that situations like this remind drivers how quickly things can change.

“Unfortunately, I can’t do anything for him, and that’s a tough spot,” he continued. “But yeah, try to lend support where you can. And yeah, like I said, just let the guy know you miss working with him and hope he gets it all sorted out. It’s a really scary thing, honestly, and something that we’re all subject to, truthfully. You never know what’s going to happen or what tomorrow brings or what something today can impact tomorrow. And, so I just, I hate he’s going through it. That’s a really, really tough spot and just hope we can, obviously, help first and foremost. Just hope he can get some answers to the questions that he has and get him back here at the track soon.”

For Bowman, this is the third stretch in five years where injury has forced him to miss races. Since his last win in July 2024, the road has not been smooth, though he still managed to reach the playoffs and close the past two seasons ninth and 13th in the standings.

This year could prove harder. With the Chase format back in play in the NASCAR Cup Series, both wins and points will carry weight. After three starts, Bowman holds 23 points and sits 36th in the standings, 77 points behind 16th-place Brad Keselowski and 202 points behind Tyler Reddick, who leads the series.

That leaves a narrow path forward. When Bowman climbs back into the car, he will have to chase wins, bring his Chevy home near the front in the rest of the weekends and muster a lot of luck to make his way into the final ten races of the season.