Alex Bowman arrived at Pocono Raceway carrying invisible weight alongside playoff pressure. The Hendrick Motorsports driver battled lingering effects from the most brutal hit of his career just three weeks earlier at Michigan International Speedway.
As Chase Briscoe celebrated victory in the Great American Getaway 400 Cup race, Bowman secured an 11th-place finish, a testament to his endurance. His pre-race honesty revealed a driver operating at 85% capacity while navigating NASCAR’s most physically demanding triangular layout, infamously nicknamed the “Tricky Triangle.”
Alex Bowman Details Grueling Recovery From 50G Impact
The No. 48 Chevrolet driver didn’t mask his physical struggles before Sunday’s green flag. “I feel way better than I did last week,” Bowman stated to NBC Sports’ Dustin Long. “I would say I’m like 85 or 90 percent. Last week, I was probably like 15 or 20 percent. Yeah, I feel way better.”
This marked significant progress after competing in Mexico City’s inaugural race, where he battled continuous pain radiating from his lower back down his right leg.
Michigan’s wreck remains seared in his memory. “There were times last week that it was the most pain I’ve ever had through anything,” Bowman confessed. The head-on impact registered a violent 50Gs, lifting his car’s rear tires off the pavement.
“I don’t know if on paper that’s the biggest [hit] I’ve ever taken, but it’s the most painful one I’ve ever taken, for sure,” he explained a couple of days before the Mexico race. “Even compared to when I broke my back, it’s way more pain than that was.”
#NASCAR … Alex Bowman on how he is feeling physically heading into today’s race at Pocono pic.twitter.com/VNNW6aXSpn
— Dustin Long (@dustinlong) June 22, 2025
Medical limitations still grounded him. “It’s not like I’m running right now or squatting right now,” Bowman admitted to Long before the Pocono race. But the cockpit provided relief: “Other than that, I can mostly do everything that I would normally do.”
This explains his remarkable fourth-place finish in Mexico despite starting 29th. Anthony Alfredo, responsible for HMS simulator duties, remained on standby both weekends, ready to relieve him if necessary.
Hendrick Motorsports Driver Prioritizes Grit Over Comfort at Pocono
Bowman deflected physical concerns when discussing Pocono’s challenges before the race. “We’ve just had really good race cars here. So, we’ve had some strategy to be there at the end sometimes, but, you know, we’ve for the most part had good speed. So I enjoy this track,” he noted.
“It’s a big compromise between the three ends, and nobody’s stuff drives perfect.” His history at the track includes a Gen-6 era win and consecutive competitive runs.
Playoff urgency outweighed discomfort. Before Michigan, Bowman had seven finishes of 27th or worse this season. His Mexico surge positioned him 13th in points, making Sunday’s middle-pack finish crucial for playoff positioning.
“Im about 85 or 90%.”@Alex_Bowman on how he is feeling heading into this weekend. He also speaks on the road course pit strategy, and what he likes so much about @PoconoRaceway as the @allyracing #48 has been a contender the last two seasons. #NASCAR | @MtrsprtsToday pic.twitter.com/wMOdJmXSkT
— Tim Moore (@IveBeenTimMoore) June 21, 2025
“Bad enough that normally I would complain about it,” he said of lingering soreness. “But so much better than last week that I’m not going to complain at all and just ready to go to work,” Bowman continued.
The 32-year-old’s resilience echoes past comebacks. A 2022 concussion sidelined him for five races, and a 2023 sprint car crash fractured his back, prompting team owner Rick Hendrick to ban extracurricular racing activities.
Bowman started 25th at Pocono and battled between Austin Cindric (10th) and Josh Berry (12th) for much of the afternoon. His 11th-place finish demonstrated calculated aggression despite limited mobility. The question remains: will he make it to the playoffs?
