Alex Bowman confident of a good outing at Charlotte Roval after encouraging past few performances

Alex Bowman is optimistic about his chances of a strong finish at Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval this weekend. He pointed out that his #48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet has been a frontrunner on road courses lately.

In the last 13 road course races, Bowman has scored seven top-10 finishes, including a win on the streets of Chicago last year. At Charlotte Roval specifically, the 32-year-old has posted two top-5s and five top-10s in six starts. His best finish was a second place in 2019, back when he was still running the #88 Chevy.

Speaking about the North Carolina track, the NASCAR veteran said (via Speedway Digest):

“The Roval is always such a unique challenge because it mixes so many different elements of road and oval racing. Our #48 Ally Chevy has had speed there in the past, and we've been building good momentum on road courses lately.”

Alex Bowman drives the #48 Chevrolet Camaro for Hendrick Motorsports - Source: Imagn

Alex Bowman, however, will not be competing in the playoffs. He was eliminated in the Round of 16 finale at Bristol Motor Speedway, despite making efforts such as reshuffling his pit crew members. His teammates—Chase Elliott, Kyle Larson, and William Byron—remain in contention and will head to the Roval in decent spots above the cutline.

The Bank of America Roval 400 is scheduled for October 5 at 3:00 p.m. ET. The 109-lap road course showdown marks the Round of 12 finale before the Round of 8 kicks off at Las Vegas Motor Speedway next weekend.

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“Let's give him another shot”: NASCAR legend on Alex Bowman's future at Hendrick Motorsports

Former NASCAR driver Kyle Petty weighed in on the criticism suggesting Alex Bowman should be replaced at Hendrick Motorsports. Petty argued that Bowman deserves another year to prove himself, noting that HMS has historically always had at least one car that struggled—a pattern he witnessed firsthand back when the team only fielded a single entry.

Kyle, the son of seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Richard Petty, said (via NASCAR):

“That's always been the MO at Hendrick Motorsports. They always have one car that lags behind a little bit. 48 team, seems to be the team since Jimmie Johnson left, that lags behind a little bit.”

“Now should they get rid of him [...] it's Rick's decision, not our decision. The sponsor likes him, Rick likes him, the team likes him, he adds something to the combination and he helps the whole group move forward. So let's give him another shot,” he added.

Alex Bowman joined HMS as a part-time replacement driver for the then-injured Dale Earnhardt Jr. in 2016. He eventually took over the #88 Chevrolet for the 2018 season after Earnhardt Jr. retired from NASCAR racing. The #48 was later given to him after Jimmie Johnson retired in 2020, capitalizing on the sponsorship from Ally Financial.

This season, the Arizona native has yet to break into victory lane, while his teammates have all secured multiple wins. His closest call came at Homestead-Miami Speedway in March, when a late mistake sent him brushing the wall and opened the door for Kyle Larson to take the lead.