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Vertigo sidelines Alex Bowman, forcing him out of Sunday’s Phoenix NASCAR race

Vertigo sidelines Alex Bowman, forcing him out of Sunday's Phoenix NASCAR race | iNFOnews.ca
FILE - Alex Bowman looks on prior to NASCAR's The Clash preseason auto race, Feb. 4, 2026, in Winston-Salem, N.C. (AP Photo/Matt Kelley, File)

AVONDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Hendrick Motorsports driver Alex Bowman will miss the NASCAR race Sunday at Phoenix Raceway after he was diagnosed with vertigo.

Bowman was too ill to continue racing last Sunday at Circuit of the Americas in Texas and was replaced mid-race by Myatt Snider, who had been working in the pits for Fox Sports at the time of the driver change.

Anthony Alfredo will drive the No. 48 Chevrolet for Bowman this weekend at Phoenix. Alfredo has 210 NASCAR national series starts, including 43 at the Cup level. He is the simulator test driver for Hendrick Motorsports and Chevrolet.

Bowman began experiencing symptoms Sunday in Texas and got out of the car on the 71st lap. The 32-year-old Arizona native underwent two days of medical evaluation this week and drove laps Thursday in a streetcar at the Ten Tenths Motor Club road course in Concord, North Carolina, before he was ruled out of competition.

“Alex has worked very hard over the last several days,” said Jeff Andrews, president of Hendrick Motorsports. “We’re encouraged by the progress he’s making, but we have to prioritize his health above all else. It’s obviously frustrating for him because he’s a competitor and wants to be in the race car, especially at his home track. We’ll continue to support Alex and look forward to his return as soon as he’s medically cleared.”

Bowman is in a contract year with Hendrick, which said it will request a medical waiver so he remains eligible for the NASCAR Cup Series championship.

Bowman has eight career wins in 364 career Cup Series starts. He has been driving for Hendrick full-time since the 2018 season and made the playoffs in all but one season.

He missed five races in 2022 with a concussion and missed three races the next season with a broken back. Bowman finished a career-best sixth in the Cup standings in 2020.

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AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing

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The Associated Press

Jenna Fryer

The Associated Press is an independent global news organization dedicated to factual reporting. Founded in 1846, AP today remains the most trusted source of fast, accurate, unbiased news in all formats and the essential provider of the technology and services vital to the news business. More than half the world’s population sees AP journalism every day.

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