Alex Bowman and Hendrick Motorsports are discussing a multi-year contract extension to keep him in the No. 48 car

Following Bowman’s second win of 2021, Rick Hendrick describes negotiations as a “formality”

Alex Bowman won multiple races in a season for the first time in his Cup career after earning the checkered flag at Dover International Speedway on Sunday, and he currently leads all Hendrick Motorsports drivers with two on the 2021 season. As a reward, Rick Hendrick and his team are ensuring that Bowman continues to race and win in their cars for many years to come.

Rick Hendrick revealed to reporters following the conclusion of Sunday’s Drydene 400 at Dover that Hendrick Motorsports is in in the process of negotiating a multi-year contract extension for Alex Bowman. Bowman, who has been driving for the firm since 2016 and full-time since 2018, signed a one-year contract extension with the team in May of last year, which was supposed to expire at the end of 2021.

“We’ve already started, it should be done anytime. We want Alex there, he wants to be there,” Hendrick said. “It’s just, kind of at this point, a formality.”

Bowman’s long-term future at Hendrick came after he starred one of the most remarkable days in the team’s history, when he stole the lead from teammate Kyle Larson and paced the final 97 laps at Dover to claim his second victory of the season. Bowman had earlier won in April at Richmond, where he took the lead on a late-race restart.

Bowman’s journey to long-term stability with a top Cup Series team was not without challenges: Bowman drove for inferior race teams in his first two Cup Series seasons in 2014 and 2015, and was left without a ride for the 2016 season after being fired unexpectedly during the offseason. Midway through the season, Bowman was given the opportunity to fill in for an injured Dale Earnhardt Jr., and he would remain close to the team after finishing third three times, winning a pole, and leading 200 laps. When Earnhardt announced his retirement at the end of the 2017 season, Bowman was named his replacement for 2018.

Bowman has since won four races with Hendrick, as well as winning the pole for the Daytona 500 twice (2018, 2021). Bowman drove the No. 88 Chevrolet in his first three seasons with the team before switching to the No. 48 Chevrolet for 2021 when seven-time Cup champion Jimmie Johnson retired.

Bowman stated his gratitude for the opportunity to not have to worry about his long-term future as a driver who had to go through the hustle and grind of merely attempting to find a ride earlier in his career. Especially when it comes to a team like Hendrick’s.

“Just being at Hendrick Motorsports is obviously where I want to be. I want to continue to work with [sponsor] Ally and drive the No. 48 car,” Bowman said. “We’ve been working on it, and I want to be there, they want me to drive their racecar. It’s cool to have a guy like Rick Hendrick say he wants you to continue driving his racecar. It means a lot to me.”

Alex Bowman’s fourth career victory puts him in good company among drivers who have raced and won in Hendrick’s cars. Alex Bowman’s four victories now tie him with Ken Schrader, Ricky Rudd, and Kyle Busch for the most wins in company history.

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