RELATED: Timeline of Junior’s injury
Following Friday’s announcement that Dale Earnhardt Jr. will sit out for the remainder of the 2016 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season as he continues to recover from concussion-related symptoms, Hendrick Motorsports officials said that Jeff Gordon and Alex Bowman would split time behind the wheel in a fill-in role.
Gordon, 45, will be the interim driver in four of the remaining 12 races this year. A four-time series champion, Gordon has driven in four races in Earnhardt’s stead already this season. Bowman, 23, will handle driving duties for the No. 88 team for eight of the 10 races in the season-ending Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup playoffs. Bowman, a part-time driver for the JR Motorsports operation in the NASCAR XFINITY Series, has two fill-in starts already under his belt in 2016.
“Jeff and Alex will give us a great opportunity over the rest of the season,” team owner Rick Hendrick said in a release provided by the organization. “Jeff is one of the best of all time and knows our system. He brings things to the table that no one else can. Alex is a young driver with a lot of talent, and he will give us a fresh perspective. We know they’re not only capable of running up front and giving us a chance to win, but they’ll help us get better.”
A detailed list of who will wheel Earnhardt’s No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet at each race during his absence.
No. 88 driver schedule
| Track | Race Name | Date | Driver | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Darlington Raceway | Bojangles’ Southern 500 | Sept. 4 | Jeff Gordon | Gordon is a seven-time Darlington winner |
| Richmond International Raceway | Federated Auto Parts 400 | Sept. 10 | Jeff Gordon | Gordon has won twice at Richmond in his career |
| Chicagoland Speedway | Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 400 | Sept. 18 | Alex Bowman | Bowman will make his third Chicagoland start |
| New Hampshire Motor Speedway | New England 300 | Sept. 25 | Alex Bowman | Bowman ran well early, but had car trouble and finished 26th in his first start in the No. 88 earlier this year |
| Dover International Speedway | Citizen Soldier 400 | Oct. 2 | Jeff Gordon | Gordon is a five-time Dover winner and last won this race in 2014. |
| Charlotte Motor Speedway | Bank of America 500 | Oct. 8 | Alex Bowman | Bowman will make his fifth Charlotte start |
| Kansas Speedway | Hollywood Casino 400 | Oct. 16 | Alex Bowman | Bowman’s previous four Kansas starts yielded a best finish of 31st |
| Talladega Superspeedway | Alabama 500 | Oct. 23 | Alex Bowman | Bowman’s second-best career finish (16th) came at Talladega in 2015 |
| Martinsville Speedway | Goody’s Fast Relief 500 | Oct. 30 | Jeff Gordon | Martinsville is home of Gordon’s last win, an iconic moment in 2015 that clinched his spot in the Championship Round at Homestead |
| Texas Motor Speedway | AAA Texas 500 | Nov. 6 | Alex Bowman | Bowman will make his fifth career Texas start |
| Phoenix International Raceway | Can-Am 500 | Nov. 13 | Alex Bowman | Bowman finished 30th here in the spring of 2015, his best showing in four starts |
| Homestead-Miami Speedway | Ford EcoBoost 400 | Nov. 20 | Alex Bowman | The season finale will be Bowman’s third career start at the Miami-based track |