Alex Bowman drives full time for Hendrick Motorsports, taking over the No. 88 after Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s retirement. He is one of 16 drivers to have qualified for the playoffs. Bowman ran two Xfinity races in 2017 for Chip Ganassi Racing, and achieved his first national series win at Charlotte Motor Speedway. He ran nine Xfinity races for JR Motorsports in 2016. Bowman ran the 2013 season with RAB Racing, earning two poles in the Xfinity Series. Bowman was a substitute driver for Hendrick Motorsports in 2016 in the Monster Energy Series, earning a best finish of sixth at Phoenix -- the same weekend he won his first career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series pole. He topped that mark with a third-place run at Pocono this year.