LAS VEGAS — Hendrick Motorsports’ Alex Bowman will sit out a second consecutive week as the NASCAR Cup Series descends upon Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Sunday for the fifth race of the 2026 season (4 p.m. ET, FS1, HBO Max, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
Days after exiting the No. 48 Chevrolet during the race at Circuit of The Americas, Hendrick Motorsports revealed Bowman was dealing with a vertigo bout and missed the following event at Phoenix Raceway. Hendrick simulation driver Anthony Alfredo filled in for Bowman at the Arizona track, and 2024 NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series champ Justin Allgaier will pilot the No. 48 around the 1.5-mile Nevada oval this weekend.
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During Saturday media availabilities at Las Vegas, both William Byron and Chase Elliott spoke about their teammate and extended well wishes to Bowman as he continues his recovery.
“Obviously, we’re very supportive of him and hope that he can get back here really soon,” Byron said. “As a competitor, I hate to see him go through that. Everyone just wants to be able to show up every week and continue to kind of work on things and improve and not have those hiccups in the road. As a teammate, I just want to see him back at the track, but kind of give him the space to go through what he needs to go through.”
Elliott, the 2020 Cup Series titleholder, knows what it is like being out of the car. Elliott missed the spring race at Las Vegas in 2023 due to a fractured tibia and sat out the following five races amid recovery.
While Elliott said he offers support from afar, he wants to reaffirm that Bowman’s absence is missed at the track.
“You want to let the guy know that he is supported and missed,” Elliott said. “I enjoy working with Alex. I think he knows that without me saying anything, but I do think it is probably nice to reaffirm that to him. Unfortunately, I can’t do anything for him. That’s a tough spot. But yeah, try to lend support where you can. Just let the guy know you miss working with him, and hope he gets it all sorted out.
“You never know what’s going to happen or what tomorrow brings, or what something today can impact tomorrow. I hate he’s going through it. Just hope we can obviously help, first and foremost. Just hope he can get some answers to the questions that he has and get him back here at the track soon.”