Layne Riggs defended his victory at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park, outclassing the field once again to score his fifth win of the 2026 Craftsman Truck Series season.
After leading 160 laps at the Indiana short track in 2025, Riggs one-upped that performance by leading 198 circuits Friday evening. The No. 34 Front Row Motorsports driver extended his points lead to 99 over Kaden Honeycutt.
Connor Mosack put together a career performance, finishing runner-up at IRP. Ty Majeski, Chandler Smith, who clinched a Chase berth Friday, and Nick Sanchez completed the top five.
Stewart Friesen, Kaden Honeycutt, debutant Gavan Boschele, Tyler Ankrum and Mike Christopher Jr. completed the top 10.
In addition to Smith, Christian Eckes and Gio Ruggiero also clinched spots in The Chase.
The only caution for cause was a Lap 138 incident between Landen Lewis and Daniel Hemric that triggered a red flag lasting just under eight minutes.
Just two races remain until the seven-race Chase. Up next for the Trucks is a date at Richmond Raceway on Aug. 14 (7:30 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN Radio, NASCAR Racing Network).
Although the marquee event is known for its extreme summer temperatures, the extended practice was unseasonably cool, with the high only reaching 78 degrees Fahrenheit. That trend is expected to continue into tomorrow evening’s 200-lap Late Model Stock feature, so race conditions will not be much different from what teams experienced Friday.
More than 30 drivers took time during the session, with the entry list consisting of numerous Langley regulars going up against the heavyweights of the Late Model Stock discipline. While the local heroes look to claim their track’s biggest prize, others look to use Saturday to build momentum in their pursuit for the Virginia Triple Crown.
Below are some key storylines following Friday’s on-track activity heading into Saturday’s Hampton Heat.
2019 Hampton Heat winner Connor Hall set the fastest lap of the Friday practice session at Langley Speedway with a 16.147. (Photo: Bill Carnes/Langley Speedway)
Connor Hall sets fastest lap on Friday, eager to earn second Hampton Heat win
For all the accolades Connor Hall has earned at Langley over the years, he only has one Hampton Heat triumph on his resumé, which occurred in 2019.
Hall won that race with the blue No. 77 Toyota he affectionately calls “Smurf,” the same car he brought to the Hampton Heat this weekend. With nine victories at Langley this year, Hall believes he can back up setting the quickest time in Friday practice and finally earn another Hampton Heat win if he stays ahead of everyone else on strategy.
“I think our car has been super competitive this year,” Hall said. “We’ve been super close with the three seconds in a row and four seconds since we won. We obviously understand what it takes to run up front, but there’s so many more factors to win this race than a [local] 50-lapper. There’s so much more chess match to the evening.
“We’re going to keep doing what we’ve been doing, maybe alter a thing or two, and be one spot better.”
Matt Watlz looks to defend his Hampton Heat victory and become the third driver with multiple victories in the event. (Photo: Kaydee Gawlik/NASCAR Regional
Matt Waltz ready to defend last year’s Hampton Heat victory
Entering the Hampton Heat as the event’s most recent winner put Matt Waltz’ mind at ease while making laps around Langley on Friday.
Despite this, Waltz came away from the afternoon searching for more speed after placing 24th on the running order. The results have been mixed for Waltz across the handful of starts he has made in a Late Model Stock this year, but the 2017 Langley track champion remains optimistic he will be fast enough to defend his Hampton Heat checkered flag.
“The last race here at Langley we ran, we ended up second to Connor [Hall], so that was a little positive,” Waltz said. “We haven’t had the speed, and we’ve been trying to go through this thing as hard as we can to find out what we’re looking for. We’re trying to get it to where it’s comfortable, fast and something I can last 200 laps with.”
Brenden Queen will look to become the all-time winningest driver in Hampton Heat history Saturday with his fourth checkered flag in the event. (Photo: Ted Malinowski/NASCAR)
Brenden Queen chasing Hampton Heat history
One driver was noticeably absent from Friday’s Hampton Heat practice session at Langley: Brenden Queen.
The three-time Hampton Heat winner was occupied with the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park the same evening. While Queen was in Indianapolis, eight-time Langley track champion Greg Edwards turned laps in his No. 03 Dodge, all while getting his own car dialed in for tomorrow’s race.
When Queen does arrive at Langley, he will be pursuing a pivotal milestone in the crown jewel race. A victory Saturday night will put Queen atop the Hampton Heat all-time wins list with four, breaking a tie he has held with C.E. Falk III since 2024.
Lee Pulliam seeks to claim his second Hampton Heat victory in his third start. (Photo: Kaydee Gawlik/NASCAR Regional)
Lee Pulliam looks to shake off poor start to Virginia Triple Crown
The last time Lee Pulliam attempted the Hampton Heat at Langley was back in 2019, when he finished sixth after leading 36 laps.
A past Hampton Heat winner in 2015, Pulliam enjoyed a decent practice session on Friday after placing 13th of 32 cars in his No. 8 NASCAR Channel Chevrolet. Despite this, Pulliam has faith in his JR Motorsports crew to get the car to his liking for the 200-lap feature so he can properly rebound from an early crash at South Boston Speedway.
“To have the honor to be able to drive for JR Motorsports and do it at such a prestigious event is something I don’t take for granted,” Pulliam said. “I’ve run two Hampton Heats and had a shot to win both of them, but there’s a lot of cool memories here over the years. A special place and a special team to drive for.”
Trevor Ward looks to take control of the Virginia Triple Crown standings with a win in the Hampton Heat at Langley Speedway. (Photo: Krista Jasso/NASCAR)
Trevor Ward looks to solidify Virginia Triple Crown points lead
“We’ve been [to Langley] four times total and had two top 10s out of the four,” Ward said. “We’ve got a new car we’re bringing out for this race that hasn’t had a lap on it. Obviously, it’s a little nerve-wracking because we want to keep these points going for the Triple Crown and top it off at Martinsville.”
Langley Speedway points leader Woody Howard was second quickest in Hampton Heat practice on Friday. (Photo: Kaydee Gawlik/NASCAR Regional)
Langley points leader Woody Howard starts weekend on strong note
It has been 17 years since Woody Howard won his lone Hampton Heat at Langley to date, yet the veteran racer showed on Friday he is more than capable of earning another one.
Howard, who currently holds a 13-point lead in Langley’s track standings, only trailed Connor Hall in practice times on Friday afternoon. The last thing Howard wants is to follow Hall across the start-finish line in Saturday’s 200-lap feature, but that is only fueling his motivation towards becoming only the third driver to win the Hampton Heat multiple times.
“It’s probably an advantage for us that we race [at Langley] on a regular basis,” Howard said. “We’ve been trying to chase Connor [Hall] every week and we’re working hard to catch him. I feel like we’re in a good place. [The Hampton Heat] is as tough as it’s ever been, but if we pull off a win Saturday, it would be right up at the top of my list for wins in late model racing.”
See where your favorite NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series drivers will pit this weekend at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, as well as Craftsman Truck Series drivers at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park.
NASCAR Cup Series
[Coming soon]
NASCAR Cup Series Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday (2 p.m. ET, TNT Sports, truTV, HBO Max, IMS Radio Network, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Pennzoil 250 Presented by Take 5 Oil Change at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Saturday (4 p.m. ET, The CW, IMS Radio Network, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
See the full starting lineup for tonight’s Craftsman Truck Series race at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park (8 p.m. ET, FS1, FOX One, NRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). Series points leader Layne Riggs will lead the field to green.
SPEEDWAY, Ind. — As Alex Bowman begins to plan for life after NASCAR, Hendrick Motorsports must begin preparing for life after Alex Bowman in its No. 48 Chevrolet.
Bowman will step away from full-time Cup Series competition after the 2027 season, he and the team announced Thursday, bringing the eight-time winner back for next year’s campaign on a one-year contract extension.
His impending departure means a rare, coveted opening at NASCAR’s winningest organization, backed by Hendrick Motorsports’ 15 NASCAR Cup Series championships and 322 race victories.
The immediate focus lies upon Bowman himself, who emphasized in a Friday press conference at Indianapolis Motor Speedway that retiring within this time frame was always part of his long-term plan. Bowman, 33, has missed parts of three seasons in the past five years, including a four-race absence this spring due to vertigo. The physical toll of those injuries is not driving his decision to step away, Bowman said, but it is reinforcing that the time is right.
“I think with what went on in March, I feel like in my head, I had looked at this year being it quite a bit and talked about that,” Bowman said. “But yeah, just trying to make the best decision for me and obviously the best decision for Hendrick Motorsports. I think I really want to end on a more positive note than how this year’s been, so that gave me a little more motivation to come back and go one more year.”
Bowman’s commitment to drive for another full season allows Hendrick Motorsports to find its next potential star at a company with a history of high achievers: seven-time champion Jimmie Johnson; four-time champ Jeff Gordon; two-time Daytona 500 winner Dale Earnhardt Jr.; defending and two-time champion Kyle Larson. The next year and a half remains Bowman’s to write, but team president and general manager Jeff Andrews will be one of the major players responsible for signing that team’s next driver.
“We’re fortunate enough that we don’t go through this all that often at Hendrick Motorsports,” Andrews said Friday. “And when these cycles do happen, obviously there’s a process there of looking for someone for the right fit, not only from a performance standpoint, but for our company and our culture. And so again today, as you mentioned, is about Alex and the near future will be about Alex and his story, and we’ll begin that process on what’s next for the 48 team in 2028 very soon.”
Zach Sturniolo | NASCAR Digital Media
More time in the bank with Bowman behind the wheel allows more opportunities for young prospects around the sport to develop before landing in one of the most desirable seats in motorsports.
Connor Zilisch, a rookie at Trackhouse Racing, has quickly garnered the most attention as a possible replacement at Hendrick Motorsports when Bowman departs. One source confirmed Hendrick is one of many teams in the garage that have taken an interest in Zilisch despite his rookie-year struggles. Zilisch’s time in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series was spent at JR Motorsports, a Hendrick-affiliated program, establishing an early relationship within the Chevrolet powerhouse.
Zilisch has had a miserable stretch of races at the Cup level, finishing outside the top 30 in five of the last eight races. But his talent and potential are well established, evidenced by a 10-win slate in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series one year ago and a rousing resume to accompany the stats. With more time to flourish in the Cup Series — perhaps bolstered by the upcoming slate of full 50-minute practice sessions — Zilisch could develop into Hendrick’s next long-term driver.
Another prime prospect is Corey Day, who currently drives for Hendrick Motorsports in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series. Day has won at both Talladega Superspeedway and Dover Motor Speedway this season and has quickly grown into a legitimate contender as a stock-car racer, adapting to the craft after years spent in the dirt-racing scene. Through 21 starts this year, Day sits fourth in the standings with six top fives and 14 top 10s to his credit and just three races remaining in the regular season. Day’s development has come under Hendrick’s watchful eye and would therefore be a likely contender for the No. 48 seat in 2028 if progress continues.
The phone has already begun ringing at Hendrick Motorsports as drivers and agents around the garage recognize the rare opportunity that has presented itself for the 2028 season. Until then, Alex Bowman will be able to write his final chapter in his own words, using the next year and a half to potentially leave on a high note.
SPEEDWAY, Ind. — Tyler Reddick couldn’t have scripted a much better start to the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season. But after making history by becoming the first driver in the 78-year history of the series to win the opening three races of a single season, the five-time 2026 winner has stumbled through a six-race skid, turning a dominant campaign into one filled with questions.
“You want to be in the right place, going in the right direction as you start The Chase,” Reddick said on Friday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, moments after concluding a frustrating practice session that still was good enough for eighth on single-lap speed. “We really need to get out of whatever hole we’ve found ourselves in.”
No driver over the last 39 seasons enjoyed a better start than Tyler Reddick’s opening 14 races in 2026. His 5.6 average finish, highlighted by nine top-five finishes, was the best through the first 14 races of a season since Dale Earnhardt posted a 4.8 average in 1987. That blistering run produced an average of 44.6 points per race through the opening 15 events.
The last six races have told a much different story. Reddick has averaged just 17.5 points per race during that span, watching a commanding 129-point lead atop the regular-season standings disappear. He now trails Denny Hamlin by 68 points in the battle for the No. 1 seed for The Chase.
The sheer pace of Reddick’s No. 45 Toyota hasn’t been nearly as dominant over the last seven races as it was during the opening 14 events. Misfortune has also played a major role. Reddick was an innocent victim in a restart stack-up at Michigan International Speedway, suffered a downed tire while battling for the victory at Naval Base Coronado and endured mechanical issues at both Sonoma Raceway and Chicagoland Speedway. Last weekend at North Wilkesboro Speedway, Reddick was collected in an incident with Alex Bowman while the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet entered pit road.
“It has been a little bit of hit or miss at times,” Reddick said of the No. 45’s pace. “We just have to figure it out.”
It hasn’t all been doom and gloom for the No. 45 team, but the recent stretch has been far from ideal. Reddick believes there is still time to track the No. 11 car down for the top Chase spot.
“If we run like we did the first 14 races of the season, absolutely,” Reddick said. “We’ve been going the wrong way for a while, and some of it is just racing. A couple of times we haven’t had the speed that we’ve come to expect out of ourselves. A little bit of both, but a lot of it has been crazy circumstances.
“It’s not over until The Chase starts. We will just keep fighting as hard as we can and not settle for days like today.”
Friday’s practice session wasn’t ideal for Reddick. He clocked in eighth on single-lap speed — Toyota owned the top five between Joe Gibbs Racing and Legacy Motor Club — but fought an ill-handling machine. It was out in left field so much that he even joked with his crew chief, Billy Scott, that it felt like he had never visited the famed 2.5-mile speedway before.
“The last few years we’ve come here and felt good about what we had and knew where we needed to go from practice into qualifying,” Reddick said. “Today, I felt like I had never raced here before. Just lost. Struggling to find speed, struggling with the balance of the car. It was like I never raced here before.”
Spirits remain high, however. 23XI Racing enters Sunday’s Brickyard 400 as the defending winner with Bubba Wallace scoring his most recent checkered flag. Reddick was in the mix throughout the race, placing fourth in the opening stage but wrecked out in overtime.
Reddick intends to spend the rest of Friday debriefing with 23XI and revisiting past setups from Indianapolis over the prior two seasons.
“Yes, Bubba won and had a successful weekend, but we felt good about our car too,” Reddick said. “Whether it’s his race, our first 30 to 40 laps of last year’s race, we have some good stuff to go through.”
Christopher Bell set the pace in NASCAR Cup Series practice, leading a Toyota sweep of the top five in Friday afternoon’s session at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Bell’s No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota posted a best lap of 183.512 mph in the first on-track activity ahead of Sunday’s Brickyard 400 (2 p.m. ET, TNT Sports, truTV, HBO Max, IMS Radio Network, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) at the 2.5-mile oval.
John Hunter Nemechek was second-fastest in the No. 42 Legacy Motor Club Toyota, clocking in at 183.180 mph. Ty Gibbs ranked third in practice, with Erik Jones and Cup Series points leader Denny Hamlin completing the top five in that order.
A handful of drivers encountered trouble early on in the 50-minute session. Defending Brickyard 400 winner Bubba Wallace was the first to find a snag with a scrape of the outside retaining wall in Turn 1. He took his No. 23 Toyota to the garage, where his 23XI Racing crew went to work on the car’s right-side damage. Wallace was back on track with 20 minutes to go in practice, recording the 20th-fastest lap overall.
Ryan Preece’s No. 60 RFK Racing Ford also slowed when his left-rear tire went down with 22 minutes left in practice.
The Cup Series returns to the track for Busch Light Pole Qualifying on Saturday (1:30 p.m. ET, truTV, HBO Max, IMS Radio Network, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
The NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series take on the famed Brickyard this weekend for their annual stop at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, while the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series will be in action at the nearby Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park. Bookmark this page and come back often for your race-week essentials — from links to qualifying order, average practice speeds, results and more.
Race day: Friday at 8 p.m. ET on FS1. The categories listed below will be filled out with links as the information becomes available.
Tires: Five total sets — three new sets for the race, one for qualifying, which transfers to the race, and one for practice. If needed, three wet-weather sets will also be available.
Editor’s Note: Keep tabs on this page for lineup advice following qualifying, including changes you should consider.
Few sporting venues in the world have the prestige of Indianapolis Motor Speedway. And the best drivers usually come out to play, with the Brickyard winner going on to win the Cup Series championship in the same season nine times in 29 editions. Denny Hamlin can complete the Crown Jewel Grand Slam, while Tyler Reddick aims to join an exclusive Daytona 500/Brickyard 400 club. Toyota leads the way, but track position keeps the field wide open.
Returning to Fastlane this year is my weekly NASCAR 36 for 36 pick,where you can come play along. It’s a season-long points battle introduced in 2024 where strategy is the primary emphasis. With 36 chartered cars and 36 races on the 2026 schedule, players can choose each car once for the duration of the season.
Driver: Bubba Wallace, 23XI Racing, No. 23 Toyota Selections remaining: 6 Comment: Arguably, Indianapolis is Wallace’s best circuit on the schedule, dating back to his formative years with Richard Petty Motorsports (now Legacy Motor Club), when he finished third in 2019. Wallace has top 10s in the last four races on the Indianapolis oval, posting an 11.2 average finish in five attempts overall, his best at any venue with multiple starts.
Driver:Christopher Bell, Joe Gibbs Racing, No. 20 Toyota Selections remaining: 3 Comment: Given the layout of Indianapolis and how dominant Toyota has been at high-speed venues in 2026, Bell should be in the mix this weekend. He has a pair of top 10s in three oval starts, never finishing worse than 12th. His 8.0 average finish here is his best at any active oval with multiple attempts.
Driver: Kyle Larson, Hendrick Motorsports, No. 5 Chevrolet Selections remaining:3 Comment: While Toyota will be the favorite, Larson could give them a run for their money. The No. 5 bunch has finished inside the top two in both races since the famed 2.5-mile oval returned to the Cup schedule in 2024, winning the 2024 race while driving through the field.
Justin Casterline | Getty Images
DRIVERS TO AVOID
Driver: William Byron, Hendrick Motorsports, No. 24 Chevrolet Selections remaining: 5 Comment: The No. 24 car has celebrated in the historic IMS Victory Lane a record five times with Jeff Gordon. However, the venue has been a hindrance for Byron, with an average finish of 20.8 in five starts, his worst among non-drafting ovals. Byron’s fourth-place finish in 2019 is his lone top-15 effort.
Driver: Alex Bowman, Hendrick Motorsports, No. 48 Chevrolet Selections remaining: 10 Comment: The No. 48 team for Hendrick has kissed the bricks with Jimmie Johnson on four occasions. However, this is undoubtedly Bowman’s worst track, with an average finish of 29.6 in seven starts (five finishes of 30th or worse). He finished ninth last year, though, his only outcome better than 21st.
Alejandro Alvarez | NASCAR Digital Media
SLEEPERS OF THE WEEK
Driver:Austin Cindric, Team Penske, No. 2 Ford Selections remaining: 7 Comment: No race is more important to Team Penske than the Brickyard 400 as Roger Penske owns the famed speedway. Cindric could be a sneaky play this weekend, as he led a race-high 40 laps in last year’s event. The sample size is small, but his 11.0 average finish is tied with World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway for his best among active tracks.
Driver:Todd Gilliland, Front Row Motorsports, No. 34 Ford Selections remaining: 9 Comment: So you’re saying there’s a chance? Gilliland mustfinish ahead of Ryan Blaney this weekend to snag the $1 million prize for the In-Season Challenge, as he’s playing the role of the Butler Bulldogs vs. the Duke Blue Devils in the 2010 NCAA Men’s Basketball National Championship. Gilliland has a legitimate shot at pulling off the upset, finishing sixth in his only two starts at the Indianapolis oval.
James Gilbert | Getty Images
FEATURED MATCHUPS
Todd Gilliland vs. Ryan Blaney Pick: Blaney Comment: Regardless of who wins, a Ford driver will bank the $1 million prize in a season where the manufacturer has three victories in the opening 21 races. Blaney has two of them and, prior to Logano’s win last week, had accounted for Ford’s previous six Cup Series victories. The 2023 Cup champion is the heavy favorite entering the weekend, with three top 10s in eight Indy starts, including a third-place finish in 2024.
Bubba Wallace vs. Christopher Bell Pick: Wallace Comment: Their respective histories at Indianapolis suggest both drivers should contend near the front of the pack. Bell has been plagued by near-misses throughout the 2026 season, while Wallace’s results haven’t always reflected his speed. Still, Wallace has consistently shown race-winning pace at the Brickyard and returns with added confidence as the defending race winner.
Joey Logano vs. Chase Briscoe Pick: Briscoe Comment: Logano’s 32nd-place finish in last year’s Brickyard 400 is misleading, as the No. 22 car was in contention to win before cutting a tire late in the going. With eight top 10s in 14 starts, expect him to be a factor again. But don’t overlook Briscoe, as the native Hoosier should be a threat at his home track driving an almighty Toyota.
Brad Keselowski vs. Carson Hocevar Pick: Keselowski Comment: Truthfully, there isn’t much confidence in this pick, as Keselowski’s seventh-place result at North Wilkesboro was his first top 10 in three months. Hocevar has been consistent in limited attempts at Indianapolis, with finishes of 10th and 12th. Experience wins out, though, as Keselowski, the 2018 Brickyard winner, has four top fives in the last six races here.
Pick: Todd Gilliland, Front Row Motorsports, No. 34 Ford Comment: No track has treated Gilliland better on the Cup schedule – oval or road course – than Indianapolis. Sure, you could save the No. 34 team for a superspeedway, but he has been a top-10 threat in both of his IMS oval starts and could walk away from the “Yard of Bricks” with heavy pockets.
Alex Bowman will retire from full-time NASCAR Cup Series competition following the 2027 season after signing a one-year contract extension, Hendrick Motorsports announced Thursday.
Bowman, an eight-time Cup Series winner, has competed full-time for Hendrick Motorsports since 2018 and currently drives the team’s No. 48 Chevrolet. The 33-year-old Tucson, Arizona, native missed four races earlier this season due to vertigo and sits 29th in points with three top fives and four top 10s in 17 starts this season.
His departure will come at the conclusion of his 12th full season of Cup Series competition, a venture highlighted by a four-win season in 2021.
“Alex has meant so much to our organization for a long time,” Rick Hendrick, owner of Hendrick Motorsports, said in a team press release. “He’s overcome adversity, won big races and represented our team and partners with professionalism, personality and class. Alex is a tremendous talent in the race car and an even better person outside of it. We’re proud he’ll have the opportunity to finish his full-time career with us on his terms. He’s family.”
Bowman’s tenure marked the culmination of a successful rise from underfunded upstart teams to one of the sport’s premier organizations. He first joined Hendrick Motorsports in 2016, substituting for an injured Dale Earnhardt Jr. and sharing driving duties with Jeff Gordon. Bowman parlayed the part-time role into a full-time gig starting in 2018, driving the No. 88 car until seven-time champion Jimmie Johnson retired after 2020, when Bowman moved into the No. 48 Chevy.
Bowman won at least once each season from 2019 through 2022, earning a career-best points finish of sixth in 2020 before winning four races the next year.
“I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about what’s next, and this feels like the right decision at the right time,” Bowman said. “The sport asks a lot of you, and I’ve learned it’s important to listen to your body and make the right choices for yourself. To say I’m incredibly grateful to Mr. Hendrick, our partners at Ally and Chevrolet, and everyone at Hendrick Motorsports would be an understatement. They believed in me and gave me the biggest opportunity of my life.
“My focus now is on making the most of my time on the race track and competing for wins. We still have a lot to accomplish, and I want to close my career on a high note for our team and our fans. To have the chance to do that with this organization and these people is really special.”
Injuries led to missed time behind the wheel over the last few years. Concussion-like symptoms sidelined Bowman from the car for five races in 2022. The next spring, Bowman was leading the Cup Series standings before a sprint car crash left him with a broken vertebra and forced him to miss three races in 2023. Bowman returned to Victory Lane in 2024, scoring his most recent win at the Chicago Street Course.
Bowman’s 2026 campaign has not gone to plan, ranking 29th in points after 21 races with three top fives and four top 10s. His 21.8 average finishing position is on track to be his poorest since 2015, when he competed for Tommy Baldwin Racing.
