Alex Bowman, whose hot start to the year was among the biggest story lines in NASCAR before the COVID-19 pandemic that halted the 2020 season, announced Saturday morning that he has signed a one-year contract extension through 2021 with Hendrick Motorsports.
Pumped to lock down the contract extension for 2021! Couldn‘t be more excited to return to @TeamHendrick next season and keep the good times rolling in the 88! Thanks for all the support, can‘t wait to get to Darlington tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/b1YNHViR5n
— Alex Bowman (@AlexBowman88) May 16, 2020
The 27-year-old is in his third full season driving the Hendrick Motorsports No. 88 Chevrolet, a ride he first took over as a 10-race substitute for the injured Dale Earnhardt Jr. in 2016. Since then, he scored his first Cup Series victory last season at Chicagoland Speedway.
RELATED: Recapping Alex Bowman’s Auto Club win
Before the sports world slowed to a halt this spring amid the global public-health crisis, Bowman seemed to bolster his case for a contract extension with a dominant win at Auto Club Speedway in the third race of the season. After that victory, he said “every year is a contract year,” referring to his journeyman career, while reaffirming his commitment to team owner Rick Hendrick.
The win at Auto Club came after Bowman exited Friday‘s practice with what appeared to be the car to beat. He qualified third, then led 110 of 200 laps and beat runner-up Kyle Busch by nearly nine seconds.
Bowman is in fourth place in the standings as NASCAR makes its return to racing this weekend at Darlington Raceway (3:30 p.m. ET, FOX, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). He‘s six points behind teammate driver Chase Elliott (third) and seven points ahead of teammate Jimmie Johnson (fifth) — an indicator of how strong Hendrick Motorsports has been early in the season.