Las Vegas Winner Alex Bowman Looking Forward to 2023

It has been a strange season for every driver in the garage, but Bowman has had a particularly interesting 2022 campaign. The Hendrick Motorsports driver began the year with finishes of 24th (Daytona 500) and 25th (Fontana) but then grabbed his 7th career win here at Las Vegas the following week. That race on March 6 was a long time ago, and a lot has changed since then.

The celebration at Las Vegas is the only time Bowman has been to victory lane this year. While he does have a runner-up finish at Circuit of the Americas, the 29-year old recorded just four top-five finishes this year, his lowest total since 2018. His 16.1 average finishing position is also his worst since that 2018 season.

While there are still four races left on the 2022 calendar, Bowman's season may already be complete. After missing the last two races while he recovers from a concussion, Bowman has already been ruled out of the next three events. That leaves only the season-ending race at Phoenix up in the air. It might not make any sense to come back for just one race, especially after he was eliminated from the playoffs.

Today Hendrick Motorsports named Blake Harris as Bowman's new crew chief for next season. Harris comes over from Front Row Motorsports, where he has been the crew chief for Michael McDowell. He will be replacing Greg Ives, who announced earlier this year that he would be stepping down at the end of the season.

Including this year, Bowman has made the playoffs in all five seasons with the organization. Despite his struggles this year, he is looking forward to what 2023 has to offer. "I’m pumped about the chance to work with Blake," Bowman said. "He’s a great fit for me, for our No. 48 group and for the way Hendrick Motorsports operates week in and week out. With Blake, I know we can build on what Greg started and take this to the next level."

His season behind the wheel may be over, but Bowman can reflect on the good memories from the spring race here at Las Vegas, when he outdueled teammate Kyle Larson for the race win. If things go according to plan, there should be even more of that for this No. 48 team next year.