Commentary

NASCAR Cup

Opinion: How Bowman performs now will set the course for his future

Dale Earnhardt Jr. and his doctors made the right decision.

Lee Spencer

Edited: Sep 2, 2016, 6:49 PM

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Alex Bowman, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

Dale Earnhardt Jr., Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

Alex Bowman, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

Alex Bowman

Alex Bowman, JR Motorsports Chevrolet

Although NASCAR’s Most Popular Driver will be missed as he takes the remainder of the season to recover from the lingering effects of a concussion, his health comes first.

It’s really awkward as a race car driver going to the race track and not driving a race car

Alex Bowman, Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s substitute

Earnhardt has his life beyond racing to consider. And Hendrick Motorsports must also evaluate the future of the No. 88 team if the 41-year-old driver can’t continue in the ride.

“To say I’m disappointed doesn’t begin to describe how I feel, but I know this is the right thing for my long-term health and career,” Earnhardt said in the team release. “I’m 100 percent focused on my recovery, and I will continue to follow everything the doctors tell me.

“They’re seeing good progress in my test results, and I’m feeling that progress physically. I plan to be healthy and ready to compete at Daytona in February. I’m working toward that.”

Going through the the process

Earnhardt has been sidelined since New Hampshire race on July 17. He’s been extremely transparent throughout the course of his career, and this dilemma is no different. Earnhardt, who continues to be under the care of Dr. Micky Collins at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Sports Medicine Concussion Program as well as Charlotte neurosurgeon Dr. Jerry Petty, has kept the public updated on his progress. Last month at Watkins Glen, Earnhardt said he was taking his situation one evaluation at a time.

Sure, it’s difficult for any athlete to watch his sport move on without them. But at this stage in Earnhardt’s career, that evolution was coming sooner than later. And if Earnhardt decides it’s in his best interest never to race again, that’s fine. Earnhardt’s value goes well beyond the driver’s seat. With the support of his sister Kelley Earnhardt Miller and his Cup team owner Rick Hendrick, he’s built a championship-caliber Xfinity Series organization with JR Motorsports. The opportunities Earnhardt has offered aspiring drivers will continue to fuel the talent pipeline for years to come.

The opportunity of a lifetime for Alex Bowman

Alex Bowman, who will sub for Earnhardt in the No. 88 Chevy in eight of the next 12 races, is the latest beneficiary. Bowman, 23, was one of the first racers identified for Toyota’s driver development program. Although Bowman had moderate success competing in the 2013 Xfinity Series tour, he spun his wheels in the Cup series the next two seasons with mediocre squads until Earnhardt enlisted his services at JR Motorsports.

If you are a driver that is trying to make it in the sport there is no better position to be put in than to get in a car like that.

Jamie McMurray on Alex Bowman's opportunity

For Bowman, it was a life-changing experience. In January, after learning he was being replaced by Regan Smith, Bowman’s options were few. But Earnhardt believed in Bowman enough to put him in the No. 88 JRM Chevy after a two-race shot in 2014.

“I was the definition of watching it on the couch this year,” Bowman told Motorsport.com after tying a career-best third-place finish at Dover in May. “I was literally at my house watching it from my couch most weekends. It was really eye-opening. Obviously, I didn’t see the deal with the 7 car coming. I don’t really think anyone did. I refreshed Twitter and I was jobless.

“But that’s the way this sport is. It’s tough. It’s cutthroat. If you’re not winning races, you’re not safe, by any means. Two things you have to do: Have a big sponsor and win races. I didn’t have a big sponsor and I hadn’t won races. So, I have to go win races and I’ll be safe.”

Substitute driver to Victory Lane ... It's happened before

Jamie McMurray found himself in a similar situation to Bowman’s in 2002. Sterling Marlin had led the point standings for 25 of 29 races when he was sidelined with a fractured vertebra following Kansas. McMurray got the call and made his Cup debut at Talladega. The Ganassi Racing development driver won the following week at Charlotte Motor Speedway in just his second start.

Although McMurray was nervous at first, winning cured a lot. He feels with the caliber of the Hendrick equipment and with the personnel on the No. 88 crew, Bowman couldn’t ask for a better stage to showcase his talent.

“Well, if you are a driver that is trying to make it in the sport there is no better position to be put in than to get in a car like that, because you know that you have an opportunity, maybe not to win, but you are in a car that is capable of winning and running up front and showing guys what you can do if you are in the right equipment,” McMurray said. “Everyone wants the chance to get in a really good car and Alex has done, I think, a phenomenal job at jumping right in and having a lot of speed and racing well.

“The flip side of that is if you get in that car and you don’t run well, then you lose your opportunity at maybe ever getting that shot again. I think that Alex has, even though he hasn’t pulled off a win, he has had really good speed and I think to me what sticks out the most is he is not even really in a car every week. If you were in a truck every week or an Xfinity car week in and week out and then you were filling in that would be one thing. But he hasn’t really been racing that much this year.

“To jump in and do what he has done at a track like Loudon which is one style or racing and then to go to a place like Michigan, that is completely different he has just done an awesome job. I know that probably for him the phone is not ringing as much as he wants it to, but he is going to get an opportunity because to me he has really shown that he is capable of it.”

McMurray parlayed his audition into a 14-year Cup career. Bowman can do the same. While having a four-time champion such as Jeff Gordon to appease sponsors and provide the organization with a solid assessment of the team’s strengths and weakness, it’s not a long-term solution.

From the couch and thrusted into the spotlight

Sitting on the couch for three months taught Bowman humility. He’s extremely grateful that Hendrick Motorsports took a chance on him. Although he won’t command the eight-figure sponsor deals Earnhardt does, Bowman has matured over the last year and will be more apt to play the game.

“It’s really awkward as a race car driver going to the race track and not driving a race car,” Bowman said. “It’s pretty miserable, to be honest with you. I did it a couple of times to start the year off and I was like, ‘I got to stay away. I’m going to depress myself.’ So, I watched from the couch. I listened on the radio. I was in the shop every week and tried to learn what I can.

“It was a really humbling, a situation that is mentally stressful to be in. But I’m almost thankful for it. I feel like it really pushed me to stay on top of my game and work harder because I don’t have a choice. It’s breakout this year or get a real job. And I don’t do well with real jobs.”

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