Alex Bowman to miss Dover and other NASCAR races after fracturing his vertebra

Alex Bowman will miss three to four weeks of the NASCAR Cup Series season.

The driver of the No. 48 Cup car for Hendrick Motorsports wrote in a statement on Twitter that he was involved in an on-track incident during a sprint car race Tuesday night, and that the incident resulted in a fractured vertebra.

“First, I want to let everyone know I’m feeling OK,” he wrote Wednesday. “My focus is now on healing and resting. Being out of the car is never an update any driver wants to make.”

Josh Berry will drive in Bowman’s stead.

This isn’t the first solemn injury-related news Bowman has had to disseminate. The 30-year-old driver missed five races in 2022 after sustaining a concussion in a wreck at Texas Motor Speedway.

Bowman currently sits ninth in the points standings. His consistency has shined despite the 48 team getting hit with a 60-point penalty (as well as a five-playoff-point penalty) after Richmond. He’ll now likely need to win a race in order to make the 2023 postseason.

Hendrick Motorsports has been bit by the injury bug this year. Chase Elliott, NASCAR’s most popular driver and commander of the No. 9 HMS Chevrolet, missed a handful of races earlier this year after sustaining a broken bone in his left leg that happened after a snowboarding accident.

Berry ran in Elliott’s stead — and did so admirably, finishing second at Richmond — before Elliott returned at Martinsville.

“I’m thankful to Josh Berry and Hendrick Motorsports for stepping up to the plate, and I know the entire Ally Racing team will give it their all these next few weeks,” Bowman wrote. “I’ll be doing everything I can at home to help the team and ensure my recovery is as quick as possible to get back in the 48 car soon.”

HMS owner Rick Hendrick released a statement on Wednesday.

“We’re relieved Alex is home, in good spirits and getting world-class treatment,” Hendrick said. “Giving him ample time and the foremost resources to heal is our top priority. He’s having a tremendous season, and the No. 48 is at the top of its game. We know what Josh is capable of in the race car and that Blake (Harris, crew chief) and the team will continue operating at a high level until Alex is ready to return. He has our full, unequivocal support.”

Bowman isn’t the only Cup driver to sustain an injury racing in another series. Chase Briscoe of Stewart-Haas Racing underwent successful surgery for a broken finger that he suffered while racing a dirt late model earlier this month.