MOORESVILLE, N.C. (July 25, 2017) – Filling Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s seat is no easy task, but Alex Bowman is up for the challenge. Dale Earnhardt Jr. believes in the young driver’s talent, and so does team owner Rick Hendrick, and Earnhardt Jr. feels that the legacy of the No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet is in great hands going forward.
Bowman, 24, ran 10 races last season while Earnhardt Jr. was recovering from concussion symptoms, and in that time he endeared himself to Earnhardt Jr., Hendrick and most importantly, JR Nation. That’s a good way to start your career in one of the most coveted rides in the NASCAR garage.
During a media session on Sunday in Indianapolis, Earnhardt Jr. said Bowman’s commitment to his work was a key factor in his being named to the No. 88.
“I believe in his talent on the racetrack, but his commitment off the racetrack to work to further his career to me over the last several years has been impressive,” the 42-year-old third-generation driver said of Bowman. “There are a lot of guys that have the talent and need that one critical break. And if they stay committed and keep pushing and are willing to make the sacrifices, eventually that opportunity might come along. Alex is the perfect example of that.
“I think he gets this opportunity because of his commitment to his own career and his gamble that he made a long, long time ago. He’s really had to make some sacrifices. A great example of that would be this year sort of sitting on the sidelines, so to speak. All the while he’s been in the simulator pretty much every day. The simulator is very, very boring work, but Alex is in there with a great attitude. I’ve been in there with him. Even throughout the season, he goes in there and works really hard, which is a key investment for Chevrolet, and it’s incredibly helpful to our company as a race team. He’s also driven the Wheel Force car, which is not a lot of fun, either. It’s very tedious work. He’s just really been a team player, knowing that if he put forth this effort he could possibly get this opportunity.”
Bowman, left on the sidelines just weeks before the 2016 NASCAR Cup Series began, came to JR Motorsports for a limited schedule in the Xfinity Series that season. In nine starts, he recorded three top-five and seven top-10 finishes in the No. 88 Chevrolet. He qualified well, averaging 5.7 for a starting spot, and his average finish was 11th. When Earnhardt Jr. stepped out of the car to recover from injuries with 18 races still left in the season, Bowman stepped in to record three more top-10s in his 10 starts.
It got Earnhardt Jr.’s attention.
“This is something that’s kind of been building for Alex for many years,” he said. “We’ve tried and tried and tried to get more and more opportunities for him, because any time we could put him in the car he produced. He’s always done an incredible job. I think the first time I saw Alex’s potential was at Phoenix in one of our JR Motorsports cars. He stood out to me among everyone else on the racetrack as far as how smooth and perfect his line was lap after lap. That’s a very technical track where you can’t over-drive the car. And he ran the car to its limit without over-stepping that line lap after lap. He became so dependable lap after lap. That’s what I start to see in him more as I watch him today. He’s very dependable as far as his ability to go out there and run the line and get the speed out of the car. I’m excited about his future next year. I’m going to be there with him and that team.
“That team means an incredible amount to me. There are so many folks on that team that I have strong relationships with. I want to be a part of that going forward and continue to help Alex in whatever way he needs. I’m excited to see what he can accomplish next year. It’s a great match and a good fit.”
Bowman was appreciative of the opportunity, especially after the gamble he took to sit out the 2017 season and work with the team in hopes of being considered.
“It’s been a complete dream come true; a little bit overwhelming,” Bowman said Sunday. “I’m just so appreciative and thankful for the opportunity for Nationwide and Axalta to support me and Dale for everything he’s done. It’s been amazing and a dream come true. Hendrick Motorsports is where I’ve always wanted to be. To make it here, like I said, is a dream come true.”
When Earnhardt Jr. stepped out of the car last season to recover, Hendrick put Bowman in the car for 10 of the 18 races, largely on Earnhardt Jr.’s recommendation.
“Well, when we called on Alex when Dale got hurt, to be honest with you I didn’t know a lot about Alex,” Hendrick said. “I was going off of Dale’s recommendation. Then when he got in the car and the way he performed and the feedback he had with all of the teammates and crew chiefs, they were just super excited about how he performed. Then his relationship with the sponsors through that period played a big factor. And I think what really impressed me was he was so committed to our organization that he was willing to sign a deal just to do the Wheel Force car for GM or the simulator and wait for an opportunity. He’s committed, talented and he deserves the opportunity. I’m super excited to have him in the car. I just think he’s going to do an awesome job. He’s fast, smart, committed, so I’m super excited about Alex.”
So is Nationwide, which extended its sponsorship, and Axalta increased its support of the No. 88 team for two more races in 2018.
“We’re really excited to continue the partnership with Hendrick Motorsports,” said Jim McCoy, director of sports marketing for Nationwide. “Since we signed the deal in December of 2014, they’ve just been a first-class partner to really help us get as much value as we can both on and off the racetrack. With the opportunity with Dale’s retirement, it created a new chance to take the relationship to a new place with Alex. He’s a young, talented driver we have history with back in the Nationwide Series days. And, obviously, what he did last fall in the car was amazing in very tough circumstances. He’s really earned everything he’s gotten and we’re excited to get to work next year to really kick off the relationship in a big way in Daytona.”
Bowman’s father owns a body shop in his native Tucson, Ariz., and Bowman got to show him around HMS, including the new Axalta Center on the campus. “I grew up in a body shop,” Bowman said. “He owns a small body shop back home in Tucson. So I got to take him through the Axalta center, which was really cool. That’s his world. I literally couldn’t get him to leave. So that was really cool to show him all that stuff.”
Bowman’s contract runs through 2019, and Hendrick stated that Bowman was part of any contingency plans depending on what Earnhardt Jr. decided to do going forward.
“I didn’t want to see Dale tell me he was going to want to retire, but we had Alex in the back of our mind for whatever opportunity we had,” Hendrick said. “It wasn’t much of a decision at all. Alex was the guy.”
Signing that contract, one with no guarantee that he’d get a ride, was a leap of faith, Bowman said.
“There was nothing set in stone,” he said. “It was a big leap of faith. I said no to a lot of solid opportunities that I really appreciated getting. Hendrick Motorsports is where I’ve always wanted to be. I was a big Jeff Gordon fan as a kid. Driving for Hendrick Motorsports is what I wanted to do my entire life. To get the opportunity to stay this year in whatever capacity, I was very happy to take that. I didn’t know what was going to happen from there. I knew that, given the right chances, I could go and win races. But I’ve always said I didn’t want to go back to running 35th every week. I kind of took a chance with it, and I’m very glad it all worked out.
“It was very nerve-wracking at times. I’m thankful to be able to represent great people like Nationwide and Axalta. We got to go to Columbus (Ohio) last week. That was really cool to see everything they do there. We got to go to the children’s hospital. We can’t thank people like that enough. My life’s been a whirlwind the last year and a half or so. So, it’s really cool to be sitting here in front of you.”
In today’s NASCAR, social media savvy is important on many levels. Earnhardt Jr. has embraced it, and Bowman, being of the social-media generation, has been all-in for years. Earnhardt Jr. liked both Bowman’s youth and enthusiasm and the fact that he communicated across the spectrum of new media.
“I can say I have a lot of confidence in the youth,” Earnhardt Jr. said. “Drivers like Alex, once you get to know him, he’s pretty opinionated. He’s got a great personality. He’s prevalent on social media – that’s going to be a key component for all the youth coming into the sport is to be really interactive with the fans in all kinds of different platforms. Social media is a great avenue for that. Social media is a great way to begin showcasing who you are. Winning does help, but I think what sells to the fans is being able to relate to the individuals.
“You got to know Jeff Gordon. You either related with him somehow or you related with someone else. You connected with these drivers on a personal level. The only way to really do that is for that driver to be able to expose himself, be open and be genuine. That’s really key for these guys. The fact that they grew up in a world where social media was already around and a big component of everyday life is probably going to push NASCAR into the next level. All the guys my age, we had to learn how to use social media. I was obviously really apprehensive going into that, but I understand now what an incredible tool it is for interacting with the fans and how much our industry really utilizes that. It’s important for me to be a part of that. These guys are already plugged in. They grew up in that environment. “
For his part, Bowman took a little credit for helping develop Earnhardt Jr.’s social media skills.
“I had to teach Dale how to use GIFs correctly,” he quipped. “He gets his talent from me. It’s really cool, and that’s a big part of what I was trying to get across earlier. I grew up, I’m a regular guy. I come from working in a body shop as a kid doing prep work for my dad’s paint shop. It’s really cool working with Axalta because of that, having a relationship with Nationwide since 2013. I’m just a regular person. I feel like we’ve done this the old-school way a little bit. I came from driving lower-budget cars, and somehow, I’ve been blessed enough to make it work. Follow me on social media, I obviously do the best job I can without getting into trouble and I have a lot of fun.”
Starting at Daytona in 2018, Bowman will be the man in the No. 88 HMS Chevrolet. That means that many of Earnhardt Jr.’s fans, JR Nation, will likely adopt him as their driver. That’s an awesome responsibility.
“The easiest thing to do is be yourself and realize you’re not going to make everyone happy,” Earnhardt Jr. said. “You just have to believe in what you believe in and follow your gut. It’s pretty simple – try not to let the doubters or people who aren’t quite bought in or sold on what’s going on really affect you personally and affect how you feel. He has to believe in himself like he has all these years. He’s continued to bet on himself time and time again. He just has to keep going forward with that attitude. Once they get to know him or he starts to win races, everything else takes care of itself.
“I feel confident he’s going to have great success in the car, but until that time, keep your nose on the grindstone and keep working.”