Alex Bowman explains motivation to return to racing following back injury

Alex Bowman is ready to prove the naysayers wrong as he returns to 100% following the back injury he suffered earlier in 2023.

Due to a wreck in a sprint car race that left him with a fractured vertebra, Bowman missed three races before returning for the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. However, he never was able to regain his early-season form, where he was much more consistent and always near the front before suffering his injury.

Speaking on his recovery with John Newby of NBC Sports, Bowman explained his motivation for 2024, and why he’s so eager to jump back into the car and regain the success he was having before his injury.

“I think I got like a little extra motivation just knowing that I did it to myself in a situation I didn’t have to be in,” Bowman said.

“Sprint car racing was something I wanted to do, but I was doing it for me, right? So I was going and having fun and did it to myself, and I think that was like, ‘Man, I gotta get back for Mr. (Hendrick) and for Jeff (Gordon) and everybody at HMS.”

Alas, it’s evident Bowman is internally motivated, and he wants to prove everyone at Hendrick Motorsports right for believing in him. He’ll have the equipment, and it’s obvious he’ll now also have some immense drive behind him, as well.

Time will tell if Alex Bowman can take that next step in 2024, but we’re not betting against him, as his fire is burning brighter than ever at the moment, it seems.

Alex Bowman: ‘I’m looking forward to ’24’

Continuing, Bowman provided some further insight regarding his recovery to Jonathan Howard of On3, where he elaborated on his disappointment for being injured last season, and how ready he is to put it all behind him.

“We were so strong to start the year, obviously led the points for a bit and were really good week in and week out, really up until I got hurt,” Bowman said. “Then the wheels kind of fell off from there. I think everybody looks at our 2023 season and is like, ‘Man, you guys struggled.’ But the reality is, when we were firing on all cylinders, we were the most consistent car and one of the best cars every week.

“Post-injury, a lot was going on. We’re trying to catch up, I feel like our cars as a whole fell off a little bit at HMS, we weren’t where we needed to be and I’m coming off breaking my back.”

As for the 2024 season – Bowman is already working. In fact, he feels really good about his offseason prep.

“I’m looking forward to ’24, there’s a couple of changes that I think are going to be really good,” Bowman added. “I’m feeling better I think having a couple of weeks not so compressed in the race cars has been good for me. From a fitness aspect, I’m probably in the best shape I’ve ever been in right now. Things are good, training really hard.”