Denny Hamlin wonders if Alex Bowman's back injury is affecting his racing

On the heels of five straight appearances in the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs, Alex Bowman sits outside the cutline in 2023, winless and needing a victory with two regular season races remaining to keep his championship hopes alive.

Bowman’s No. 48 Chevy has failed to be a major player on most race days, leading many to speculate as to what’s gone wrong for the 30-year-old. Fellow Cup Series star Denny Hamlin offered a potential reasoning on his “Actions Detrimental” podcast Monday, pointing to Bowman’s back injury from earlier this season.

Having gone through back injuries during his career, Hamlin said it’s possible that Bowman’s feel for the car hasn’t been there since missing three races after suffering a fractured vertebra.

“When you have a chronic back issue, and I did all throughout 2023 after I had the vertebrae problem,” Hamlin said. “Alex had the same issue, and I’m wondering if he’s recovering from that. You have to feel the edge of the car from your underside. If you have back problems and you’re continuously locked down and tense, it prohibits your ability to feel the edge of the car… This guy is coming off an injury that is significant, and significant to what we do.”

Alex Bowman snaps out of slump with impressive showing at IMS Road Course

Bowman showed signs of coming out of his season-long slump during Sunday’s Verizon 200 at the Brickyard. He raced his way to a fifth place finish at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course — his first top-10 finish since April and first since returning from his injury.

Hamlin believes it’s a sign that Bowman is starting to feel better again.

“Alex probably isn’t gonna make excuses, but I think this is a good indication that he’s getting healthier and he’s starting to get in a better place,” Hamlin said.

Bowman, meanwhile, felt relieved to record a solid finish at the IMS Road Course.

“A top-five finish is good after the last couple of months,” Bowman said after the race. “Just proud of the whole No. 48 Ally Chevy team. We fell off a little too hard there in the end of the run before that, but that last run we were really fast. We had a little mechanical issue there at the end, but we were able to hang onto fifth. Always want more, but it was a good, solid day for us.”