[autotag]Alex Bowman[/autotag] had a good start to the 2023 NASCAR season but never found his form after a back injury in sprint car racing. Bowman finished the year with four top-4 finishes and 10 top-10 finishes. Unfortunately for the driver of the No. 48 car, he missed the playoffs after missing three races due to his back injury.
Bowman had three top-5 finishes and six top-10 finishes through the first 10 races. In the final 23 races, he only had one top-5 finish and four top-10 finishes. It was not a pretty return. Bowman closed the campaign with 89 laps led (21st-best) and a 17.2 average finishing position (16th-best); however, what went wrong for him?
Front Row Bo(wman). Retweet to congratulate @Alex_Bowman on his #DAYTONA500 POLE!
Kyle Larson will start P.2 with his Team Hendrick teammate. pic.twitter.com/bbkzrbznDa
— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) February 16, 2023
The Hendrick Motorsports driver didn’t register a top-10 finish until the 11th race after his return. Not all of it was Bowman’s fault, as he suffered several issues along the way that affected his ability to make the playoffs. Maybe he would have made the playoffs on points with some luck. Bowman didn’t have any momentum after leading the points standings earlier in the year.
Bowman was never fully healthy following his return, so it is easy to cut him some slack. If not for his injury, the driver of the No. 48 car could have competed for wins and most likely would have made the playoffs. Bowman and crew chief Blake Harris will look to improve upon 2023 and win a race during the 2024 season.
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