When Jimmie Johnson helped his HMS successor Alex Bowman level up in this NASCAR Track

When Jimmie Johnson helped his HMS successor Alex Bowman level up in this NASCAR Track

Alex Bowman, Rck Hendrick and Jimmie Johnson.

Jimmie Johnson is one of the greatest, if not the greatest ever, drivers to pilot a car in NASCAR. So, replacing him in a team is the biggest nightmare a driver could hope for. Alex Bowman was allowed to drive for the iconic No:48 team by Rick Hendrick after Johnson retired from full-time racing in 2020.

Bowman has driven for the team in the last two years and has produced some impressive runs with the team, though he hasn’t shown Johnson-level dominance. In his two years with the team, Johnson has scored four wins and 7 top 5 finishes. But he is yet to secure a championship four appearance with the No:48 team, the team hasn’t raced in the season finale for the championship since 2017.

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Alex Bowman spend1 part-time and 3 full-time seasons with HMS before joining the No:48 team. In all those times he drove with No:88, he failed to produce any solid run at the Monster Mile. Dover witnessed bowman producing some of the most disappointing performances of his career. But a talk he had with Jimmie Johnson, the all-time top winner at the track, helped him end that poor streak in 2018.

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In a video released by Ally, who sponsors both Bowman and Johnson, the former revealed that the talk he had with Jimmie helped him to produce his best at the track. He said, “I think in 2019, you and I talked a bit about your approach. From that point on, I haven’t finished outside of the top five at Dover,”.

Since 2019 Bowman has raced in Dover five times and scored a win. He finished inside the top 5 in all five races. This is a huge step up, considering in the last five races he partook in Dover before 2019, he finished outside the top 25 or Top 30. A pretty poor result when the drivers’ caliber is considered.

Related: “A memorable branding play,” Brad Keselowski claims ‘Jimmie Johnson worked hard’ narrative was a clever cover-up for the HMS crew’s expertise

Alex Bowman needs to step up in 2023 to prove he deserves to drive Jimmie Johnson’s No:48 car

Jimmie Johnson
Alex Bowman and Jimmie Johnson

When Bowman took over the No:48 team in 2021, they were desperate for a victory lane visit, as their last one came in 2017. He produced some impressive runs that season scoring three wins and 4 top 5s. But failed to secure the Championship 4 slot as he struggled with consistency. That year his teammate Kyle Larson won the championship, winning more than 10 cup races.

The 2022 season saw Bowman struggling after being pretty consistent at the start of the campaign. He scored his first and only won in the next-Gen car era at the third race of the season. The second half of the season was pretty bad for Bowman, and things got worse when he suffered concussion-like symptoms after a crash in the Texas playoff race. After being ruled out, he only came back to racing in the season finale.

https://twitter.com/48AlexBowman48/status/1606077008743645184

Bowman’s 2023 season is vital as he needs to prove he isn’t the most replaceable driver in the HMS garage-to-garage. For that, he needs to score multiple wins in 2022 and secure his maiden Championship 4 appearance. In his fight for wins, he will also have to outrace Jimmie Johnson, who will make a cup return in 2023, driving part-time for Petty GMS Racing.

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