Battling vertigo, NASCAR driver Alex Bowman says ‘I’m as close to 100% as I’m going to get’

LEBANON, Tenn. (AP) — His father called wanting to know why Alex Bowman didn’t race at the NASCAR’s O’Reilly series stop at Nashville Superspeedway as previously scheduled.

Making sure his son was OK was paramount considering Bowman’s latest injury in a battle with vertigo that had the driver wondering if he’d ever drive again.

“I would say I’m as close to 100% as I’m going to get,” Bowman said before the Cracker Barrel 400 Cup Series race Sunday night.

Vertigo forced Bowman out of his No. 48 Chevrolet during the Cup race at Circuit of the Americas in Texas three months ago. He missed races at Phoenix and Las Vegas, and the decision not to drive for JR Motorsports at Darlington or Nashville in NASCAR’s second-tier series was made in advance when Bowman was busy trying to figure out what caused his vertigo.

“Honestly, I forgot about it, and then I saw everybody confused this week,” Bowman said. “My dad called me, he’s like, ‘Why aren’t you running that race?’ I’m like, ‘What are you talking about?’ So, yeah, I totally forgot about it.”

Bowman, who has more than 360 career Cup Series starts, has been driving for Hendrick Motorsports full time since the 2018 season and made the playoffs in all but one season. He missed five races in 2022 with a concussion and missed three races the next season with a broken back.

Now 33, Bowman wound up missing four Cup races after vertigo hit him hard March 1 with dizziness, a spinning sensation and nausea. That last part was the messiest inside the tight confines of a driver’s seat.

“I was dizzy in the car and throwing up on myself in the car, spinning and kind of all that stuff,” Bowman said.

It was so bad Bowman got out of the car with about 20 laps left, replaced by Myatt Snider who had to scramble into a race suit after working as a pit spotter for the Fox broadcast. Anthony Alfredo drove Bowman’s Cup car at Phoenix Raceway. Justin Allgaier took the seat in Las Vegas, Darlington and Martinsville.

Bowman’s deal with JR Motorsports had him driving at Darlington and Nashville in a deal that splits the O’Reilly series schedule among five drivers. Kyle Larson finished eighth Saturday night with his turn behind the wheel.

Figuring out what caused Bowman’s vertigo took priority in his latest injury. Vertigo usually results from inner ear issues. For Bowman, the spinning happened when he was in the car.

“It wasn’t like I was sitting at home spinning the whole time,” Bowman said. “I was pretty fortunate that I felt OK in that sense. But yeah, it took a while to kind of figure out the causes and kind of be able to fix everything and get back feeling good enough to get back in a race car.”

It was frustrating because everything Bowman did to feel better left him feeling worse and worse wondering if his career might be at an end.

Bowman’s spine with the back he broke in 2023 needed what he called “a tiny little operation” to help get his balance issues under control. He also continues with physical therapy to keep vertigo from returning.

Finally, it was like a light switched for Bowman suddenly feeling like himself again.

Now Bowman is focused on racing as NASCAR heads to Michigan this weekend. Bowman moved up one spot to 32nd in the points race after finishing 33rd at Nashville with his car in the garage. He was running well when Bubba Wallace’s No. 23 Toyota slid down the track into the right rear of his Chevrolet on lap 204.

Bowman has eight career wins with his best season finish sixth in the Cup standings in 2020. He has missed the playoffs only once, but his last win was in 2024 at the Chicago street course.

He has 12 races left to climb into the playoff chase mix. It’s been a different year with Bowman driving well at tracks he struggled at in past years helping him post a pair of top five finishes.

He’s already managed his biggest win by getting his vertigo under control.

“I’m glad to be on the right side of it,” Bowman said.

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AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing