Hendrick Motorsports recently announced that they have signed Alex Bowman to a one-year contract extension to keep him behind the wheel of the No. 48 Chevrolet through the 2027 NASCAR Cup Series season, and Bowman confirmed that he plans to retire from full-time competition once the 2027 season comes to an end.
Bowman, who has missed races in three of the past five seasons due to health-related issues, has been with Hendrick Motorsports as a full-time driver in 2018, when he replaced Dale Earnhardt Jr. behind the wheel of the No. 88 Chevrolet.
He was moved to the No. 48 Chevrolet in 2021, after seven-time champion Jimmie Johnson retired and was replaced by Kyle Larson. Larson used the No. 5, which had been shelved since Kasey Kahne was replaced by William Byron, who took Chase Elliott's No. 24 in 2018 when the team gave Elliott the No. 9.
But Bowman will not be behind the wheel of the No. 48 Chevrolet for the 2027 Daytona 500, which might well be his final appearance in the "Great American Race" at Daytona International Speedway.
Jimmie Johnson to drive the No. 48 in 2027
Johnson, who is now a co-owner of Legacy Motor Club, is set to make his 703rd and final Cup Series start in February's Daytona 500. But instead of using the No. 84, as he's used since joining the team in 2023, he is set to run the No. 48, which he used during his 19 seasons at Hendrick Motorsports to win his seven titles and 83 races.
Bowman's car number for that race has not yet been announced, although No. 88 is off the table; that number is now used by Trackhouse Racing for Connor Zilisch's Chevrolet. Zilisch is the driver expected to replace Bowman full-time in 2028.
The No. 25 is the winningest number in Hendrick Motorsports history among those not currently in use by any team at the Cup level. It hasn't been used since Elliott ran his first five races for the team in 2015, and it hasn't been used in a full-time capacity since 2007, when Casey Mears ran all 36 races behind the wheel of the No. 25 Chevrolet.
The 2027 Daytona 500 is set to be shown live on Fox from Daytona International Speedway on Sunday, February 21.
