Key keywords: Alex Bowman, Hendrick Motorsports, NASCAR Cup Series, 2025 NASCAR retirement, No. 48 Chevrolet team, stock car racing, motorsports athlete health, Rick Hendrick On Wednesday, veteran NASCAR Cup Series driver Alex Bowman officially announced that the 2025 Cup Series season will be his final full-time campaign with Hendrick Motorsports, after which he will retire from top-tier stock car racing competition. The 31-year-old driver, who has piloted the iconic No. 48 Chevrolet for Hendrick since 2021 following the retirement of seven-time Cup champion Jimmie Johnson, cited a combination of long-term injury concerns and a desire to prioritize time with his young family as the core drivers behind his decision. Bowman first joined Hendrick Motorsports as a reserve and part-time driver in 2016, before earning a full-time seat in the organization’s lineup ahead of the 2018 season. Over his nine full-time seasons with the team to date, he has notched 7 Cup Series race victories, 31 top-5 finishes, 82 top-10 finishes, and qualified for the NASCAR Playoffs six separate times. In recent years, however, Bowman has missed multiple race weekends due to significant health issues, including a 2022 concussion that sidelined him for six weeks, and recurring back injuries that forced him to miss three races during the 2024 season. In his official press statement, Bowman noted that the repeated injury scares led him to reevaluate his long-term priorities over the past six months, as he no longer wanted to miss key milestones for his two young children, or risk permanent health damage to continue racing. He added that he had discussed the decision extensively with Hendrick Motorsports owner Rick Hendrick for months before finalizing the plan, and that the team has fully supported his choice. Hendrick, in a corresponding statement, praised Bowman’s dedication to the team and the No. 48 legacy, noting that the door remains open for Bowman to compete in part-time races or take on a coaching role with the team’s development program after his 2025 retirement. Bowman also emphasized that he is fully committed to competing for a Cup Series championship in his final 2025 season, with his entire crew set to return to the No. 48 team to support his final title push. The announcement has already sparked widespread discussion across the NASCAR community about the future of the highly coveted No. 48 seat, with insiders predicting that Hendrick will either promote a prospect from its Xfinity Series development roster or sign an established star from a competing team to fill the vacancy ahead of the 2026 season.