It’s like déjà vu for Alex Bowman, but not the good kind. Last weekend, the Hendrick Motorsports driver’s playoff hopes took a crushing hit when a routine green flag pit stop spiraled into a 4o second disaster. A detached air hose sent his crew scrambling. The result? Two laps slipped away, and the driver’s frustration was evident: “It wasn’t because of a lack of effort, but it was an unacceptable day.” Hendrick Motorsports crew chief Chad Knaus admitted the team needed to wrap their heads around the issue if they wanted to move forward. But did that fix arrive? Fans don’t really seem to agree.

After the tumultuous Southern 500 test at Darlington, Alex Bowman’s playoff aspirations were left hanging by a thread; his 40-second pit stop disaster dropped him to a lovely 31st, and by the end of the race, he finished in 15th place in the standings, 19 points below the cut line for advancing to the Round of 12. Even today at Gateway, the same streak of bad luck and bad execution returned to haunt the No. 48 team. And for Hendrick Motorsports fans, patience has run out.

Alex Bowman charged into the Enjoy Illinois 300 from a modest starting spot of 25 and made no significant progress, finishing 26th. However, early race snapshots did offer some spark. On lap 83, Bowman tangled with Denny Hamlin for third after the restart, even clearing Hamlin off turn 4. And by the next two laps, he was still in the mix before Hamlin slipped past to reclaim the third spot. At lap 93, Bowman held a top-five position until Ryan Blaney passed him for fourth. But as stage one concluded, he was running 18th, and stage two proved to be even more of a struggle; he dropped to 24th, and by the time stage two wrapped up and lap 152 rolled around, Bowman had pitted the pack in a mid-pack, spectacular position.

This marked another disaster of a pit stop for Alex Bowman’s crew. It seemed like they dropped the jack before the left rear tire was fully on. He was running P7 before the caution, and this pit stop pushed him down to 27th. This was after installing the left rear tire, significantly delaying the stop, dropping him outside the top 15, and wiping out potential stage points.

After finishing 26th and earning 11 playoff points at Gateway, Bowman now finds himself well below the cushion enjoyed by top contenders. Experts are blunt with just one race in Bristol remaining to advance to the Round of 12. And let’s just say the internet was not here for it.

NASCAR fans rally behind sacking Alex Bowman’s pit crew

The sentiment from the stands and screen was unmistakable. Disappointment turned to outright fury. One fan’s words encapsulated the collective angst perfectly: “Unacceptable. A+ organization making pity mistakes. It’s not Rick Ware dammit. Absolute joke.” And underlying it all was the lingering disbelief at how far Alex Bowman had fallen from grace. One fan noted, “Remember, fans were about to riot because he deserved a playoff spot more than SVG and Dillion because ‘consistency.’”

Alex Bowman earned a reputation in the past for smooth, reliable performance. As early as 2020, he emphasized the importance of being consistent. That consistency translated into solid finishes in 2021 and a playoff run that culminated in a top-six points finish. Fast forward to 2025, and he still remained consistent; even though he is winless, a handful of consistent top-five (6) and top-10 finishes (14) landed him in the playoff standings. But this playoff stretch has flipped that script.

Another added the simplest, yet most dramatic verdict, saying, “Just fire that whole pit crew.” The frustration reached structural critique, saying, “Fire that entire crew. Can’t have it back-to-back weeks. Can’t have a crew chief who has poor setups.” Remember when the pole sitter, Alex Bowman, found late trouble in April’s NASCAR Cup Series race, heading to the garage with engine issues at Bristol Motor Speedway?

Bowman’s No. 48 Chevrolet was running in the third position in the 39-car field when he began to lose ground on the 285th of a scheduled 500 laps in the Food City 500. By Lap 290, the 32-year-old had fallen to 10th place, telling his crew that he felt his engine was about to expire. Ten laps later at the 300-lap mark, he had faded to 22nd and soon faded off the lead. On Lap 347, Bowman pulled his No. 48 Chevy to pit road and eventually the Cup Series garage. He was later deemed out of the race, and he was credited with a 37th-place finish.

Some even questioned Bowman’s future at HMS, boldly asking, “Who drives the 48 next year?” Even last year, when Bowman’s future with the team was growing uncertain as he “couldn’t afford many hiccups,” a few names popped up that could have been potential fits like Justin Allgaier, Zane Smith, Kyle Busch, Carson Hocevar, and Justin Haley. 

And now, as Bowman heads to Bristol, all eyes will be on the HMS driver, where his fate and future in the playoffs hang by a thread.