Alex Bowman cleared to return to NASCAR competition at Bristol Motor Speedway

CONCORD, N.C. – Alex Bowman

, driver of the No. 48 Ally Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports , has been medically cleared to return to competition and will race in Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series event at Bristol Motor Speedway

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Bowman, 32, has missed starts at Phoenix Raceway, Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Darlington Raceway and Martinsville Speedway while recovering from vertigo. He began experiencing symptoms during the March 1 event at Circuit of The Americas before exiting the car on lap 71.

“I’m grateful for the support I’ve had from Hendrick Motorsports, my sponsor Ally, our fans and the medical team throughout this process,” Bowman said. “It’s been tough being out of the car, but we all wanted to make sure I was 100% ready before returning. I feel really good, and I’m excited about being at the track with my team and getting back to racing.”

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Bowman turned laps Tuesday in a streetcar at the Ten Tenths Motor Club road course in Concord. On Wednesday, he participated in pit stop practice, simulator testing and a medical evaluation before being formally cleared for competition without restrictions.

“We’re proud of Alex and the way he’s handled this situation,” said Jeff Andrews, president and general manager of Hendrick Motorsports. “He’s put a lot of work into his recovery and followed the medical team’s plan every step of the way. From the outset, our goal was to prioritize his health and have him return when he was fully recovered and medically cleared. We’re looking forward to seeing Alex back in his race car this weekend.”

Justin Allgaier drove the No. 48 Ally Chevrolet for Bowman at Las Vegas, Darlington and Martinsville

. Anthony Alfredo filled in at Phoenix.