Race Weekend Central

Alex Bowman Joins JR Motorsports for 2016

Alex Bowman will join a JR Motorsports all-star team for nine races in 2016, the team confirmed Wednesday.

Bowman, 22, will continue his relationship with JRM and join Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kevin Harvick and Kasey Kahne as drivers sharing the No. 88 Chevrolet Camaro in the Xfinity Series. A sponsor will be announced at a later date.

He will race in both Dover races, Pocono, the June Iowa race, New Hampshire, Watkins Glen, Mid-Ohio, the September Richmond race and the November Phoenix race.

“This is such a great opportunity,” Bowman said. “Being able to race in top-notch equipment with a team like JR Motorsports is all I could ask for, really. I had a good experience driving for them in the past and I know we’ll be competing for wins next year. That’s a great feeling.”

The signing of Bowman means the No. 88 has drivers for 19 races next season. The remaining 14 races will be filled at a later date.

“Alex is a very strong addition to our team,” Kelley Earnhardt Miller, general manager of JR Motorsports, said in the team’s release. “That’s evident from the talent he’s displayed in the Xfinity Series and at the Cup level. Given that he has already raced for JR Motorsports, this is a natural fit. The [No.] 88 team has set the bar high and we’re confident it will continue that trend with Alex in 2016.”

Bowman, a Sprint Cup regular who races for Tommy Baldwin Racing, has raced on a part-time basis for JRM in both the NXS and Camping World Truck Series since 2014, including a 12th-place finish at Charlotte in his NXS debut for the team.

He has 41 career NXS starts with two poles, two top fives and six top 10s. In two NXS races this year, he earned a best finish of 14th at Michigan for Athenian Motorsports.

About the author

Sean returns as a ringer in 2017, contributing once a month because he (gasp!) is living it up in the big city without internet. While he's not consuming race news on the Twitter app and reddit he's writing a ton of short stories and paying the bills by working in marketing.

Sign up for the Frontstretch Newsletter

A daily email update (Monday through Friday) providing racing news, commentary, features, and information from Frontstretch.com
We hate spam. Your email address will not be sold or shared with anyone else.

1 Comment
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Tom B

A spokesperson for JRM said last year only Dale Jr would drive the 88 car. When and why was that changed?

Share via