Hendrick Motorsports has extended the contracts of both Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series driver Alex Bowman and primary sponsor Nationwide Insurance, the team announced Thursday (Aug. 2).
Bowman signed a one-year extension to his contract, keeping him with HMS through the 2020 season.
“Having this kind of support is incredible,” Bowman said in a press release. “From Nationwide and our other partners to Mr. Hendrick, [crew chief] Greg Ives and all my teammates, I feel very fortunate to be in such an awesome position. We have an opportunity to have a lot of success together. To hear a sponsor like Nationwide and a team like Hendrick Motorsports say I’m their guy gives me a ton of confidence and motivation to go out there and deliver results.”
Bowman, 25, has 102 Cup Series starts, driving full-time for BK Racing in 2014 and Tommy Baldwin Racing in 2015 and filling in for an injured Dale Earnhardt Jr. for 10 races in 2016 before joining Hendrick full-time in the No. 88 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 this season. He has a Daytona 500 pole, two top fives and eight top-10 finishes through 21 races this season, with a career-best finish of third last weekend at Pocono Raceway.
Nationwide has signed a two-year extension to 2020, matching Bowman’s contract. They will increase their sponsorship from 19 races this year to 20 races in both 2019 and 2020. The company joined Hendrick in 2015 after previously sponsoring the XFINITY Series and Roush Fenway Racing’s No. 17 team in MENCS.
“We have such a strong partnership with Nationwide,” team owner Rick Hendrick said. “From doing great things in the community with Nationwide Children’s Hospital to driving significant value back to their business, it’s truly impressive to see how they consistently make the maximum impact with their racing program. We appreciate the incredible relationship with their whole team and look forward to more great things in the coming years.
“Alex has the talent to win races and compete for championships,” Hendrick continued. “He and Greg (Ives) are clicking, and we have a lot of confidence in what they will accomplish together. From our driver and team to our sponsors, we have an exciting No. 88 program that’s set for the foreseeable future.”
Bowman is currently holding the 16th and final playoff position, 56 points ahead of Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Paul Menard, with five races to go in the regular season.
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