Alex Bowman was thrust into a spotlight once this season and could well find himself there again.
Bowman drove two Sprint Cup seasons with back-marker teams just trying to get a foothold in the series. He drove a limited number of Xfinity Series for Dale Earnhardt Jr's team this season. Perhaps in driving for JR Motorsports he got a glimpse of what it's like to be aligned with NASCAR's most popular driver.
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Bowman replaced Earnhardt in the No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet in the Sprint Cup Series race at New Hampshire. And pending doctors' recommendation he could do so this weekend at Michigan. Earnhardt is recovering from concussion-like symptoms.
New Hampshire was a good start. In his first laps in the No. 88 car, Bowman put up respectable practice times. And in qualifying 20th, he was comparable to his teammates and faster drivers. He was running in the top 10 before an accident doomed Bowman to 26th place.
Jeff Gordon drove the past four races in place of Earnhardt, with a best finish of 11th at Bristol. However, Gordon was not available to drive at Michigan, putting Bowman front and center as a potential replacement.
Bowman now knows the support of Junior Nation. He experienced the glare of the cameras and the scrutiny associated with stepping into one of stock car racing's top rides.
And he got those lessons on almost no notice.
Bowman learned just days before the New Hampshire race that he would be a backup for Earnhardt. Initially he thought he would step into the car if Earnhardt was unable to complete.
"Dale and [crew chief Greg Ives] and I felt like Alex was the right person," Hendrick Motorsports general manager Doug Duchardt said. "He's run the Xfinity car. He's done a good job in that car. He is part of the JR Motorsports system and part of our system."
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Then, Bowman learned that Earnhardt would not drive at Loudon and that he would be in the No. 88 car all weekend.
"It's been a crazy 12 hours for sure," Bowman said in mid-July before his New Hampshire race. "The first time Greg called me I was at work so I didn't even answer. It's definitely not the circumstances that I want to get an opportunity like this but — obviously hoping Dale feels better — but at the same time it's the best opportunity I've ever had in my life. I'm ready to just plug into their program and do my job, give the best feedback I can and go from there.
"Really confident in the whole team, obviously they bring great race cars to the track every weekend. If I just do my job, I feel like [I'll] be just good to plug into it."
Really hate to get an opportunity this way, hope @DaleJr feels better soon. I'm extremely thankful to get a shot with @TeamHendrick
— Alex Bowman (@AlexBRacing) July 15, 2016
So who is this 23-year-old? Bowman:
— Has 72 Cup starts with a top finish of 13th at Daytona in 2014. He drove those for back-marker teams, BK Racing and Tommy Baldwin Racing before July's race.
— Has 45 starts in the Xfinity Series with 10 top-10 finishes, four of them top fives. A native of Tucson, Ariz., Bowman has a top points finish of 11th in the Xfinity Series. His five races in 2016 for JR Motorsports all produced top-10 finishes.
— Was the 2012 ARCA Series rookie of the year and in 2011 was the rookie of the year in the K&N Pro Series East. He won two ARCA races in two starts in 2011.
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Bowman also has seen the downside of racing; in 2010, he broke his collarbone and injured a rib in a USAC midget crash.
Like many in racing, he made his start in quarter midgets. He started in those at age 7 and won nine quarter midget championships and 165 feature victories through 2006.
Now, he's filling in for Earnhardt and fighting for wins in the Xfinity ranks.
He feels he's closing in on a win in the second-level series — and is thankful to Earnhardt for the opportunity to race. He first drove for JR Motorsports in 2014, competing in two of the three Xfinity races he ran that season, finishing 12th an 15th.
"I can really thank Dale Jr. for saving my career two years ago, pretty much, with those two Xfinity races at Charlotte and Phoenix and then for the opportunity to run nine races this year with him," he said. "Obviously we've been knocking on the door to get some wins and it's been a lot of fun. He's been a good friend to me; he's been somebody that I could lean on all the time. I hate to see him not feeling well, that was my first thought.
"He's done a lot for my career and I couldn't be any more thankful than I am. I owe him a lot. So it's just been an honor to get the phone call to fill in for him."
Bowman might have another opportunity to drive in the Sprint Cup Series. It all depends on when Earnhardt is healthy enough to drive.