Alex Bowman appears set to join Tommy Baldwin Racing (TBR) in the seat vacated by former driver Michael Annett.
Bowman is expected to be announced as the driver of the No. 7 Chevrolet soon, giving one of NASCAR’s few independent teams a much-needed boost with the season-opening Daytona 500 less than a month away.
The Tucson, Arizona native should join TBR after a rookie campaign in 2014 driving for BK Racing. While the former six-time ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards winner is known for his speed and finesse on the racetrack, the duo struggled managing just an average finish of 32.0.
Bowman cracked the top-20 just once last summer at Daytona International Speedway with a career-best 13th place finish after starting last.
J.J. Yeley who joined BK Racing after the departure of Richard Petty Motorsports development driver Ryan Truex last season was announced Tuesday as the lead driver for the Charlotte, North Carolina based team.
The team did not announce their plans with Bowman, however, team owner Devine later confirmed to Motorsport.com he was no longer with the organization.
Bowman’s opportunity to jump ship and partner with TBR arrives on the heels of the unexpected move of Annett to HScott Motorsports as a second driver to teammate Justin Allgaier.
Annett in his freshman season of Cup competition delivered four top-20 finishes including a career-best qualifying run of 10th at Talladega Superspeedway last October. Despite Annett’s parting, the team is still expected to utilize Richard Childress Racing cars and Earnhardt-Childress Racing engines for 2015.
Tuesday, Toy State, an innovator and industry leader in the manufacture of licensed and highly stylized lights & sounds and radio controlled vehicles issued a press release announcing their sponsorship of TBR’s No. 7 Chevrolet beginning with NASCAR’s Super Bowl event. According to the announcement, the sponsorship is expected to cover the initial five races of the 2015 season.
The loss is devastating for manufacturer Toyota. Bowman’s energetic form, plus his unique, ambitious social media presence now opens the door for Chevrolet to see another young rising star fall under their umbrella. Execution by Chevrolet of Bowman’s flair could potentially lead to another successful NASCAR career within their empire.
