Alex Bowman says he has no timetable to return from a fractured vertebra he suffered in a sprint car crash April 25.
Bowman has missed Cup races at Dover, Kansas and Darlington. Hendrick Motorsports stated when Bowman was injured that he was expected to miss three to four weeks.
Bowman said Sunday at Darlington Raceway that he has a doctor’s appointment this week. He is scheduled to have scans taken of his injury during that visit. Until those scans are analyzed, Bowman won’t know what’s next for him.
“Every day is a little different,” Bowman said of how he’s feeling. “I definitely feel way better than I did a couple of weeks ago.”
Bowman said that the pain is most intense when he laughs, coughs, sneezes and tries to sleep. He returned to the gym this week.
Asked about returning to sprint car racing, Bowman said: “That’s a tough decision. At some point, yes, but I don’t know when that point will be again.”
This is the second stretch of races Bowman has missed because of an injury. He missed five races late last season because of a concussion suffered in a crash at Texas.
Bowman entered Darlington 15th in the standings. By missing three races, Bowman has lost three chances to win races and score playoff points. He noted that Dover and Kansas are among his best tracks.
“I missed out on a lot of points, but that’s on me,” Bowman said. “I decided to go sprint car racing.”
