Bowman Honoring Hendrick’s 200th Win At Darlington

Alex Bowman's Darlington Raceway throwback scheme. (Hendrick Motorsports photo)

CONCORD, N.C. — Hendrick Motorsports revealed the final piece of the puzzle Thursday for its four NASCAR Cup Series teams set to compete at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway during throwback weekend on April 6.

Alex Bowman will drive the No. 48 Ally Chevrolet in tribute to NASCAR Hall of Famer Jimmie Johnson and the paint scheme the seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion used to win the 2012 Southern 500.

Notably, Johnson’s victory in the crown-jewel race marked the milestone 200th Cup Series win for Hendrick Motorsports as an organization.

Win No. 100 went to Jeff Gordon at Michigan Int’l Speedway in 2001, while the 300th came in 2023 with William Byron at Texas Motor Speedway. If Bowman were to win next Sunday, he would notch win No. 315 for the storied team.

Bowman will trade his usual purple for a sleek black-and-white design, made famous by Johnson and his past partnership with home improvement retailer Lowe’s, featuring its in-house tool brand Kobalt Tools. Ally will remain the primary sponsor, backing Bowman for the entire season.

Johnson won five races in 2012 en route to a fifth place finish in the championship standings, with the Lowe’s/Kobalt Tools scheme making 10 appearances. It would be one of the few “off” years of his Hall of Fame career, but the El Cajon, Calif., native rebounded to earn his sixth of seven Cup Series titles the following season.

Now the competition director for Hendrick Motorsports, Chad Knaus was Johnson’s crew chief for the milestone win in 2012 and said throwing back to that scheme evokes numerous emotions for him.

“That Southern 500 was a race I’ll never forget,” Knaus said. “Sending the Ally (No.) 48 back to Darlington with those iconic rally stripes is exciting and brings all those special memories back.”

Bowman has led 42 laps at Darlington, all of which came in 2020 at Darlington, when the global COVID-19 pandemic created a unique scenario of racing at ‘The Lady in Black’ three times in one season.

He also has one top-five and four top-10 finishes in 14 starts on the 1.366-mile, egg-shaped oval in his Cup Series career with owner Rick Hendrick.

Broadcast coverage of the Goodyear 400 at Darlington is slated for Sunday, April 6 at 3 p.m. ET, live on FS1, the Motor Racing Network, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, channel 90.