Bowman cleared for finale after missing 5 races
Alex Bowman will return for the NASCAR season finale after missing five races with a concussion suffered in a crash in the new Next Gen car.
Hendrick Motorsports said Bowman will be back in the No. 48 Chevrolet next weekend at Phoenix Raceway, his home track. The team said the Tucson-born driver was medically cleared to return following a Thursday evaluation by Dr. Micky Collins, clinical director of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Sports Medicine Concussion Program.
Collins became a NASCAR driver favorite following his treatment of Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt Jr. It was Earnhardt’s own struggle with concussions that helped Bowman get his ride at Hendrick as Earnhardt’s injury replacement.
Bowman suffered his concussion in a Sept. 25 crash at Texas Motor Speedway. The injury knocked him out of the playoffs.
“We’re thrilled Alex is 100% and will have the opportunity to race at his home track,” said Jeff Andrews, president and general manager of Hendrick Motorsports. “Throughout this process, he’s been incredibly diligent about following the advice of his doctors and prioritizing his health.”
Noah Gragson will drive for Bowman this Sunday for a fifth consecutive race. The No. 48 team had already prepared for Gragson to race Sunday at Martinsville Speedway in Virginia when Bowman’s medical clearance came through.
“Due to the timing, everyone agreed it was best to stick with our plan for Martinsville and allow the team to fully prepare for Alex’s return next weekend,” Andrews said. “We’re grateful to Noah for stepping in and doing a terrific job under difficult circumstances.”
Bowman and Kurt Busch have both missed Cup Series races this season with concussions suffered in crashes that had been seemingly routine in NASCAR’s old car. Both cars hit the wall from the rear, but the new Next Gen was built to be so durable that a large percentage of the energy in rear impacts is absorbed by the driver.
Busch has not raced since and said he is retiring from full-time competition. At least two other drivers have suspected they have had concussions.
NASCAR has been working on a fix to the stiffness in the rear of the car. After Bowman’s concussion caused the drivers to begin publicly attacking NASCAR’s slow response to the issue, series leadership began meeting weekly with drivers to discuss safety concerns.
Any fixes won’t be applied until next season.
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Kristen Shilton
The Vancouver Canucks have come to terms with forward Brock Boeser on a new seven-year contract, carrying a $7.25 million AAV.
Canucks GM Patrik Allvin announced the deal on Tuesday during the first hour of NHL free agency. Boeser, 28, was an unrestricted free agent on a previously expiring contract.
Drafted by Vancouver 23rd overall in the 2015 NHL draft, Boeser has collected 204 goals and 434 points in 554 games with the Canucks to date. A top-six scoring threat, Boeser has elite playmaking skills and the potential to produce big numbers offensively. He had his best year offensively in 2023-24, producing 40 goals and 73 points in 81 games.
Boeser didn’t hit those marks again last season — settling for 25 goals and 50 points in 75 games — but was still second amongst teammates in output. He also plays a prominent role on Vancouver’s power play and when he can generate opportunities at 5-on-5, he is a true difference-maker up front for the Canucks.
The extension is a happy ending for Vancouver and Boeser. When the regular season ended, Boeser admitted “it’s tough to say” whether he’d be back with the Canucks. Boeser reportedly turned down a previous five-year extension offer with the club and Allvin subsequently looked into deals for him at the March trade deadline, with no takers. Boeser looked — and sounded — poised to explore his options on the open market.
Ultimately, Boeser decided to stay put by committing the best years of his career to the Canucks.
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Ryan S. Clark
Washington Capitals defenseman Martin Fehervary signed a seven-year extension through the 2032-33 season that is worth $6 million annually, the team announced Tuesday.
Fehervary, who had one year of team control remaining, will enter the final season of a three-year bridge deal that will see him make $2.675 million before his new contract begins at the start of the 2026-27 season.
He finished the season with five goals and a career-high 25 points while logging 19 minutes. Fehervary also played a crucial role in the Capitals’ penalty kill by finishing with 245 short-handed minutes for a penalty kill that was fifth in the NHL with an 82% success rate.
Securing the 25-year-old Fehervary to a long-term deal means the Capitals now have seven players who have more than three years remaining on their current contracts.
It also means the Capitals front office has one less decision to make ahead of what is expected to be an active offseason in 2026 that will see the club have what PuckPedia projects to be $39.25 million in cap space.
That’s also the same offseason in which captain and NHL all-time leading goal scorer Alex Ovechkin‘s contract will come off their books along with that of defenseman John Carlson.
But until then, the Capitals have their entire top-six defensive unit under contract as they seek to improve upon a 2024-25 season that saw them finish atop the Metropolitan Division with 111 points before they lost in the Eastern Conference semifinal to the Carolina Hurricanes in five games.
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