Alex Bowman impresses filling in for Dale Earnhardt Jr. at New Hampshire

Alex Bowman competed in his 72nd career Sprint Cup race Sunday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, but the circumstances made this start vastly different than the others.

For the first time, Bowman was with a team that allowed him to showcase his skills and run with NASCAR’s upper echelon drivers. Filling in for the sidelined Dale Earnhardt Jr., Bowman ran consistently in the top 10 alongside the likes of Tony Stewart, Jimmie Johnson and others. That he ultimately finished 26th was of little consequence, as the 23-year-old proved to himself he belonged.

“I don’t think I’ve gotten out of a Cup car with a smile on my face in a while,” Bowman said. “It’s just so much fun to be able to run up front like that. I’ve spent two years of my career wondering if I can really do this at the Cup level and today I answered that for myself.”

When Earnhardt was told by a neurologist earlier in the week he was experiencing concussion-like symptoms and should sit out New Hampshire, Hendrick Motorsports selected Bowman to substitute.

Bowman, who had raced for underfunded teams BK Racing and Tommy Baldwin Racing from 2014-2015, took advantage of the opportunity to drive for one of NASCAR’s top organizations. He qualified a respectable 20th, then in the race gradually made his way up the leaderboard.

It was an outing that turned heads, including the guy normally occupying the seat of the No. 88 car.

That the performance didn’t equate to a strong result was due to a cut left-rear tire that sent Bowman into the Turn 1 wall with 27 laps remaining. Although he was able to continue, the damage required extensive repairs and he finished as the last car on the lead lap.

Bowman drives select events for Earnhardt’s Xfinity Series team, JR Motorsports, and doesn’t have any more Cup races on his schedule. Earnhardt is slated to undergo additional testing earlier this week to determine if he can return for next Sunday’s race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

If Earnhardt is not medically cleared, Hendrick will have Jeff Gordon come out of retirement to drive at Indianapolis and beyond if needed. Gordon won four Cup Series titles and 93 races with Hendrick from 1993-2015. He retired at the conclusion of last season following a third-place finish in the championship.

It’s that uncertainty of what’s next that made Bowman appreciate Sunday’s chance.

“I hate the circumstances, obviously, and I hope Dale is feeling better,” Bowman said. “I’m just so appreciative of the opportunity to be here. I’m really disappointed to end our day that way, but we showed we were a top-10 car all day long.

“I wish we had the finish, but they knew we were here.”