Alex Bowman learned via Twitter he lost Cup ride – Nascar

Just hours after a Thursday morning news report about a changing of the guard in the No. 7 ride, Tommy Baldwin Racing issued a news release saying that it had parted ways with Bowman. Approximately five hours later, the Tommy Baldwin-owned team announced that former Southern 500 winner Regan Smith would take over as TBR’s primary driver.

Bowman competed in 35 of 36 Sprint Cup races for Tommy Baldwin Racing last year, failing to qualify for the season-opening Daytona 500. His best finish was 16th place at Talladega Superspeedway last spring.

Just last month, Bowman stood alongside Baldwin at the NASCAR Hall of Fame to announce a multiyear deal with Nikko RC/Toy State, a sponsor that Bowman helped woo. Bowman spent part of Thursday reaching out to his business contacts at Toy State to show his appreciation.

“I really don’t have any answers. I’m as baffled and puzzled as you guys are,” Bowman told SiriusXM. “I know the sport’s changing a lot and a lot of business models are changing, and Tommy felt like he needed to make a change. If he feels he needs to make a change and that I’m not the right person to be in that, then I shouldn’t be there. If you don’t have faith in your driver, there’s no reason to even go to the race track.

“Like I said, I’m really appreciative for everything they did and it’s no hard feelings. It’s a business and it’s what has to happen and it’s the way this deal works. It’s pretty ruthless, but that’s just the way it is — it’s big-time auto racing. I’m just really thankful that I do have some races on the table and just ready to go win, hopefully.”

Tommy Baldwin Racing issued a statement Friday afternoon, saying that the team wished Bowman well, but expressed regrets about how the news was conveyed.

“The circumstances surrounding Alex’s release via social media was unfortunate and certainly unintentional. The culture of doing business in motorsports has become more complex and involves many parties such as agents, business managers, attorneys and sponsors. A comment in passing may be overheard and subsequently conveyed to the media.

“Our intention, as it always is, was to follow business protocol and notify Alex and his management of our decision. Again, it’s unfortunate that confidentiality was compromised, and the news delivered in this manner.”

Bowman told SiriusXM that as of Friday afternoon, he hadn’t had a conversation with his former team owner since the change of plans. Bowman said he had spoken with Baldwin as recently as Wednesday evening and left with the impression that “everything was good.”

The move comes with less than a month before the season-opening Daytona 500 with Sprint Cup Series vacancies in ultra-short to nonexistent supply. Bowman does have a nine-race schedule lined up with JR Motorsports in the NASCAR XFINITY Series next year, but the prospects for a third consecutive campaign in NASCAR’s premier series appear slim.

“It’s unfortunate that it worked out that way, but I’m really appreciative of everything that TBR did for me,” Bowman said. “Tommy and everybody were like a big family to me for a little over a year now. It’s unfortunate that it has to end that way, but just really looking forward to my nine races with JR Motorsports and doing what I moved to North Carolina to do, which is to focus on winning races.

“That’s the most important thing to me right now, and I don’t know, maybe I’ll go run my midget some and do some stuff like that, but my main focus is just to go win those nine races and do everything I can to prove there’s a reason I should be here.”