By Luis Torres, Staff Writer/Photographer
AVONDALE, Ariz. – Anthony Alfredo will embark on an opportune challenge that is driving for Hendrick Motorsports at Phoenix Raceway.
The news broke Thursday that Alfredo was given the nod to drive the No. 48 Ally Chevrolet after Alex Bowman was diagnosed with vertigo that’ll keep him out of action for Sunday’s Straight Talk Wireless 500.
“It feels more real being at the track; getting suited up and getting comfortable in the car. But first, I want to send my best wishes to Alex,” said Alfredo during Friday’s media availability.
“I know he’s pretty bummed this weekend. I’m sure I know I would be in that position. It’s difficult driving someone else’s car, but proud to be the one to represent him, the Ally 48 team and all the men and women at Hendrick Motorsports.
“It means a lot that they believe in me to put me in this position. It’s a lot of responsibility, but it’s a huge opportunity, and I look forward to making the most of it.”
On the surface, Alfredo may be viewed as an odd choice but he’s no stranger with the race team that’s won 15 NASCAR Cup Series championships. The 26-year-old has been the sim driver for HMS over the past four years and have driven the simulator every day in that span. Now he’ll embark on the chance of utilizing what he’s learned in helping the team and hope to make most of this opportunity.
“On the sim side of things, obviously, that is what made this a good fit. I already have an established relationship with all four teams,” Alfredo explained. “The crew chiefs, the engineers, and working with Blake Harris and the whole 48 team. They already know how I communicate. We have existing chemistry.
“I drive the simulator every single day during the week and run through every possible set-up imaginable and every possible adjustment you can make to each of those for all them to be successful and for Hendrick Motorsports to remain the dominant organization they are in the NASCAR Cup Series.”
Additionally, Alfredo has logged a lot of laps at Phoenix Raceway, giving him a sense of comfort heading into Saturday’s practice and qualifying before taking the green flag in the 312-lap race (3:30 p.m. ET on FS1). Thanks in large part of Hendrick drivers competing in the Championship 4 over the years when the circuit was the host of the finale from 2020-2025 with Kyle Larson winning last year’s Cup title.
“That makes the transition a lot easier, for sure, because I have a lot of laps here,” said Alfredo. “I have a tremendous amount of laps at every track, but with this being a championship race the past three years, I have more here than anywhere else. We honestly haven’t left any stone unturned, I’d say, as far as correlating from sim to reality and tuning the cars.
“I’m looking forward to seeing what that truly feels like now but also applying all the things I’ve learned in the sim to this opportunity on the track. But there’s a whole lot of other aspects to it because we test in a controlled environment on the sim, and now, I’ll be around other cars in traffic and, of course, executing the race as a whole.”
As grand the opportunity is for Alfredo, he doesn’t look at the opportunity as a meal ticket or an outlet to prove his worth in the top-level. Instead, Alfredo takes it as a one-race effort and focusing on Sunday in addition to his full-time O’Reilly Auto Parts Series efforts at Viking Motorsports.
“We’re here in Phoenix, and I’m focused on this one race,” said Alfredo. “We’ll see where it leads, but I’ve got a full-time opportunity in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series now that I’m going to be focused on this afternoon and tomorrow once I get out of the Cup car. We’ll just have to go one race at a time.”
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