NO. 88 DRIVER SCHEDULE

Following Friday's announcement that Dale Earnhardt Jr. will sit out for the remainder of the 2016 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season as he continues to recover from concussion-related symptoms, Hendrick Motorsports officials said that Jeff Gordon and Alex Bowman would split time behind the wheel in a fill-in role.

Gordon, 45, will be the interim driver in four of the remaining 12 races this year. A four-time series champion, Gordon has driven in four races in Earnhardt's stead already this season. Bowman, 23, will handle driving duties for the No. 88 team for eight of the 10 races in the season-ending Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup playoffs. Bowman, a part-time driver for the JR Motorsports operation in the NASCAR XFINITY Series, has two fill-in starts already under his belt in 2016.

"Jeff and Alex will give us a great opportunity over the rest of the season," team owner Rick Hendrick said in a release provided by the organization. "Jeff is one of the best of all time and knows our system. He brings things to the table that no one else can. Alex is a young driver with a lot of talent, and he will give us a fresh perspective. We know they're not only capable of running up front and giving us a chance to win, but they'll help us get better."

A detailed list of who will wheel Earnhardt's No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet at each race during his absence.
NO. 88 DRIVER SCHEDULE
TRACKDATEDRIVERNOTE
Darlington RacewaySept. 4Jeff Gordon  Gordon is a seven-time Darlington winner
Richmond International RacewaySept. 10Jeff Gordon  Gordon has won twice at Richmond in his career
Chicagoland SpeedwaySept. 18Alex BowmanBowman will make his third Chicagoland start
New Hampshire Motor SpeedwaySept. 25Alex Bowman  Bowman ran well early, but had car trouble and finished 26th in his first start in the No. 88 earlier this year
Dover International SpeedwayOct. 2Jeff Gordon  Gordon is a five-time Dover winner and last won this race in 2014.
Charlotte Motor SpeedwayOct. 8Alex Bowman  Bowman will make his fifth Charlotte start
Kansas SpeedwayOct. 16Alex Bowman  Bowman's previous four Kansas starts yielded a best finish of 31st
Talladega SuperspeedwayOct. 23Alex Bowman  Bowman's second-best career finish (16th) came at Talladega in 2015
Martinsville SpeedwayOct. 30Jeff Gordon Martinsville is home of Gordon's last win, an iconic moment in 2015 that clinched his spot in the Championship Round at Homestead
Texas Motor SpeedwayNov. 6Alex Bowman  Bowman will make his fifth career Texas start
Phoenix International RacewayNov. 13Alex Bowman  Bowman finished 30th here in the spring of 2015, his best showing in four starts
Homestead-Miami SpeedwayNov. 20Alex BowmanThe season finale will be Bowman's third career start at the Miami-based track