Jeff Gluck

USA TODAY Sports

Alex Bowman was named as Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s replacement in the No. 88 car for Sunday's New Hampshire Motor Speedway NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race.

Hendrick Motorsports announced Thursday that Earnhardt will miss Sunday's race after experiencing concussion-like symptoms.The team said it does not know when Earnhardt will return to the car but that he was evaluated by doctors this week in Charlotte after he had complaints and was not cleared to race, necessitating the need for a substitute.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. to miss New Hampshire race with concussion symptoms

So who exactly is Bowman?

For starters, he's a 23-year-old with the biggest opportunity of his career.

Bowman and his playful-yet-edgy personality came onto the NASCAR scene in 2013, when he finished 11th in the Xfinity Series while driving for RAB Racing.

He quickly and surprisingly parlayed that opportunity into a Sprint Cup ride. BK Racing hired him to drive its No. 23 car in 2014 and he jumped to Tommy Baldwin Racing's No. 7 car last season. But he did not get a single top-10 finish while racing for those underfunded teams.

Bowman thought he would drive for TBR again this season until he lost his seat to Regan Smith — learning of the news through social media.

Gluck: Dale Earnhardt Jr. knows dangers of concussions

It looked like his career might be in trouble at that point, but Bowman has made the most of driving a limited Xfinity schedule for the Earnhardt-owned JR Motorsports this season.

In four starts, Bowman has four top-10 finishes, including two top-fives and 44 laps led.

Now he'll have a true opportunity to show what he can do in a great Cup ride — even though it's under circumstances no one wanted to see.

Follow Gluck on Twitter @jeff_gluck