Alex Bowman
No. 88 Planters Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE
Driver Alex Bowman Hometown Tucson, Arizona
Age 27 Resides Concord, North Carolina
2020 Season
5th in standings
34 starts
1 win
0 pole positions
6 top-five finishes
14 top-10 finishes
439 laps led
Career
187 starts
2 wins
2 pole positions
16 top-five finishes
40 top-10 finishes
913 laps led
Track Career
9 starts
0 wins
0 pole positions
0 top-five finishes
2 top-10 finish
0 laps led
Alex Bowman, driver of the No.88 Planters Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, will be available to members of the media via video conference on Friday, Oct. 30 at 11:30 a.m. ET. Visit NASCARmedia.com for details.
TOP FIVE IN TEXAS: After a 72-hour red flag for weather, Alex Bowman was finally able to get on track Wednesday afternoon at Texas Motor Speedway. The Acronis team led 43 laps during the 334-lap event and brought home stage points in Stage 2 after finishing third. Through a series of long green-flag runs, Bowman was scored fifth after a round of scheduled pit stops and was able to maintain that position through the conclusion of the 500-mile event. The team is now scored in fifth in the NASCAR Cup Series playoff standings going into this weekend’s race in Martinsville.
CAREER YEAR: The 2020 season is turning out to be a career year for Bowman and the No. 88 team. The 27-year-old driver has one win, six top-five results, 14 top-10s and has led 439 laps in 34 events. Bowman has more top-10s and has led more laps this season than before. He secured a spot in the Round of 8 for the first time in his six-year Cup Series career. Bowman has finished inside the top 10 in eight of the last 10 races this season, a career best.
2020 NUMBERS: The No. 88 team has earned 295 points so far in the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs, which ranks second among drivers. The team has the best average finish (8.3) and the sixth-best average running position (9.6) in the playoffs. Bowman has run 1,768 laps inside the top 10 and owns six top-10 finishes in the playoffs, which are tied for first. He has the second-most top-five finishes in the playoffs with three, has the most top-10 finishes (eight) in the last 10 races and is tied for the longest active top-10 streak (three).
MARTINSVILLE STATS: Bowman has nine previous Martinsville Speedway starts in the NASCAR Cup Series. The Tucson, Arizona, native’s best finish came earlier this season when he crossed the line sixth after 500 laps. During the June event, Bowman captured stage points after finishing fourth in Stage 2 of the race. The driver has two top-10 finishes at Martinsville and has completed 98.1% of the total laps. Bowman will roll of third on Sunday, which is his best starting position in nine events at Martinsville.
IVES IN VIRGINIA: Crew chief Greg Ives will call the shots for the 12th time for the No. 88 team at Martinsville on Sunday. The Bark River, Michigan, native has one top-five finish and four top-10s at the short track with a best finish of fourth coming in 2015 with Dale Earnhardt Jr. Ives was a race engineer for the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports team from 2006-2012 when he was part of six wins, three pole awards and 12 top-10 finishes at Martinsville.
MR. PEANUT GOES RACING: On Monday, Hendrick Motorsports announced the addition of Planters on the No. 88 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE for Martinsville this weekend. Mr. Peanut will adorn the hood of Bowman’s ride for the final race in the Round of 8 at the .526-mile venue. Founded in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, in 1906, Planters offers multiple flavors of various types of nuts. The company recently introduced a user friendly “Pop & Pour” container that allows for easy snacking on the go. Check out the Planters scheme here.
PIT ROAD SPEED: The No. 88 pit crew ranks seventh in the NASCAR Cup Series with an average four-tire stop time of 14.1 seconds after eight playoff events. The team includes fueler Jacob Conley, tire carrier Rowdy Harrell, jackman Dustin Lineback and tire changers Scott Brzozowski and Devin DelRicco.
CLOSE TO HOME: No. 88 engine tuner Stephen Raynor calls Martinsville Speedway his home track. The 33-year-old crew member grew up in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, which is approximately 50 miles from the Virginia venue. He has been with the Hendrick Motorsports engine department for eight years.
GOOD DISCOUNTS: During the month of October, No. 88 team sponsor ChevyGoods.com is providing discounts on various accessories on its website. Customers can receive 10% below MSRP on Adam’s Polishes and NOCO accessories purchased online with code CHEVYGOODS. With code TRUCKHERO, customers can receive 20% below MSRP on Truck Hero accessories purchased online.
NOVEMBER WON: Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Martinsville Speedway will fall on a date that has been successful for Hendrick Motorsports. The team has won two of the last three Cup races held on Nov. 1, both courtesy of Jeff Gordon: Rockingham in 1998 and Martinsville in 2015. Gordon’s 2015 result was the last of his 93 career Cup Series wins and his ninth at the Virginia short track.
MARTINSVILLE SUCCESS: Hendrick Motorsports has won 24 races at Martinsville Speedway, the most victories for any team at any track in NASCAR Cup Series history. Junior Johnson and Associates is second on the list with 21 wins at Bristol Motor Speedway. Hendrick Motorsports is next with 20 first-places results at both Dover International Speedway and the Charlotte Motor Speedway oval.
GOOD OMEN: In the most recent NASCAR Cup Series race held at Martinsville Speedway, Hendrick Motorsports placed each of its cars inside the top 10. In June, Chase Elliott finished fifth, Alex Bowman sixth, William Byron eighth and Jimmie Johnson 10th. Hendrick Motorsports is the only team in 2020 to put four cars in the top 10 in a short-track event. It also marked the fifth time that the organization has earned four top-10 positions in a Martinsville Cup race.
THE FIVE: Hendrick Motorsports has sent five different drivers to victory lane at Martinsville. Gordon and Johnson each have nine wins at the legendary half-mile track, followed by Darrell Waltrip with four. Geoff Bodine and Dale Earnhardt Jr. each have one victory there for car owner Rick Hendrick, who grew up less than two hours away in Palmer Springs, Virginia.
THE BIG FIVE-OH: Hendrick Motorsports has 50 NASCAR Cup Series wins on short tracks, the most of all active teams. Joe Gibbs Racing is second with 41.
STREAKING: Hendrick Motorsports has notched as least one top-10 finish in 16 consecutive NASCAR Cup Series races. The last time the team reeled off more than 16 straight top-10s was from October 2014 to July 2015 when it posted 23 in a row. Hendrick Motorsports has also led laps in each of the last 12 races, which is the longest active streak of any organization.
PLAYOFF RECORD: Since the inception of the format in 2004, Hendrick Motorsports has 45 NASCAR Cup Series playoff wins – 15 more than any other team. Including 2020, the organization has scored at least one playoff win in a record 16 different seasons, missing only 2017. A series-topping seven different drivers have won a playoff race for Hendrick Motorsports.
THE STATS: Since its inception in 1984, Hendrick Motorsports has earned 261 race victories and holds the all-time records for championships (12), pole positions (226), top-five finishes (1,098), top-10s (1,895) and laps led (70,429) in points-paying NASCAR Cup Series competition. Including 2020, the organization has won at least one race in 35 consecutive seasons, the longest-ever streak. Hendrick Motorsports is seven wins away from tying Petty Enterprises’ all-time Cup record of 268.
Driver Alex Bowman on making it to the Championship 4:
“The only way to make the final four is to go out this weekend and get the win. We have been really focused on Martinsville not knowing the outcome of the first two events of the Round of 8. I am confident in this No. 88 team and I am confident in (crew chief) Greg (Ives). This is what we have been working for all year, to go for a championship in Phoenix. While we were in Texas, the crew back at Hendrick Motorsports was dialing in our Martinsville Chevrolet and getting it ready to race. We have all been putting in the work needed to get the job done and that is what we plan on doing.”
TIL NEXT TIME, I AM STILL WORKING ON MY REDNECK!
