48 Alex Bowman
Age: 28 (April 25, 1993)
Hometown: Tucson, Arizona
Resides: Concord, North Carolina
Crew Chief: Greg Ives
Standings: 14th
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No. 48 Ally Throwback Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE
Greg Ives, crew chief of the No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, will be available to members of the media via video conference on Thursday, May 6. Visit NASCARmedia.com for details. They will be using the best video conferencing tools.
HONORING IVES: On April 20, Hendrick Motorsports and Ally announced the No. 48 Ally Throwback scheme that would honor crew chief Greg Ives. The seafoam and grapefruit colors honor Ives’ late model driving days with a scheme based on a car from his 1998 season that was purchased from the Coleman Racing family in Michigan. When Ives bought the car, the seller asked him to consider keeping the paint color the same and was later told of Jim Pagel, who ran the color and paint scheme in 1993. Pagel was a local stock car driver who lost his life on May 2, 1997, following a crash during qualifying at Wisconsin International Raceway. Check out the special scheme here.
BOWMAN IS ‘TOO TOUGH’: Alex Bowman has seven previous starts in the NASCAR Cup Series at Darlington Raceway. The 28-year-old’s best finish of second came in May last season, when the sport returned after a two-month break due to the coronavirus pandemic. Bowman led for 41 laps after rolling off second, earning the second-most points in the event. During the three races held at the 1.366-mile venue in 2020, Bowman captured the second-most stage points (39) and led the sixth-most laps (42) among active drivers. Bowman has one start at Darlington in the NASCAR Xfinity Series where he finished 17th in 2013 after 147 laps.
11 DOWN, 25 TO GO: After 11 races this season, Bowman has one win, two top-five finishes, four top-10s and one pole award (DAYTONA 500). The No. 48 Ally team has spent 1,313 laps running inside the top 10. Out of those laps, 649 have been inside the top five, which is 10th-most of current drivers. Bowman led the final 10 laps during the event at Richmond Raceway en route to his first short-track victory in the NASCAR Cup Series.
IVES IN DARLINGTON: For the ninth time in his Cup Series career, Ives will call the shots at Darlington for the No. 48 Ally team. The Bark River, Michigan, native’s best finish at the venue came in the first May event at the track last season when Bowman crossed the line second after leading 41 laps. Ives’ drivers have completed 99.8% of the total laps at Darlington and have one top-five finish and three top-10s at the facility. He was also the crew chief for Chase Elliott in the NASCAR Xfinity Series in 2014 when the team captured the victory after leading 52 laps. From 2006-2012, Ives was a race engineer for the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports team. During that time, he was a part of one Cup Series win (2012) and four top-five finishes at Darlington.
PIT ROAD KNACK: After 11 races in the 2021 season, the No. 48 pit crew continues to be the fastest in the NASCAR Cup Series based on average four-tire stop times. The five-man over-the-wall crew has an average four-tire stop time of 13.66 seconds. The team includes fueler Jacob Conley, tire carrier Allen Stallings, jackman Dustin Lineback and tire changers Scott Brzozowski and Devin DelRicco.
30-FOR-30: At Darlington Raceway this Sunday, Hendrick Motorsports is looking to secure a 30th consecutive top-10 finish in the NASCAR Cup Series. Chase Elliott (fifth) and William Byron (ninth) both finished in the top 10 at Kansas Speedway last weekend, extending a streak of at least one Hendrick Motorsports driver posting a top-10 result to 29 straight races. Team Penske ranks second with eight consecutive top-10s.
DARLINGTON THROWBACK: On May 12, 2012, Jimmie Johnson won at Darlington Raceway to capture Hendrick Motorsports’ 200th NASCAR Cup Series victory. Overall, a record-tying six different drivers have combined for Hendrick Motorsports’ record number of 14 victories at the 1.366-mile track: Jeff Gordon (seven), Johnson (three), Terry Labonte (one), Mark Martin (one), Tim Richmond (one) and Ricky Rudd (one). The organization holds the record for most drivers to win for a team at a track with eight different Hendrick Motorsports drivers victorious at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
MOTHER’S DAY: The last NASCAR Cup Series race held on Mother’s Day was won by four-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Gordon. Originally scheduled for Saturday, May 12, the Hendrick Motorsports driver led the final 22 laps in the event delayed one day due to weather.
ONE (MORE) FOR THE RECORD BOOKS: Three different Hendrick Motorsports drivers have gone to victory lane in the first 11 races of 2021, marking only the 10th time in NASCAR Cup Series history a team has done so. Hendrick Motorsports also accomplished it in 2007 and 2009, while Joe Gibbs Racing did so in 2016, 2019 and 2021. Other teams with three different winners in the first 11 events: Team Penske in 2021; Roush Fenway Racing in 2005, Peter DePaolo Racing in 1957 and Carl Kiekhafer Racing in 1956. The earliest in a single season a team has won with four different drivers is race No. 12 by Hendrick Motorsports in 2007 and JGR in 2016.
TWO TO TIE: Hendrick Motorsports entered the 2021 season within striking distance of one of stock car racing’s most enduring achievements: Petty Enterprises’ all-time team record for NASCAR Cup Series victories. The legendary Petty organization captured the wins record from Carl Kiekhafer Racing more than 60 years ago when Lee Petty took the checkered flag at Orange Speedway on May 29, 1960, for the team’s 53rd victory. Its 268th and most recent win was delivered by driver John Andretti on April 18, 1999. Hendrick Motorsports has earned 266 points-paying Cup Series wins since Rick Hendrick founded the team in 1984 and currently needs just three to break the record at NASCAR’s highest level.
Alex Bowman, driver of the No. 48 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, on his throwback scheme at Darlington: “Ally being open to doing whatever throwback I wanted to do this year was really cool. Being able to honor (crew chief) Greg (Ives) this weekend in Darlington is going to be really special. It was really fun being able to surprise him a few weeks ago and to have his family from back home involved was the icing on top. The seafoam Chevrolet will look good on track and even better up front on Sunday.”
Bowman on what makes Darlington a difficult track: “Darlington is one of those tracks where you can’t get caught up in racing the other guys. This is a place where you have to race the track and adjust your car to what you need on track. We ran well there last year and I think we have a good notebook to carry on to this weekend’s race. Tire management is key in Darlington and will be something to look after on Sunday.”
Greg Ives, crew chief of the No. 48 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, on racing strategy at Darlington: “Going to 400 miles for this race at Darlington doesn’t really change any strategy. It maybe just changes how many laps are in the stage and how many laps you are going to run on tires. It is definitely grueling on the drivers, as well, with the heat that is expected down there in Darlington. It is definitely a fun racetrack, and I don’t know many drivers who don’t like racing down there. You end up racing the racetrack instead of racing the drivers at that place. Green-flag ;passes are going to be difficult with just how hard the racing is there. We are looking to getting down there with our throwback scheme. I know Alex (Bowman), Ally and everyone on the team is looking forward to Darlington.”
TIL NEXT TIME, I AM STILL WORKING ON MY REDNECK!
