48 Alex Bowman
Age: 28 (April 25, 1993)
Hometown: Tucson, Arizona
Resides: Concord, North Carolina
Crew Chief: Greg Ives
Standings: 11th
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No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE
CAREER YEAR THUS FAR: Through 30 NASCAR Cup Series events this season, Alex Bowman is having one of his best seasons to date. The 28-year-old driver has three wins this season, which is tied for the third-most wins in the series (Richmond Raceway, Dover International Speedway, Pocono Raceway), seven top-five finishes and 14 top-10s. Bowman’s seven top-fives are tied for a season best (2019) and his 14 top-10s are just one short of his 2020 season high (15). Since joining Hendrick Motorsports in 2016 as a replacement driver for Dale Earnhardt Jr., Bowman has five wins, 23 top-five results, 55 top-10s, 1,062 laps led and three pole awards, including two in the DAYTONA 500.
TALLADEGA DAYS: Bowman has 12 starts at Talladega Superspeedway in the Cup Series. The driver of the No. 48 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE has one runner-up finish (2019), three top-10s and has led 45 laps total at the track. Bowman’s three top-10 finishes at the 2.66-mile venue are tied for the sixth-most since the start of 2018. Earlier this year at Talladega, the Ally Chevy was involved in an on-track incident on lap 123, concluding the team’s day after starting fifth. Last season, Bowman brought home a seventh-place finish in the spring and a 14th-place result in the fall event. In 2013, he made one start at the track in the NASCAR Xfinity Series and finished 13th after rolling off 14th. The Arizona native also made one start in the ARCA Series at the track in 2012 and finished 32nd.
IVES IN ‘DEGA: No. 48 team crew chief Greg Ives will call the shots for the 14th time at Talladega on Sunday. The Bark River, Michigan, native has one win there with Dale Earnhardt Jr. in 2015 after leading 67 laps, along with three top-five finishes and six top-10 results. His drivers have an average start of 6.2 at the 2.66-mile facility. In total, Ives’ drivers have led 180 laps in 13 Cup events. Ives’ résumé also includes one win in the Xfinity Series at the track with Regan Smith in 2013. He was a race engineer for the No. 48 team at Hendrick Motorsports from 2006 until 2012. During that time, he was part of two wins, two pole awards and seven top-10 finishes at Talladega.
TWO SPORTS COMING TOGETHER: On Tuesday, Ally unveiled the No. 48 Chevrolet Camaro that Bowman will pilot at the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL event next weekend. Ally has a partnership with the Charlotte MLS program and will feature the soccer branding on Bowman’s machine in NASCAR’s final race in the Round of 12. Bowman and Charlotte FC defender Christian Fuchs got together on the Hendrick Motorsports’ campus last month to film Ally’s “Unexpected Allies” series, with the final episode concluding Tuesday night. Members of the No. 48 team got a sneak preview of what it takes to be a professional soccer player and Bowman got to brush up on his goalie and soccer handling skills. To view the final episode of the series, click here.
WHERE’S ALEX?: Fans will have multiple opportunities to hear from Bowman this weekend at Talladega Superspeedway. On Sunday, Oct. 3 the Ally driver will be out at the Chevrolet Stage at 9:25 a.m. local time for a question-and-answer session. Bowman will move over to the Talladega Garage Experience at 9:45 a.m. for another Q&A with fans.
PIT PERFORMANCE: After 30 Cup Series events this season, the No. 48 pit crew sits fifth on the charts for the fastest average four-tire stop time of 13.89. The team includes fueler Jacob Conley, tire carrier Allen Stallings, jackman Dustin Lineback and tire changers Scott Brzozowski and Devin DelRicco.
TALLADEGA HEIGHTS: Hendrick Motorsports holds the NASCAR Cup Series record for the most Talladega Superspeedway wins by a single organization with 13. It has sent seven different drivers to victory lane there: Jeff Gordon (six wins), Jimmie Johnson (two), Chase Elliott, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Brian Vickers, Terry Labonte and Ken Schrader.
SUPER STATS: Going into Sunday’s race at Talladega, Hendrick Motorsports owns more combined superspeedway wins than any team in Cup Series history. At the big tracks of Daytona and Talladega, it has posted a record 28 victories with 11 different drivers.
Alex Bowman, driver of the No. 48 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, on the Charlotte FC scheme for the ROVAL: “I’m really excited about the No. 48 Ally/Charlotte FC paint scheme that we released on Tuesday. It was fun meeting Christian (Fuchs) and showing him around Hendrick Motorsports and giving him a ride in the pit practice car. I got to play a little soccer which was probably embarrassing that everyone got to see that on the “Unexpected Allies” series that was released. Having the Charlotte FC program on the car at the ROVAL is really cool and special that Ally do some cross-promoting.”
Bowman on preparing for Talladega this weekend: “I think some guys have Talladega figured out a little bit. I don’t think we have figured out the exact things we need at the track to make it to the end, but I feel like we are gaining on it. Superspeedways have been pretty rough on us this season, but hopefully we have built up some good fortune after the way Talladega and Daytona have been this year. The cars aren’t easy to drive in traffic, so it’s definitely nerve-wracking. This weekend gives us the opportunity to go out there and score a lot of points. Our Hendrick Motorsports cars are always super-fast at speedways, so I just need to go out there and do my job and stay out of the possible mess.”
Greg Ives, crew chief of the No. 48 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, on past success at Talladega: “We always have a fast car at Talladega and Alex seems to put himself in the right position. Whether we get wrecked leading or wrecked somewhere, we have a tendency to still have a strong day. We have to focus on going forward and strategizing ourselves to maximize points all day and you just never know what is going to happen. I think we are capable putting ourselves up front at Talladega.”
TIL NEXT TIME, I AM STILL WORKING ON MY REDNECK!
