Alex Bowman hopes to return to his consistent, frontrunning ways. (Photo: Trish McCormack | The Podium Finish)
RIDGEWAY, Va. – Alex Bowman showcased some incredible consistency throughout the first quarter of the NASCAR Cup Series season.
Despite the 60 point penalty following the Toyota Owners 400 race weekend at Richmond, the Tucson native has been consistent, fast and methodical in 2023. Moreover, he has been in contention for strong top five to top 10 finishes no matter who sits atop his No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro team’s pit box.
In the past four races, Bowman placed 14th, third, eighth and 29th respectively at Atlanta, Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, Richmond and Bristol Dirt. This segment is notable as Bowman worked with Greg Ives, his team’s interim crew chief in the past month.
Ives, who worked with Bowman from 2018 to 2022, led the No. 48 team’s efforts while Blake Harris, the primary crew chief, served a four-race suspension due to the hood louvers that were confiscated by NASCAR during the Phoenix race weekend.
Adversities have tested Bowman and his team throughout the year. Admittedly, he observed how the past four races have challenged his team’s otherwise remarkable ways.
“It’s nice having him back,” Bowman said in team press release. “I think not having him at the track in the early part of the season was a setback. At the same time, I had Greg Ives back and we had a lot of time together, so communication wasn’t something we had to develop.”
With Ives serving his own suspension following the Richmond penalty, Harris is eager to get back to work with Bowman starting with Sunday’s NOCO 400 at Martinsville (3 p.m. ET on FS1 and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
Bowman and Blake Harris are ready to resume their strong start in 2023. (Photo: Trish McCormack | The Podium Finish)
“I am excited to get to Martinsville Speedway this weekend and have my first trip there with Alex,” Harris said in a team press release. “He’s had success in the past there as have I with other drivers. I think it is one of his best short tracks and he runs really well there. There are a lot of specifics and driver inputs at Martinsville that complement his driving style really well.
“Hendrick Motorsports has a massive history of success there. Last year, they had speed in qualifying and in the race. Alex has only raced there once in the Next Gen car, so we have a year’s worth of development to get through and will hopefully go have a good weekend.”
A good weekend is within reach for Bowman, Harris and the No. 48 team given the strong start for the entire Hendrick organization. Harris recognizes the No. 48 team’s potential to continue their stellar start in pursuit of their first win of 2023.
“I think when you look at the past success and every week this year, we have had speed,” Harris said. “Most of the tracks we have gone to, we have had top-five speed. Just carrying Hendrick Motorsports’ speed and performance that we have had all season and using that as a solid baseline will help us a lot.”
A solid baseline on the race setup is certainly paramount with Bowman starting in 23rd. Then again, handling, brake and tire management and a cool mind proves as pivotal at Martinsville above all else, even with the Gen-7 car.
Expect Bowman to not lose his cool at Martinsville. (Photo: Trish McCormack | The Podium Finish)
“Blake and I still worked closely at the shop on what I needed in the car, so I think it will just go back to business as usual this weekend,” he said.
Business as usual is Bowman’s MO given how it takes a lot to push his buttons. Humor seems to be an ally to Bowman in the high stakes world of stock car racing as evident with his thoughts about controlling his temper at Martinsville or about any track.
“I think I’m a little bit less excitable than a lot of my peers. So yeah, just I don’t know,” Bowman said. “I got cut off a couple times on the way up here and I wasn’t mad either. Maybe that’s just me.”
Editor’s Notes
Jasmine Sharpe contributed to this feature directly on-site from Martinsville Speedway in Martinsville, Virginia.