Story By: JARET ARNESON / HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS – CONCORD, NC – Alex Bowman has become a familiar face at the front of the DAYTONA 500 field, having started on the front row for the crown jewel race for four consecutive years.
The 28-year-old driver earned the pole position in February 2018 and then again in last year’s event. His 2018 performance made him one of the youngest pole winners in the history of the “The Great American Race” at 24 years, 9 months and 17 days old.
2021 RECAPPED: Bowman is coming off a 2021 season that saw him garner four wins (Richmond Raceway, Dover Motor Speedway, Pocono Raceway and Martinsville Speedway), eight top-five finishes and 16 top-10s – all career-bests for the driver of the No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1. He also clinched his fourth playoff berth in as many seasons with Hendrick Motorsports.
MAIN MAN: Last week at Volusia Speedway Park, Bowman made his World of Outlaws debut with his Alex Bowman Racing team. The 28-year-old drove a No. 55 sprint car sponsored by Ally, his primary partner in the Cup Series, and made the feature in three consecutive nights of racing. His next event for ABR is tonight at East Bay Raceway.
DYNAMIC DUO: Stepping into his fourth season at the helm for Bowman, Greg Ives will make his 15th Daytona International Speedway start as a crew chief in Sunday’s DAYTONA 500. The 42-year-old has one win, two top-five finishes, five top-10s and four pole positions while calling the shots at the 2.5-mile oval. His victory came with Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt Jr. in July 2015.
IVES’ SUPERSPEEDWAY SUCCESS: Ives has an impressive background on superspeedways, finding success throughout his career as a crew chief. In the Cup Series, the Bark River, Michigan, native has tallied four pole positions, two points-paying wins (Talladega Superspeedway in May 2015 and Daytona in July 2015) and two victories in the Daytona Duel qualifying races (2015 and 2016 with Earnhardt). In addition, Ives led Regan Smith to a NASCAR Xfinity Series win at Talladega in May 2013.