Hendrick Motorsports Alex Bowman poses with his dogs Finn and Roscoe.
The driver of the No. 48 Ally Racing Chevrolet Camaro has increased his support for animals in need around the country. Alex Bowman and Ally will partner once again to donate thousands of dollars to Best Friends Animal Society while increasing the amount each week.
Bowman spoke to Heavy ahead of the NASCAR Cup Series trip to Las Vegas Motor Speedway to reflect on a 2021 campaign that featured more than $100,000 donated to Best Friends-associated animal shelters, as well as the work that he and his primary partner will do in 2022. The biggest change for the ongoing Cup Series campaign is that Ally and Bowman are increasing their donation amounts to reflect the number of his stock car.
“[The amount] was $1,000 for myself and $1,000 from Ally every week to a local shelter in that market,” Bowman told Heavy. “And then when we won, it went to $10,000. And then we donated a bunch from some t-shirt sales at the end of the year, too. So it was definitely really cool.
“I believe we’re increasing it every week to $4,800 for that market for a shelter there. Like I said, to have Ally kind of be all about it, it’s really neat for them to come to me and ask me what causes I want to support. And to be able to do that’s really cool. So hopefully, we can raise a bunch of money and obviously, save some animal lives.”
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Bowman Continued to Raise Money After a Career Season
GettyAlex Bowman continues to show his support for Best Friends Animal Society.
The driver of the No. 48 turned in a career season in 2021 as he reached Victory Lane four times and secured even more money for shelters in certain markets. However, his support did not end once the checkered flag waved at Phoenix Raceway on November 7.
Bowman, who gained an appreciation for animal shelters after adopting his dog Roscoe, continued to try to raise money after the season came to an end while using two different methods. He first donated some proceeds from the sales of a Denny Hamlin-inspired “Hack” t-shirt. He then provided a race-worn helmet, which Charitybuzz.com made available through an auction and donated the proceeds to Best Friends Animal Society.
“Anything we can do to raise awareness for rescue animals, that kind of situation throughout the country” Bowman added. “Obviously, I think a lot has gone on in the last couple of years. A lot of animals got adopted during the pandemic and then, unfortunately, it kind of created a situation where once people went back to work, it was a bad situation. A lot of animals got returned. So kind of raising awareness to the situation and the world that we’re in when it comes to that stuff is really important.”
Bowman Will Have Some Special Activations in 2022
GettyAlex Bowman highlighted Best Friends Animal Society during a trip to Phoenix.
Bowman and Ally Racing will not simply donate money to Best Friends Animal Society and call it a day. Instead, they will showcase their support in other ways throughout the season.
The driver of the No. 48 and his primary partner will continue to take part in activations to raise awareness for shelters around the country. For example, they will visit the animals and try to inspire others to adopt animals, furthering the goal of reaching a “no-kill” status by 2025.
The support will continue with a special scheme highlighting Best Friends Animal Society. Hendrick Motorsports has not revealed the updated design for the 2022 season, nor has the organization confirmed when it will debut on the Gen 7 Chevrolet. Though Phoenix would be a fitting choice considering that Bowman, an Arizona native, showcased a special Best Friends scheme at the one-mile track during the spring race in 2021.
Between the new scheme, the activations, and the increased weekly donations, Bowman will only expand his support for Best Friends Animal Society and animals in need. He doesn’t have an exact target amount for the fundraising efforts, but he plans to provide as much support as possible.
“I think regardless of what the total number ends up being, we’re going to do a lot of great work with [Best Friends Animal Society] and raise a lot of awareness outside of even the money that we donate. So we’re going to do as much as we possibly can and hopefully, it does a lot of good.”