Getty Alex Bowman will have a new crew chief in 2023.
Hendrick Motorsports has made a move for the 2023 Cup Series season. The team has hired Blake Harris to be the crew chief for Alex Bowman and the No. 48 team.
HMS announced the news on October 14 ahead of the trip to Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The team confirmed that Harris will move from Front Row Motorsports and the No. 34 team over to the No. 48 pit box. He will replace Greg Ives, who announced in August that he would come off the road for a new role at Hendrick Motorsports.
The 2022 season, which marked the first time Harris and Michael McDowell worked together, did not feature a trip to Victory Lane. However, Harris led the veteran driver to a career-best season featuring 12 top-10 finishes and two top-fives.
“Blake brings a tremendous amount of talent to our organization,” said Jeff Andrews, president and general manager of Hendrick Motorsports. “In our conversations, it quickly became clear that he’s an excellent culture fit and believes in the way we approach competing and winning.
“He and Alex have already developed a relationship, so we’re excited to see how they grow together. Greg has assembled a winning team, and we believe Blake is the perfect person to continue that work.”
Harris Worked With a Variety of NASCAR Teams
GettyAlex Bowman races at Michigan International Speedway.
The 2022 season was Harris’ first as a full-time crew chief, but he has an extensive history in NASCAR. This includes an early start when he joined Evernham Motorsports in 2006 at the age of 18.
Harris first worked in the engine and chassis department, but he made a major change in 2010 when he joined Furniture Row Racing. He served as the car chief for both Kurt Busch in 2013 and Martin Truex Jr. from 2014 to 2018. Harris also celebrated a Cup Series championship in 2017 after Truex won eight races.
Harris moved over to Joe Gibbs Racing with Truex for the 2019 season, and he continued to work as the veteran driver’s car chief. He remained in this role until he joined Front Row Motorsports as a crew chief in 2022. Now he will take on another challenge.
Bowman Has Numerous Trips to Victory Lane
GettyAlex Bowman celebrates a win at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
With Harris moving over to Hendrick Motorsports, he will now join an organization that has been compared to the New York Yankees of MLB. He will also work with a driver that has several trips to Victory Lane.
Bowman started his tenure at Hendrick Motorsports as a reserve driver in 2016 when he replaced Dale Earnhardt Jr. for 10 races. He moved over to a full-time role in 2018 when Earnhardt retired, and he has remained a key member of the team ever since while only working with Ives.
Bowman has made the playoffs every year he has been a full-time driver at HMS, and he has won seven career Cup Series races. This includes the final race at Chicagoland Speedway in 2019 and a dominant performance at Auto Club Speedway in 2020.
“The opportunity to work with a winning driver like Alex, an engaged sponsor like Ally and a championship team like Hendrick Motorsports is huge,” Harris said in a press release. “When I moved to North Carolina in 2005, my goal was to become a crew chief for a top-caliber organization that could win races and compete for titles. I’m grateful for the chance to fulfill that dream and look forward to building something special with the No. 48 team.”