Wednesday, May 9, 2018

Alex Bowman super sharp last time driving No. 88 at Kansas

Alex Bowman is 200/1 to win at Kansas Saturday night.
Alex Bowman on the uniqueness of Kansas:
“Kansas is cool because it’s newer pavement, but it’s widened out a lot. You can run from the bottom to the top. That is one of the only newer paved places that you can do that right now. I enjoy going there as much as it widens out.”

Bowman on Kansas:
“Kansas Speedway is one of my favorite tracks, to be honest. I feel like when you run at night versus during the day, the track still feels the same. The top always comes in, which makes the racing fun. I ran the No. 88 car at the track in 2016 and we had a pretty good race and finished inside the top 10. This is a race that I definitely look forward to coming to.”

Driver: Alex Bowman 
Hometown: Tucson, Arizona
Age: 25 
Resides: Mooresville, North Carolina

AXALTA ON BOARD: For the second race this season, the Axalta colors will adorn the No. 88 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 this weekend at Kansas Speedway. Axalta has been the primary in one event at the 1.5-mile speedway in 2016 with Dale Earnhardt Jr. behind the wheel. Earlier this season, Alex Bowman ran the Axalta colors at Atlanta Motor Speedway, where the team finished 20th following a lengthy rain delay. Axalta will be the primary partner on the No. 88 machine during 15 NASCAR Cup Series events this season.

BOWMAN AT KANSAS: Bowman has five NASCAR Cup Series starts at Kansas. The 25-year-old was behind the wheel of the No. 88 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports in 2016 while subbing for Earnhardt and qualified fifth before finishing the event in the seventh position. During that event in 2016, Bowman was the highest finishing non-playoff driver and finished nine spots better than his average running position of 15.89. The Tucson, Arizona, native has one start in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at the Kansas City, Kansas, track – he qualified and finished 11th in 2013.

IVES AT KANSAS: Crew chief Greg Ives has called the shots six times for the No. 88 team at Kansas with drivers Earnhardt and Bowman. The crew chief’s résumé at the track in the NASCAR Cup Series includes one top-five finish and three top-10s. The Bark River, Michigan, native has two starts as a crew chief in Xfinity Series competition at the track, where he has one top-five finish and two top-10s. While a race engineer with the No. 48 team from 2006-12, Ives earned two pole awards and two wins at the track.

WHERE'S ALEX: Bowman will be in the Ignition Garage for a fan question-and-answer session on Saturday, May 12, from 4:15 to 4:30 p.m. local time. Fans must have a Cup Series grandstand ticket or RV admission in order to purchase the Ignition Garage Hospitality. Bowman will also sign autographs for the VIP Corral Youth Autograph Session from 4:30 to 4:45 p.m. local time on Saturday.

THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE HOME: Jacob Conley, fueler for the No. 88 Axalta Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 team, grew up just a little under three hours from Kansas Speedway in Omaha, Nebraska. He attended Doane University in Crete, Nebraska, and graduated with a degree in sociology in 2012. While there, he played offensive tackle for the Tigers and was a starter all four years of college.

VOTING IS OPEN: In less than two weeks, the NASCAR Cup Series will race under the lights at Charlotte Motor Speedway for the 2018 All-Star Race. In order to join the main event, Bowman – who is not yet eligible – must win a stage in the Open qualifying race or he can be voted in by the fans. From now until May 18, fans can vote once per day here for Bowman to join the All-Star Race. The fan vote winner will be announced on race day on May 19.
 

2018 Season

  • 14th in standings
  • 11 starts
  • 0 wins
  • 1 pole position
  • 1 top-five finish
  • 3 top-10 finishes
  • 65 laps led
 
 

Career

  • 92 starts
  • 0 wins
  • 2 pole positions
  • 1 top-five finish
  • 6 top-10 finishes
  • 268 laps led
 
 

Track Career 

  • 5 starts
  • 0 wins
  • 0 pole positions
  • 0 top-five finishes
  • 1 top-10 finish
  • 0 laps led
 

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