1.5-MILE STATS: In 60 starts on 1.5-mile tracks, Alex Bowman has six top-five finishes, 15 top-10s and one win. The Ally-sponsored driver is tied with Martin Truex Jr. for the most top-10 finishes (four) in the last four events on 1.5-mile tracks, which is the longest active streak. Bowman also has finished inside the top five in the last three races on 1.5-milers, which is also the longest current streak. The 27-year-old driver’s first NASCAR Cup Series win came in 2019 at the 1.5-mile Chicagoland Speedway after leading 88 laps. Bowman led 269 laps on intermediate tracks last season, which is the sixth most among active drivers. He captured three stage wins at these venues in 2020, the third-most behind Denny Hamlin and Hendrick Motorsports teammate Chase Elliott.
TOP-10 FINISH: On Sunday, Bowman and the No. 48 Ally team captured their first top-10 finish of the 2021 season after crossing the line 10th at the DAYTONA Road Course. After rolling off 36th, Bowman reported that his Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE was tight in the bus stop on Lap 11. Through a series of cautions and pit stops, the Ally team made improvements to the car and Bowman was running 17th with 10 laps to go in the event. With his eyes focused out front, the Ally driver advanced seven positions by the end of the 70-lap event. This is Bowman’s first top-10 finish on the DAYTONA Road Course in a points-paying event.
WELCOME TO MIAMI: Bowman will make his seventh Homestead-Miami Speedway start in the NASCAR Cup Series on Sunday. The Tucson, Arizona, native’s best finish of ninth came in the November 2019 event after starting 12th. Bowman has one start in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at the 1.5-mile Florida track. In 2016, he drove the No. 88 Chevrolet for JR Motorsports and brought home a 14th-place finish after qualifying eighth.
IVES AT HOMESTEAD: Greg Ives will call the shots from the pit box at Homestead-Miami Speedway this weekend for the seventh time in his NASCAR Cup Series career. The Bark River, Michigan, native’s best finish at the track came in 2019 when the team crossed the line in ninth after qualifying 12th. Ives’ résumé includes two starts in the Xfinity Series at the 1.5-mile track, where his best finish of 17th came in 2014 with Elliott. From 2006-2012, Ives was a race engineer for the No. 48 Chevrolet driven by seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson. He was part of two pole awards, two top-five results and four top-10s at Homestead with the seven-time champion. Ives was on hand for five NASCAR Cup Series championship title wins at the Florida venue with Johnson during that span.
HELLO, WORLD: On Monday, No. 48 fueler Jacob Conley and wife Claire welcomed twin boys into the world. At 11:40 p.m. and 11:43 p.m. ET, Lucas and Bennett Conley were born and joined their 22-month-old sister Nora. The new family of five is doing well, and Jacob will compete with the No. 48 team this weekend at Homestead.
CLOSE TO HOME: No. 48 Ally team tire specialist Carl Haag grew up not too far from Homestead-Miami Speedway. The 34-year-old grew up in Port St. Lucie, Florida, and attended Treasure Coast High School. Haag has been in the motor sports industry for six years and has worked with Daytona prototype international cars, in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and with Ives and Bowman for the past two seasons.
Alex Bowman, driver of the No. 48 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, on the team’s 1.5-mile program: “Getting a top-10 finish last week on the DAYTONA Road Course was good redemption from the week prior. Greg (Ives) and the No. 48 Ally team made great adjustments on pit road and put us in a good position at the end for a solid finish. Going to Homestead this weekend gives us a good opportunity to show what our 1.5-mile program looks like this season. We had a really solid end to the 2020 season, and I know that we will have a fast Ally Camaro this weekend.”
Greg Ives, crew chief of the No. 48 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, on returning to Homestead: “We are really looking forward to getting back to Homestead. We have a strong 550 (horsepower) program at Hendrick Motorsports and that showed at the end of last year. We’re looking forward to getting to the track and having another solid race. Knowing that the start of the season didn’t go our way in the DAYTONA 500, we just need to crawl back to where we need to be.”
Ives on working the high line at Homestead: “I expect the high line to be very inviting at Homestead, especially as the run goes on. The car gets a little snug and you can get the air cushion on the wall. The later start is going to potentially have the sun going down and the grip going up. You are going to have to be able to rip the bottom to slingshot. It has the tendency to widen out the groove a lot once grip comes into the track. It’s going to be a fun race, and tire strategy is definitely going to come into play.”
Micah Roberts' take on Bowman at Homestead
1st #48 Alex Bowman (22/1) - His best finish at Homestead was ninth in 2019, but I’ve made him my top wagering in my betting equation this week because of the momentum he was gaining on this race package last season when he closed out with top-fives in his last three starts on 1.5s. We haven’t seen these cars yet this season and we won’t see them practice either, but I’m taking a shot with him. Just a coincidence, but last season he won at Fontana using this race package in what was also the third race of the season as this week is.
