POINT ME IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION: With just four points-paying races left in the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series regular season, Alex Bowman is currently ranked 21st. The driver of the No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 is 42 points below the provisional cutoff line. As it stands now, Bowman needs to gain an average of 11 points per event on the cutline to make the postseason. The 30-year-old driver has made five straight playoffs since joining Hendrick Motorsports full time in 2018.
MICHIGAN ON MY MIND: This Sunday, Bowman will take on Michigan International Speedway for the 14th time in his Cup Series career. He has three top-10 finishes and the Tucson, Arizona, native has an upward trend in his results over the last few races at the 2-mile D-shaped track, including his track-best finish of ninth in 2022. In addition, he won at fellow 2-miler, Auto Club Speedway, in 2020.
HORSEPOWER AND HOOPS: This weekend, the No. 48 Ally Chevy will don the iconic red, white and blue colors of the NBA’s Detroit Pistons. Ally, who is a partner of the No. 48 team and the Pistons, brought their worlds together for this Sunday’s race. Click here to check out all the angles of the fresh look for Michigan.
PISTONS VISIT: On Friday at the Henry Ford Detroit Pistons Performance Center, Bowman, crew chief Blake Harris and Ally influencer and Super Bowl champion Bernard Pollard will visit the Pistons facility. There, they will do basketball drills, play A-L-L-Y (Ally’s version of H-O-R-S-E) and then talk about what it means to have the NBA world crossover with NASCAR. The trio will start the tour at 4:00 p.m. local and be available for interviews from 5:45 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. local. To RSVP to this event, please email jarneson@hmsracing.com.
ALLY’S BACKYARD: Michigan is what the full season primary sponsor of Bowman and the No. 48 team consider to be its home track. Ally Financial is based in Detroit, approximately 78 miles east of the venue. Ally Detroit Center, formerly One Detroit Center, is a skyscraper located in the downtown area overlooking the Detroit Financial District. The 43-story tower is the tallest office building in the city and the second-tallest building in the state.
SAVE THEM ALL: Bowman and primary partner Ally are teaming up this year to bring back the Best Friends Animal Society donation effort. This week, the duo will make charitable contributions to the Animal Aid of Branch County, which serves the local community in Coldwater, Michigan. Bowman and Ally will donate $4,800 to Best Friends and the Animal Aid of Branch County. Ally will increase its donation to $10,000 if the No. 48 team wins on Sunday.
Alex Bowman, driver of the No. 48 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on his mindset heading to Michigan: "We have been getting better at Michigan (International Speedway) and I feel like it is one of my better tracks, especially getting my career-best result last year. We have had fast cars the last few weeks and Blake (Harris) had a great strategy in Pocono that just got taken away from us. I feel like we have a good shot every weekend with Hendrick Motorsports, but I am really confident in our team and what we can accomplish this weekend."
Blake Harris, crew chief of the No. 48 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on his mindset with four races left in the regular season: "We have to win and this team is plenty capable of competing at every track we have left. Alex (Bowman) has a lot of talent and we all believe in him and his abilities. Our team is working hard to get the setups right and take notes from other places to fine tune every detail we can. Our pit crew is putting in the work to continue to have fast stops. I am really optimistic about our chances in these last few races."
Harris, on his perspective of the paint scheme: "It is really cool to see Ally lean into their partnerships in multiple sports. The NBA and NASCAR aren’t worlds that would normally overlap, so to have the ability to do this crossover, go to their facility and see what goes on behind the scenes is something that I am really looking forward to. It’s a fun way to kick off our weekend in Michigan." | 
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