Hendrick Motorsports has made Blake Harris the crew chief for Alex Bowman from the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season.
Harris is currently serving as the Cup crew chief for driver Michael McDowell at Front Row Motorsports. It is his first season as a crew chief. He has helped his driver to a career-best season with 12 top-10 finishes in 32 starts so far.
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Blake will be replacing Greg Ives for the No. 48 team.
“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.” A native of Maypearl, Texas, Harris began driving race cars at age 11 and moved to North Carolina immediately after high school to pursue a career in NASCAR. At just 18 years old, he joined Evernham Motorsports (later Richard Petty Motorsports) in 2006, working in both the engine and chassis departments. In 2010, Harris transitioned to Furniture Row Racing, where he became the car chief for drivers Kurt Busch (2013) and Martin Truex Jr. (2014-2018). He was an integral part of Furniture Row’s 2017 championship season when the No. 78 team won eight races. In 2019, Harris followed Truex to Joe Gibbs Racing, where he served as car chief for the No. 19 team before accepting the crew chief role at Front Row Motorsports for 2022.
Blake said that working with a driver of Bowman’s caliber is a huge opportunity for him.
“The opportunity to work with a winning driver like Alex, an engaged sponsor like Ally and a championship team like Hendrick Motorsports is huge,” said Harris. “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.”
Bowman has been driving for HMS since 2018. His achievements include seven wins and he has secured a playoff berth in all the seasons since then.
“I’m pumped about the chance to work with Blake,” Bowman said. “He’s a great fit for me, for our No. 48 group and for the way Hendrick Motorsports operates week in and week out. With Blake and everyone who supports this Ally Racing team, I know we can build on what Greg started and take this to the next level.”
The driver is currently sidelined with a concussion suffered in an accident at Texas last month.