CONCORD, N.C. – Alex Bowman will honor his crew chief, Greg Ives, with a throwback scheme during the upcoming NASCAR Cup Series race at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway on May 9.
Members of the No. 48 team, including Bowman, revealed the car to Ives. The car features a crisp seafoam scheme that was reminiscent of a late model Ives ran in the late 1990s.
“I was more than surprised; I was practically speechless there for a little bit,” Ives said. “I get emotional, maybe I’m a sentimental guy. I like seeing things classic and old school. I never necessarily thought that was going to be a tribute to me or one of my paint schemes on the car, that’s why I never really thought about it, never thought that was going to be an opportunity to happen. So, when I did see it, initially it shocked me back to that moment when I first saw the paint scheme in 1998. Sometimes, the paint scheme picks you.”
Bowman and primary sponsor Ally worked together to create the scheme for the No. 48 Ally Throwback Chevrolet. Bowman said he wanted to get an emotional reaction out of Ives and added his crew chief deserves to be celebrated.
“I think it means a lot to Greg, and it’s really cool for Ally to let me steer the ship on it a little bit,” Bowman said. “Greg definitely had some interesting looking late models, so we’re going to be styling in Darington.”
Ives comes from a large family that worked together to help him race. His father was his crew chief and his pit crew consisted primarily of his six sisters. He also wore hand-me-down firesuits from his brother during races.
“This was not even a blip on the radar,” Ives said. “This was something that was truly surprising. Alex, my wife, (car chief) Austin (Konetski), whoever else was in on this, led me to believe that none of this was happening and maybe I led myself to believe that none of this was happening, as well.”