Alex Bowman Sets Up Huge Surprise for Crew Chief Greg Ives with NASCAR Darlington Throwback Scheme

Recently, Richmond race winner Alex Bowman arranged a surprise for his crew chief, Greg Ives. However, it is worth mentioning that Ives is not overly fond of surprises or being in the spotlight. Surprisingly, Ives does not like presents and lacks the ‘wow’ factor, though he appreciates the sentiment.

Nevertheless, Bowman and the No. 48 squad surprised him with a new throwback paint scheme. So, Alex Bowman will turn up at the Darlington Raceway in a seafoam-colored car. Apparently, the paint scheme is a tribute to Ives’ racing career in Super Late Models. After his Late Model career, he switched to NASCAR in the role of crew chief with Hendrick Motorsports and has been going strong for seven years.

“He definitely didn’t expect it,” Bowman said. “I don’t think he really understood what it was for a second. When he grasped what it was, he got really emotional. … He cried twice. He cried when he saw the car, and he cried when he saw the firesuit.”

Why did Alex Bowman do this for Ives?

According to Ives, he was always a quiet person who only cared about racing. During his second season in Super Late Models, he and his father bought a new car with the unique livery. Admittedly, he did not understand the paint scheme’s importance until much later, at the Wisconsin International Raceway.

Apparently, it resembled the car that the late Jim Pagel raced at Wisconsin in 1993. Now, that paint scheme will make an appearance at the Darlington Raceway. It is also worth mentioning that this is the first time in two years that Alex Bowman is not paying tribute to Jimmie Johnson or Tim Richmond. Otherwise, he ran throwback paint schemes at Darlington for Johnson in 2020 and Richmond in 2019.

As a result, Bowman wanted to buck the trend and focus on how crew chief’s late model career. The Hendrick Motorsports team clearly approved of the idea, and even sponsor, Ally was on board with it. From there, they decided to surprise the 41-year-old and gave themselves a history lesson at the same time.

Alex Bowman Ready to “Carry On the Legacy” of NASCAR Legend Jimmie Johnson in the 48 Car