CONCORD, N.C. -- As the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series season draws to a close, No. 48 crew chief Greg Ives will try to make the most of the final three races left this year, starting with Sunday’s event at Kansas Speedway.
Ives and driver Alex Bowman will look to capitalize on their past success at the 1.5-mile track. In 12 Cup Series starts at Kansas, Bowman has garnered two top-five finishes and five top-10s, including string results in the 2020 races at the venue where he finished eighth in July and third in October.
“There’s a couple of ways to look at it,” Ives said on SiriusXM Radio. “When you are not performing, you can say three more so you can get it over with, but that is not the taste I want to have going into the off season. For me, I want another one; I want more.”
Bowman, who has won three races this season, has secured his most top-10 results in his Cup career at Kansas with an average finish of 8.5. His promising stats at the Midwestern venue gives the No. 48 team a boost of confidence, despite the tough stretch of races the crew has endured over the last several weeks. Bowman overcame mechanical issues to finish 10th at the Charlotte ROVAL two weeks ago but was caught up in unavoidable accidents at Talladega Superspeedway on Oct. 4 and at Texas Motor Speedway last Sunday.
“There are only three more, but you have to look at it as there is one more opportunity to build some momentum and get back going,” Ives said. “I know words are easy to say and frustration is achieved when you crash, but in the end that is what we have to continue to stay focused on. Like I said, you have to continue to believe in yourself.
“If you go into the offseason not believing that the team is where it needs to be, then you have to adjust, make changes and go from there.”
Tune in this Sunday, Oct. 24 at 3 p.m. ET on NBCSN to see Ives, Bowman and the rest of the Hendrick Motorsports teams take on Kansas Speedway for the second playoff race of the Round of 8.