CONCORD, N.C. – Greg Ives, crew chief of the No. 48 Ally team, was inducted into the Norway Speedway Hall of Fame on Friday, June 25, at the site where his love for motor sports was born.
Ives grew up in Bark River, Michigan, a small town roughly 40 minutes away from Norway Speedway. He took to grassroots racing in the 1990s and competed with his siblings and parents by his side before he worked his way down to North Carolina to break into NASCAR.
“It feels really good to be recognized by your peers, by your fans, the competitors you raced with,” Ives said. “To be honest with you, I was surprised, as well. The track, Norway Speedway, was my outlet as a kid. Not only going to the racetrack and participating in quarter night and big wheel night and stuff like that, but also being able to have my hand at driving. I am very honored and it is a very special thing to be recognized for.”
Ives was preparing for the doubleheader weekend at Pocono Raceway when he was honored at Norway, but he still found a way to thank his family and friends. He was FaceTimed in by his wife Jessica to take in the honor virtually.
Norway Speedway has always held a special place to Ives because the track had familial ties. His time at the track started well before he was a driver when his brother used to bend the rules to give Ives the ultimate first-hand experience.
“My brother raced when I was growing up; he is 17 years older than I am,” Ives said. “He snuck me into the pits a few times and I would clean his car and do those type of things, and then we started a business when I was 11 years old. There was a period of time where I was just a pit crew member for my brother and at that age; you aren’t able to do a whole lot, but you still definitely enjoyed going to the racetrack and the experiences you had.”
Ives spent a lot of time at the track and has many fond memories there. From winning as a driver to helping his brother as part of his pit crew, he always wanted to be at Norway. But one moment stands out to the 41-year-old crew chief where an event he was racing in took a slightly different turn.
“There are a lot of good memories of racing for championships and fast times and feature wins but I would say the one I remember the most was when my throttle hung during a MARS race there,” Ives said. “Unfortunately, my throttle hung and I went off the turn one corner and there were big foam blocks and tractor tires and when I hit that, I flipped the car and I basically almost landed upside down.
“I wanted to keep racing and with the help of the Norway community, I was able to find a chassis that was bare and similar to the one I was currently racing with a body.”
Since his time at Norway Speedway, Ives broke into NASCAR and has called the shots for eight Cup Series wins for drivers Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Alex Bowman. He was also at the helm of the No. 9 team piloted by Chase Elliott in 2014 in the Xfinity Series where the duo captured three wins, 15 top-5 finishes, 25 top-10s, two pole awards in 32 races, crowning them champions of the season.
Before his time as a crew chief, Ives was an engineer with Jimmie Johnson and the No. 48 team and was part of five championships with the future NASCAR Hall of Famer. However, much of Ives’ accomplishments in NASCAR wouldn’t have been possible if it wasn’t for his experiences at Norway.
“It’s something you never think of or you never shoot that goal out there like, ‘Hey, I’m going to make into the Hall of Fame,’” Ives explained. “You just do your job as a competitor and a contributor to the sport.”