Alex Bowman’s Pit Crew Wins Major NASCAR Honor After Driver’s Heartbreak in 2024 Playoffs

Alex Bowman may have missed out on the Championship 8 due to issues with his car’s weight, but his #48 Chevrolet team do have something to celebrate. Bowman’s support cast won the 2024 Mechanix Wear Most Valuable Pit Crew Award, given to the team that excels under pressure throughout the season.

The evaluation of the pit crew hinges on a metric system that takes into account various factors including pit stop speed, positions gained or lost on the pit road, and the effectiveness of each pit stop.

Bowman’s pit crew consists of jackman Allen Holman, tire carrier Brandon Grier, front-tire changer Donnie Tasser, rear-tire changer Andrew Bridgeforth, and fueler Jacob Conley.

Blake Harris, the crew chief, was proud of the strong and consistent showing by his men that earned them the award.

“Really proud of the No. 48 guys for their strong season and taking home the Mechanix Wear MVPC Award this year…,” he said.

“We strive to be the best in this sport every week on and off the track, and to see the No. 48 pit crew carry the banner for Hendrick Motorsports defines why we compete,” added Harris.

The Mechanix Wear Most Valuable Pit Crew Award was established in 2002. And Hendrick Motorsports have had a monopoly of sorts over it, winning it seven times over the years — in 2004, 2007, 2008, 2013, 2016, 2021, and 2024.

Last year, the accolade went to Brad Keselowski’s #6 pit crew from RFK Racing. In 2021, it was again a Hendrick Motorsports crew that took home the award — Chase Elliott’s #9 team.

The pit crew performance, of course, is also a reflection of how the drivers fare through the season. And Hendrick Motorsports’ MVPC award victories correlate with the consistency shown by their drivers on track for years.

This year, HMS would have liked to see all four of their drivers in the Round of 8. However, having them all qualify for the playoffs was still a significant achievement. It marked the sixth time in the history of Hendrick Motorsports that all their drivers made the playoffs, and the third time in the last four years.

Three out of the four HMS drivers advanced to the Round of 8, while one, William Byrom, made it to the Championship 4 race.

The team has secured at least one win in each of the last 39 NASCAR Cup Series seasons, which best illustrates its consistency over the years.

About the author

Neha Dwivedi

Neha Dwivedi is an experienced NASCAR Journalist at The SportsRush, having penned over 5500 articles on the sport to date. She was a seasoned writer long before she got into the world of NASCAR. Although she loves to see Martin Truex Jr. and Kyle Busch win the races, she equally supports the emerging talents in the CARS Late Model and ARCA Menards Series.. For her work in NASCAR she has earned accolades from journalists like Susan Wade of The Athletic, as well as NASCAR drivers including Thad Moffit and Corey Lajoie. Her favorite moment from NASCAR was witnessing Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr. win the championship trophies. Outside the racetrack world, Neha immerses herself in the literary world, exploring both fiction and non-fiction.

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