Harris, 35, is currently in his first season as a Cup crew chief for driver Michael McDowell at Front Row Motorsports, where McDowell has enjoyed a career-best season with 12 top-10 finishes in 32 starts so far.
Harris will complete the year with McDowell before moving to HMS in mid-November. He is replacing Greg Ives, who announced in August he would step down as crew chief for Bowman and the No. 48 team at the end of this season.
“Blake brings a tremendous amount of talent to our organization,” said Jeff Andrews, president and general manager of Hendrick Motorsports. “In our conversations, it quickly became clear that he’s an excellent culture fit and believes in the way we approach competing and winning.
“He and Alex have already developed a relationship, so we’re excited to see how they grow together. Greg has assembled a winning team, and we believe Blake is the perfect person to continue that work.” A native of Maypearl, Texas, Harris began driving race cars at age 11 and moved to North Carolina immediately after high school to pursue a career in NASCAR. At just 18 years old, he joined Evernham Motorsports (later Richard Petty Motorsports) in 2006, working in both the engine and chassis departments. In 2010, Harris transitioned to Furniture Row Racing, where he became the car chief for drivers Kurt Busch (2013) and Martin Truex Jr. (2014-2018). He was an integral part of Furniture Row’s 2017 championship season when the No. 78 team won eight races. In 2019, Harris followed Truex to Joe Gibbs Racing, where he served as car chief for the No. 19 team before accepting the crew chief role at Front Row Motorsports for 2022.
“The opportunity to work with a winning driver like Alex, an engaged sponsor like Ally and a championship team like Hendrick Motorsports is huge,” said Harris. “When I moved to North Carolina in 2005, my goal was to become a crew chief for a top-caliber organization that could win races and compete for titles.
“I’m grateful for the chance to fulfill that dream and look forward to building something special with the No. 48 team.” Bowman, 29, has driven for HMS full-time since 2018, earning a playoff berth in each of his five seasons. He has won seven races over the past four seasons. He is currently sitting out while recovering from a concussion suffered in a wreck at Texas last month.
“I’m pumped about the chance to work with Blake,” Bowman said. “He’s a great fit for me, for our No. 48 group and for the way Hendrick Motorsports operates week in and week out. With Blake and everyone who supports this Ally Racing team, I know we can build on what Greg started and take this to the next level.”
In a statement, Bob Jenkins, owner of Front Row Motorsports, said they organization wished “nothing but the best” for Harris.
“He helped our organization become better and we are committed to ensuring that all our teams continue to improve. We have made considerable strides forward on and off the track in recent years and our goal is to continue to increase our performance,” Jenkins said.
“We have already begun the process of building for next season in a lot of different areas. This includes finding our next leader of the No. 34 Ford team.”
