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Hendrick Motorsports announced Friday that they have hired Blake Harris to be the new crew chief for their No. 48 team and driver Alex Bowman beginning in 2023. Harris joins Hendrick from Front Row Motorsports and replaces Greg Ives, who is stepping down as crew chief at the end of the 2022 season to take a different role within the company.

A native of Maypearl, Texas, Harris moved to North Carolina at 18 to pursue a career in racing, starting in the engine and chassis departments at Evernham Motorsports before becoming the car chief at Furniture Row Racing. At Furniture Row, Harris became an integral member of crew chief Cole Pearn's team, which won the 2017 NASCAR Cup Series championship with Martin Truex Jr. and contended for several more titles.

After following Pearn to Joe Gibbs Racing, Harris was hired by Front Row Motorsports this year to be the crew chief for Michael McDowell's No. 34 team. What has followed has been a glowing demonstration of Harris' abilities: McDowell has had the single best season of his entire Cup career, with a career-high 12 top 10 finishes and 67 laps led to go with a best finish of third twice at Sonoma and Talladega.

Prior to being paired with Harris, McDowell had never had more than five top 10s in a single season.

"The opportunity to work with a winning driver like Alex, an engaged sponsor like Ally and a championship team like Hendrick Motorsports is huge," read a statement by 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."

Hendrick's gain of Harris is Front Row's enormous loss, considering the way that he was able to elevate their program and McDowell's performance. As the team now searches for a new crew chief for the 2021 Daytona 500 champion, car owner Bob Jenkins issued a statement thanking Harris for his contributions to Front Row.

"We wish Blake nothing but the best in the future," Jenkins said. "He helped our organization become better and we're committed to ensuring that all our teams continue to improve."