And if there is blame to cast, Ives made clear this week he would shoulder some of the responsibility.
Many drivers were quick to blame NASCAR on the construction of its Next Gen car when Alex Bowman this week became the second Cup Series driver sidelined with concussion-like symptoms this season following a wreck in last weekend’s race at Texas Motor Speedway.
Bowman’s accident, much like the one Kurt Busch had in qualifying in July at Pocono, involved a rear-impact, an area of the new car which has been criticized as being too rigid.
In a rare social media post by Ives, he apologized to his driver and claimed responsibility.
Asked why he appeared to want to take on some of the blame, Ives, Bowman’s crew chief, said: “Ultimately, I think it’s for me, it’s all about togetherness as far I’m in the sport with NASCAR, with Goodyear (and) with the race teams. I’m part of the race teams.
“Ultimately it’s my job to make sure my driver, Alex, is put in the safest situation possible. For me, decisions I made probably throughout the Texas race, ultimately cost us a crash probably and thinking I could have done something different.
“That’s how I look at things. I look in the mirror before I look into the crowd.”
Taking concussions seriously
Ives said it was Bowman, 29, who ultimately went to the doctor on Thursday to be examined for symptoms he had no idea were related to a concussion.
“Alex is very responsible especially with Dale (Earnhardt Jr.) as a mentor. Ultimately, it was his decision to get evaluated – go through those steps and get everything checked out,” Ives said.
“Ultimately, it’s a tough situation. In the end, the right decision was made no matter how the decision was made.”
Ives said Bowman is “determined to be back.”
“He wants to finish the season strong,” Ives said. “We had good momentum in the first round (of the playoffs) but had a little setback (at Texas).
“I feel like he’s going to do everything he can to make sure he’s back and right now that’s 100-percent my goal for him is to be at the Roval (next weekend).”
Feeling responsible as the crew chief
Ives said after incidents like the one with Bowman and those he had as Earnhardt Jr.’s former crew chief, he often looked at what – if anything – he may have contributed to the problem.
He cited details such as tire air pressure, camber, decisions to stay out on older tires rather than pit for newer ones as…
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