DARLINGTON, S.C.: Michael McDowell’s NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs just got a whole lot harder during Sunday’s Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway.
On Lap 31, McDowell’s Front Row Motorsports Ford Mustang got loose exiting Turn as this year’s Daytona 500 champion attempted to chase the car up the race track, he made contact with the outside wall before spinning into the inside wall and making hard contact with the backstretch inside wall.
A mangled race car came to rest where McDowell immediately dropped his window net and climbed from his car.
McDowell had restarted safely inside the top-15 on the restart and had just completed the pass on Erik Jones who stayed out on older tires when the accident occurred.
The damage was too severe for Phoenix, Ariz. native to continue ending his night after just 30 of the race’s 367 laps.
McDowell said he was unsure of what happened.
“I’m not really sure,” said McDowell after being evaluated and released from the infield care center.
“The 43 (Erik Jones) kind of got everybody jammed up. I think he started on the front there without tires, which is a tough spot to be in and I just went three-wide underneath him and just got into the patch with my left sides just a little bit low.
“I got loose enough into the wall and that was about it. I’ll have to see the replay, but just heartbreaking for everybody on this Front Row team. We had high hopes coming into the playoffs and this is not how we wanted to start it.”
McDowell entered the NASCAR Cup Series Playoff opener nestled 13th of 16 Cup Series Playoff eligible drivers and will likely drop to 16th upon the conclusion of the Darlington race and left with just two upcoming races at Richmond (Va.) Raceway and Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway to likely perform a miracle and try to advance to the Round of 12 for Las Vegas (Nev.) Motor Speedway on Sept. 26.
It’s been a rough two weeks for the Front Row Motorsports No. 34 team.
Last weekend at Daytona, the Mooresville, N.C.-based team had hoped to bookend their year at the “World Center of Racing” with their second win of the year, but engine problems plagued the team just 23 laps into the 165-lap race. He finished 40th but with Chris Buescher’s disqualification from the race, he was moved up one spot to 39th.
Finishing 40th at Darlington, McDowell has earned just two points over the last two races and completed only 53 of a possible 532 laps.
Earlier this season, McDowell struggled with the balance of his race car at Richmond and could only produce a 27th place finish in April’s Toyota Owners 400.
Follow Chris Knight on Twitter @Knighter01.
