BRISTOL, Tenn.: Michael McDowell is learning to race all over again.
Although the 38-year-old driver has competed for 17 seasons on NASCAR’s top tour, the Phoenix native never knew the benefit of having a fully supported Cup team—until now.
Not only is McDowell benefiting from Front Row Motorsports’ status as a key partner with Ford Performance and its technical alliance with Team Penske, but the No. 34 team also is building continuity after retaining Travis Petersen, ending the revolving door of crew chiefs the driver has endured since joining the team.
“It’s awesome,” McDowell said. “And just the confidence with each other. He knows me and I know him and then all the guys that go with it, too. So we got a good little deal going. It’s fun and I’m enjoying it.”
Statistically, the most stark difference is the team’s qualifying effort. Until 2024, McDowell’s best average was 17th in time trials. He entered this weekend leading the tour with an average qualifying effort of sixth.
“We’re just getting to that point where we unload and we kind of know where we want to be and we know what we need to do,” said McDowell, who qualified seventh at Bristol Motor Speedway on Saturday. “One of the things that Travis and I are working on right now is making the right changes in that second round (of qualifying) because the first round we’ve been kind of lights out all year. Second round, we kind of drop off a little bit from where we want to be.
“But a lot of that is just not being there every weekend. And so now we’re building our notebook of what we have to do from round one to round two to execute that well and what I need to do as far as backing it up or pushing harder.”
Petersen is McDowell’s third crew chief in the last four seasons. With each new arrival, the driver had to create a baseline as the new team leader acquainted himself with the systems at FRM. The opportunity to build a notebook—along with a relationship—has offered McDowell a solid foundation to compete.
Couple that consistency with added manufacturer support and the Penske partnership, and McDowell is a threat each time the team unloads for qualifying. But don’t be surprised if the veteran bristles over one enhancement being the key to their current success.
“Obviously, this season has gone well and things are moving in a great direction,” McDowell said. “When you’re getting information and sharing information, of course it’s always helping you.
“But I qualified 4th here last year. So, if anything, we really helped them this weekend, and I say that with a smile and not being conceited or being a jerk, but they got my stuff in there this weekend, and they’re doing pretty good.”
So good that Penske’s Ryan Blaney won the pole for the Food City 500. Teammate Joey Logano qualified fourth. Given Front Row Motorsports’. heightened status, McDowell has to acclimate to racing against the sport’s juggernauts rather than clawing his way into the top 25.
“We’re in a new spot where we’re not where we normally are,” McDowell said. “And so it’s fun, but we’re learning and growing in that.”
To understand McDowell’s current challenge, it helps to know his journey. The former driving instructor-turned-racer entered Cup in era when incoming talent was groomed through the lower series, brought sponsorship or accepted rides with fledgling teams.
McDowell raced part-time before being recruited by a start-and-park operation owned by former driver Phil Parsons. Little racing was involved in the venture where a driver qualified to race but was lucky to complete a handful of laps before the team manufactured an excuse for loading up the car and collecting a portion of the purse.
In 2014, McDowell joined Leavine Family Racing — a start-up owned by Texan Bob Leavine. Although the team had good intentions, Leavine didn’t understand the politics of the sport. After two part-time seasons followed by two full seasons with McDowell, Leavine ran three more years before shuttering the operation.
McDowell found a home with Bob Jenkins’ Front Row Motorsports in 2018. Jenkins, a fast-food franchisee based in Tennessee, entered the Cup ranks in 2005. He has run two to three Cup teams since 2010, but streamlined the organization to two full-time squads and a truck team during Covid. In 1,308 starts, Jenkins’ drivers have posted four wins, two poles, 15 top fives and 62 top 10s.
McDowell is responsible for half of FRM’s wins, poles and top-five finishes. His first career victory came in the 2021 Daytona 500. Last year, he won the Indianapolis Grand Prix and finished career-high 15th in the Cup standings.
With all the resources at McDowell’s disposal, there can be no excuses moving forward. Fortunately for the driver, this weekend’s stop at Bristol has been one of his better venues of late. Since 2020, McDowell’s average finish at the half-mile bullring is 13th.
“The pressure is always on,” McDowell said. “This is a home race for Bob. He’s got a lot of his friends and family up in the suite just right there off of Turn 4 and (sponsor) Love’s as well. They have a suite here. This is a big race for them.
“It’s been a good, good place for us last couple of years, though. And so we just got to keep that going. We’re building momentum. I said it in Phoenix, we need to have top-five speed more to challenge for wins. We’re not quite there, but we’re pretty darn close. So I think we’re in a good spot. We’ve just got to keep executing and keep putting ourselves in position to win.”
Follow Lee Spencer on Twitter @CandiceSpencer or email her at: [email protected].
