DAYTONA BEACH, Fla.: The Front Row Motorsports team did everything they could to put Michael McDowell in contention for his first NASCAR Cup Series win of the season in the postponed Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway, but their attempt ended abruptly early in Stage 3.
From the drop of the green flag, McDowell showcased he had a strong No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford Mustang. Starting ninth, McDowell was able to hover inside the top-10 during Stage 1 and was able to turn his hustle into a top-10 finish in Stage 1 by finishing 10th.
With the threat of inclement weather throughout the morning and early afternoon at Daytona, the intensity increased during Stage 2 which kept McDowell mounted inside the lead pack but finished Stage 2 in 17th.
To gain traction position and with weather approaching, McDowell’s interim crew chief Chris Yerges called for a fuel-only pit stop which put the 2021 Daytona 500 winner into the lead for the restart of Stage 3.
McDowell would get credit for leading Laps 99 and 100 into Stage 3 but Joey Logano took control from McDowell on Lap 101 and two laps later the 37-year-old driver would find himself involved in the fourth caution of the race.
As the cars screamed off Turn 2, McDowell who was running second was tagged from behind by the Chevrolet of Tyler Reddick who appeared was attempting to help McDowell draft but the force of the push turned McDowell’s car into the backstretch wall and triggered an eight-car accident that included Chris Buescher, William Byron, Ross Chastain, Corey LaJoie, Tyler Reddick, Martin Truex Jr., and Darrell “Bubba” Wallace Jr.
After being evaluated and released from the infield care center, McDowell said he wasn’t sure what happened to trigger the accident.
“I’m not really sure what happened,” he said. “Obviously, we were all racing pretty hard there knowing that there’s weather coming and we’re past halfway. I just have to go back and look at it. I don’t want to say anything silly but felt like I had a good push from the 8 (Tyler Reddick) and had a run on the 22 (Joey Logano) and pulled out.
“I’m not sure if the 8 got me a little bit or if the 22 just blocked a little bit too hard. It’s superspeedway racing trying to get ourselves locked into the playoffs in our Horizon Hobby Ford Mustang.”
Knowing that a win at the “World Center of Racing” would be his only shot at being a part of the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs for a second consecutive season, McDowell said his Front Row Motorsports team didn’t leave anything on the table.
“We were going for it,” sounded McDowell. “You can see the weather is right there, so it’s unfortunate. We fought so hard to put ourselves in position to have a shot at making the playoffs. I felt like that was our shot.
“We had to go for it and it didn’t work out, but if I’d have lifted and the rain would have came and finished second, I would have been pretty upset with myself.”
Follow Chris Knight on Twitter @Knighter01.
