BRISTOL, Tenn. – Front Row Motorsports certainly turned heads this weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway with both of their drivers Michael McDowell and David Ragan showing tremendous speed ahead of Sunday’s Food City 500.
McDowell chimed in his season-best qualifying effort on Friday afternoon putting his Love’s Travel Stops Ford Fusion ninth on the grid. Ragan was quickest in final practice.
Unfortunately for the Phoenix, Ariz. native, his solid weekend ended abruptly on Lap 3 of Sunday’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race.
As the field exited Turn 4, McDowell’s Ford broke loose and collected seven other cars in the process. A.J. Allmendinger, William Byron, Ross Chastain, Chase Elliott, Chad Finchum, David Ragan, Daniel Suarez and Martin Truex Jr. all received damaged in the crash.
Chastain’s car too heavily damaged to continue, while Chase Elliott went 16 laps down due to the incident. McDowell’s team attempted to repair his automobile, but they exceeded NASCAR’s damaged vehicle policy sending him to the garage and retired from the race after nine laps.
McDowell, 33, took full responsibility for the first igniting the first caution.
“It’s just unfortunate,” offered McDowell.
“There are no excuses. I was just racing the 19 and got loose underneath him. There’s not a lot of grip. It rained all day and that VHT just doesn’t do well without heat. I was stuck on the bottom and that was about it.
“I really hate it for my guys. We had a fast Love’s Travel Stops Ford and just to be out this early is really heartbreaking.”
Entering Bristol, McDowell earned a season-high ninth in the Daytona 500 and sat 25th in the series standings.
Devasted for our @Team_FRM guys and all of our partners. We had a great car all weekend and we build on that. Can’t look back now just have to look forward to @RichmondRaceway.
— Michael McDowell (@Mc_Driver) April 15, 2018
Follow Chris Knight on Twitter @Knighter01.
