Michael McDowell has been racing ever since he could hold a wheel and reach a pedal. The 38-year-old winning driver began competing in BMX events at 3-years-old. Falling in love with speed and competition, McDowell moved into the competitive world of karting and traveled across the country- winning 18 consecutive feature races, a World Karting Association championship, and back-to-back International Kart Federation championships. His foundation built; McDowell took his next step in his young career.
He continued the path of open wheel racing and won the 2002 Formula Renault championship and the 2004 Star Mazda championship- a feeder series to IndyCar and the Indianapolis 500.
McDowell next turned to sports car racing, competing in 29 races in the Grand-Am Rolex Series over four seasons (2004-2007), earning a win, a pole, and finishing as high as fourth in the championship standings. McDowell also competed in two CART Series events before turning his attention to the world of stock cars.
Making the transition look easy, McDowell took the ARCA Series by storm winning four times and finishing second in the championship in 2007. He was quickly one of the top prospects in the sport and moved into the NASCAR Xfinity Series where he captured his first NASCAR win and finished 13th in the championship. The results catapulted him to the NASCAR Cup Series with Michael Waltrip Racing.
In 2018, McDowell was tapped to race for Front Row Motorsports (FRM) where he has enjoyed the most success in his career. It’s been highlighted by winning the 2021 Daytona 500, 24 top-10 and six top-five finishes for the organization.
In 2023, McDowell was paired up with crew chief Travis Peterson. The duo clicked and found success early in the season. At the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course, McDowell and Peterson made FRM history with a dominating win at the historic track, securing a spot in the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs for the No. 34 team. McDowell finished the season 15th in points, an all time high for FRM, with one win, two top-five’s and eight top-10 finishes. McDowell looks to carry this momentum into the 2024 season.
Career Highlights:
· Two-Time International Karting Federation Champion
· 18 consecutive World Karting Association wins
· World Karting Association Championship
· 2002 Formula Renault USA Champion
· 2003 Star Mazda Series Rookie of the Year
· 2004 Star Mazda Series Champion
· 2005 IMSA win at Mexico City
· 2007 ARCA Series Rookie of the Year
· 2007 Four-time ARCA Series Winner
· 2016 Xfinity Series win at Road America
· 2021 Daytona 500 Champion
· 2022 Career best in laps led (67), top-five (2) and top-10 finishes (12) in a single season
· 2023 Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course winner in NASCAR Cup Series. Career and team best finish of 15th in point standings.