"It actually goes back to before I began driving full-time at Front Row," McDowell explained when asked about his journey to the team. "I knew Bob (Jenkins) from seeing him at the racetrack and having conversations with him. Eventually, I ran a race for him in 2013 at Watkins Glen, and from that point on, I always felt like I was going to end up at Front Row."
"Bob and I stayed in touch over the years," McDowell recalled. "I had a good thing going on at Leavine Family Racing; we were growing and performing well, but then I was replaced and found myself out of a job. After that, I spoke with Jerry Freeze and Bob for a while, and the timing felt just right. I was really worried during those couple of months—you only get so many chances in the Cup Series. I had already had a few opportunities and was starting to reestablish my career, only to find myself back on the streets. Opportunities in the Cup Series don't come often, so I was incredibly grateful to Bob and Jerry for giving me not just another opportunity, but a place to call home."
McDowell joined Front Row Motorsports full-time at the beginning of the 2018 season, getting behind the wheel of the No. 34 Ford.
"2018 was a fun year," McDowell said, a big grin spreading across his face. "I had a close friend in my teammate, David Ragan. While our performance wasn't great, I was just happy to be competing in the Cup Series and to have a job. I knew it was going to take a lot of work, and we were really just getting by. There were some high moments and some low moments, but it was my first season with the team, and I was still getting used to the processes and building relationships with everyone. I was figuring out where we could improve. As we headed into the 2019 season, we had a better game plan and a clearer focus on what we needed to work on to get better."
McDowell finished the 2018 season 26th in points and earned one Top-10 finish, finishing ninth at the Daytona 500.
"Every year it got a little better and a little bit better. Nothing changes overnight," McDowell described when asked what changed at Front Row heading into the 2021 season. "Motorsports involve many moving parts. There are alliances, old and new cars, and over the years, we've invested in new equipment in some seasons while holding back in others. What has remained constant is our focus on the people. Each year, we made the decision to move one or two individuals, leading to small improvements. The steady progression in getting people continued year after year, making us just a little better each time."
"Heading to Daytona, you always feel like you have a shot at winning," said McDowell. "We went there in a really good spot, a good technical alliance, new race cars, and we had everything we needed from a part and pieces situation. I just had a strong feeling on that Sunday morning that this could be our day.
"It was a long and stressful day. We had got into an accident and had some damage and weren't sure if we going back green when the race got delayed. We knew that we were in a good position and that it was all about making those last few decisions to put yourself in a good spot."
McDowell put himself in the position to win, and on the final lap of the 63rd Daytona 500, Michael McDowell was crowned a Daytona 500 champion, earning his first career NASCAR Cup Series win.
"You can't articulate it. I mean it's the greatest moment in your career," said McDowell when asked about his initial reaction to winning the Daytona 500. “People dedicate their entire lives to this sport and to win the biggest race you can win, it's just a very surreal feeling that words can't describe."
Winning the Daytona 500 wasn't just special for McDowell, it had impacted more lives than he could have imagined.
"I knew what it meant to me and my family and to all the many people who sacrificed so much for me to be here and what it meant to Bob (Jenkins). Coming back to our headquarter in Mooresville, I heard all kinds of stories from the shop guys who have been in this sport for 30+ years and got into this sport with the hopes of winning a Daytona 500, and they weren't even at the track, but it had meant so much to them to work on the car that won the Daytona 500.
McDowell recounts what it meant to Bob Jenkins to win the Daytona 500. "I don't think he shared with me this until after I won, but he (Bob) got into the sport of NASCAR with the dream of winning the Daytona 500, and yes, that's everybody's dream, but to him that was the biggest moment that you could have and measure success in. That was his dream and that he got to see the reality if his dream."
McDowell and the No. 34 team finished the 2021 season 16th in points with one win, two Top-5's and five Top-10's
During the 2023 season, heading into the Indianapolis Speedway, McDowell had earned nine Top-15's, five Top 10's, and one Top-5. McDowell, an experience road-course racer, explained what motivated him the most heading into Indianapolis weekend.
"One of the biggest motivators for me was Shane van Gisbergen kicking everyone's butts at Chicago (Street Race). I saw that as we're just not working hard enough. If he can come into our sport on a one race deal and win, why can't we."
"We knew we had a shot to win. We didn't say it with arrogance because we never won a road-course race but based on what we had been building over the last two years with our road-course program and good qualifying and race results, Travis (Peterson) and I just had a good feeling heading into the weekend."
Out of the 82 laps of the Verizon 200 at The Brickyard, McDowell led 54. In a dominating fashion, McDowell won at the famed track, taking home his second career win and earning a spot in the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs. McDowell finished the 2023 season 16th in points, having earned one win, two Top-5's, and eight Top-10's.
Entering the 2024 season, McDowell had never earned a pole in the NASCAR Cup Series. Little did he know, that would all change at the Atlanta Motor Speedway. Starting on outside pole at the Daytona 500 a week prior, McDowell and the team knew they had speed. With a top speed of 178.844 mph, McDowell took his first career pole with a 30.999 sec lap and led the field to green in Atlanta.
"The amount of work that goes into getting a pole at a superspeedway is just tremendous and the driver has very little to do with the pole winning speed at those places," said McDowell. "Now Gateway I'll take some credit for because it is a tough place and you have to execute perfect laps, but Talladega, Daytona, and Atlanta is purely the speed of your car and that is due to the hard work that my team puts in during the week."
From the Daytona 500 forward, McDowell and the No. 34 team set the goal to win every superspeedway pole. McDowell had earned six poles in the 2024 season, sweeping Talladega and Atlanta and taking the pole at both Gateway and at NASCAR's second trip to the Daytona International Speedway in August, where he sat on the pole next to his FRM teammate, Todd Gilliland.
Heading to his home track of the Phoenix Raceway for the season finale, McDowell reflected on the emotions he was feeling heading into his final weekend with Front Row Motorsports.
"There are no emotions yet, but I know when I get to Phoenix those emotions will set in. I have really tried to not think about it too much and just focus on my job. It truly is a family at FRM. I will always be grateful that Bob and Jerry took me in and gave me a place to call home, this place changed my life. I always thought that I would finish my career at FRM, but sometimes life has other plans.”
Over the course of seven seasons in the No. 34 Ford, Michael McDowell earned two wins, 10 Top-5's, 39 Top-10's, and six poles.
Comments