McDowell’s Indy Avenue Course win ‘no longer frequently a Cinderella fable’

Wins had been laborious to procure in McDowell’s journeyman Cup profession but his shock victory within the 2021 Daytona 500 put him in Victory Lane on NASCAR’s supreme stage.

McDowell and his No. 34 Entrance Row Motorsports group qualified for the 16-driver playoff field for the fundamental time with that win, but his most tasty produce within the final 10 races turn out to be 16th (twice) and he ended up final within the playoff standings.

Whereas he entered Sunday’s bustle at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Avenue Course with out a win this season, he has been working blueprint more persistently.

McDowell turn out to be aloof in contention to invent the playoff field on parts with three races remaining within the popular season, but Sunday changed all that.

He picked up the fundamental stage victory of his profession in Stage 1 and emerged from the final round of inexperienced flag pit stops with the lead over Plod Elliott – something he by no technique relinquished for the final 30 of 82 laps.

It turn out to be a dominant, emphatic victory that no longer fully solidified McDowell’s pickle within the 2023 playoffs but presentations he and his FRM group scheme to be necessary bigger than participants within the championship wrestle.

Michael McDowell, Entrance Row Motorsports, Horizon Hobby Ford Mustang

Portray by: Gavin Baker / NKP / Motorsport Photos

“To in most cases dominate the weekend is no longer frequently a ‘Cinderella’ fable,” talked about FRM’s popular manager Jerry Freeze. “We’ve been fortunate, that is the fourth Cup win that Entrance Row Motorsports has had, and I insist that you can perchance perhaps inform that the fundamental three, conditions roughly played their capacity into being within the placement to earn the checkered flag at the tip.

“But this one turn out to be simply an steady butt-kicking, and so I’m particularly delighted with this win.”

Freeze needs to be.

No longer fully did FRM carry a automobile that confirmed trot all weekend, but McDowell had to fend off a couple of the Cup Series’ most tasty road route abilities to seal the win.

No longer to inform, the bustle turn out to be crammed with a contingent of global stars, including three-time Supercars champion Shane van Gisbergen who anxious the game with a win within the Chicago Avenue Urge final month in his sequence debut.

“I don’t know that we’re pretty there as a top-10 group. I operate basically feel esteem every weekend we’re a solid top-15 group if we simply form our bustle,” Freeze talked about. “Whereas you happen to give (McDowell) the identical automobile that these other guys fetch, he’s going to actually inform that he can earn it done.

“I insist the capacity the guidelines fetch changed and with the Next Gen automobile coming in, it’s basically roughly played in that mid-sized teams’ prefer that when you happen to’re doing the particular things, you also could be competitive.

“We’ve simply obtained to withhold on investing in these areas to envision up on and increase our group and turn out to be a more fixed top 10 menace, and when making the playoffs isn’t such an unlimited fable, it’s perchance expected.”

McDowell, 38, is below no illusion there had been some conditions which fetch contributed to the recent playoff eventualities this 365 days – namely ignored races by drivers Elliott and Alex Bowman – but he “100%” believes he’s within the next location than in 2021.

“I insist these days turn out to be more special for me than the 500. No longer that it turn out to be bigger than the 500 – I don’t prefer anyone to jot down that. It’s no longer bigger than the 500,” he talked about.

“The five hundred is the supreme bustle it’s possible you’ll win, but it absolutely turn out to be more special to me thanks to how we did it. We dominated the bustle. We had the fastest automobile, and we done.

“That’s what needs are product of.”

How a long way can he slip within the playoffs?

And does McDowell dare insist the different of contending for a series title?

“We fetch got the building blocks to operate it. We fetch got the muse to operate it. We simply want a couple of more things to operate it,” he talked about.

“Till we fetch more strengthen, it be going to be laborious to invent it a championship-contending group week-in and week-out, but I insist we fetch the building blocks to pass in that direction.”